Here’s my keynote presentation from Infopresse I gave last month “Social Media and the Food Industry” .

The toplines:

- 16 insights

- 6 reasons why your company should lead this effort

- 9 Essentials to get this world right

- 20 great food examples

Let me know your thoughts and and other great industry examples or insight.

An invite and referral-only gathering of style-conscious tastemakers, innovation brokers, culture-savvy trendspotters & seriously connected ringleaders who live, work, play & think ahead of the mainstream.

the big idea:
The future is already here, it’s just not widely distributed yet. Less than 4% of the population are true trailblazers of culture - the people that develop incredibly creative or innovative stuff or the people that spot the best stuff first. They are incredible allies for brands trying to build crowdsourced content and creative, sparks for innovation research and seed ambassadors for new launches. TrendCity is the first Canadian-focused network of thousands of these early-adopting people.

elements:
Email newsletter and Insight Blog - exposure among leading Canadian people, places and things
“Wall of Orange” Trendspotter Network - a database of informed early market movers
“Wall of Purple” Tastemaker Network - a hothouse of creative talent and ideasparks
Trend Reports - periodic and customized reports on marketplace and cultural trends
TrendCity Beta Testers - feedback from informed market tastemakers
TrendCity Launching Pad - twice-yearly live event platform for launching products
TrendCity Consulting - workshops and private events on creative ideas and insight on what’s next

benefits:
- superior concept research
- advance testing group
- seeded tastemaker and trendspotter exposure
- innovation stimulus
- seeded and credible ambassadors
- marketplace insight

scope:
- Geography - Canada - Major Cities
- Timing - All year - April and September events, November professional event
- Scale - 5,000 qualified trendspotters/tastemakers

the right partners:
- New launches
- Buzz industries –i.e. entertainment/fashion
- Tech, gadgets, hardware and wireless
- Innovation and insight chasers
- Premium brands and exclusive products
- User-generated content seekers
- Non-traditional exploratory techniques

contact:
Agent Wildfire - Canada’s Word of Mouth Experts www.agentwildfire.com 416-255-4500

Plans for 2010 include 27 events and 4 private executive events across 5 cities – Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa - with membership climbing to 7,000 invited or referred members.

the big idea:
“What would happen if we gathered together the most interesting people across the Canadian business world?” You know those people – the intelligent and crazy smart, the passionate and opinionated, the mavericks and the mavens, the change agents and titans of commerce, with some undefinable trait that makes them extraordinarily interesting.

The League of Kickass (LOK) is that group; a key influencer network of Canadian business people slightly ahead of their time.

elements:
Communing Online – LOK members access a community-based site of their peers, customizing their profile to include videos and photos to share with other members, participating in writing blog posts and discussion forums and inviting other friends and colleagues to join the league

Connecting Live - members are invited to full group events held once every one-four months in their respective cities for inspiring talks and panel discussions by fascinating people at one-of-a-kind venues – Toronto and Vancouver and soon to be Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary.

Exclusive VIP Sessions – intimate dinners/lunches every three months of leading executives of 24-48 people where they can network, collaborate, converse and get inspired in the company of their peers who share their passion.

External Blog, Video and Social Extensions – breaking LOK news, meeting wrap-ups, surveys and interviews with Canada’s top business leaders and guest thought leaders on our dedicated blog & extended out on key social networks.

Industry Segments of Members
- Senior business visionaries and CEOs
- Marketing leaders
- Media newsmakers
- Digital and technology experts
- Communications professionals, agency heads and creative directors
- Designers & architects
- Entrepreneurs and startup founders
- Leading university academics and deans
- Culture and entertainment celebrities
- Strategists and consultants
- Not for profit leaders and government
- Plus an Under 30 sub-community of young talent

the benefits:
- The LOK is one of the only professional networks in Canada to pull leading talent across a wide range of business and creative disciplines to provide sponsor-friendly reach
- The LOK meets regularly offline and online to deliver sponsor-friendly touchpoints:
- The LOK affiliates with the best of the best people, exposes the best ideas and elevates debate and new perspectives to generate sponsor-friendly perception and exposure via:
-Unique venues and event formats
-Great, inspiring speakers and rainmakers
-Passionate, talented members
-Relevant themes and ideas
-And now top sponsors

scope:
- Geography - Canada - Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal
- Timing - All year - 25 full member events, 2 under 30 events and 4 private exec. events
- Scale - 7,000 approved and/or referred members

the right partners:
- a forward thinking, innovative or ideas-driven firm
- a business-to-business firm
- a company targeting a business/creative audience
- single event partners -for topic-interested clients
- companies looking for HR enhancement/talent acquisition effort
- a company with an ongoing stream of industry news
- a media company
- launch products/startup companies

urls:
The League of Kickass Content/Blog Site - http://theleagueofkickass.com/
LOKBP Community Site - http://theleagueofkickassbusinesspeople.ning.com/
LOKU30 Community Site - http://theleagueofkickassunder30.ning.com/

contact:
Agent Wildfire - Canada’s Word of Mouth Experts www.agentwildfire.com 416-255-4500

We’ve polled you, cajoled you and nicely asked you what you want to see in the future for the League of Kickass Business People. Many of you have been kind enough to tell us. In fact, our event topics have been so well received, that at least 3 major conferences have stolen …ahem, I mean …flattered us with imitating our topics recently.

2010 looks exceptionally rosy for the LOK - we plan on being in 5 cities with 24 events, tripling our membership with a supporting cast of wonderful sponsors and new initiatives.

So, yes, by all means, go to your industry specific events but when it comes to collaborating, networking, kibbitzing and sharing and showing off your brain and powers of conversation to smart people across a wide range of industries, make The League of Kickass your first choice for inspiration in 2010.

We have sweated bullets on our plan ..but this will only happen with your help!

Have a look at our 2010 schedule and if it gets you excited like us, we humbly ask for five things:

- Identify events where you could volunteer some of your time, head, arms and legs to pull greatness off as part of a sub-team

- Tap ideal speakers and contact information for people that might be perfect for the event

- Put us in touch with annual and event-specific sponsors who would love to get behind what we’re doing and be affiliated with the most interesting people with the best ideas

- Let us know about unique exciting venues that would be a perfect complement for the event topic

- Place these events on your “must attend” calendar and grab a couple of kickass professional friends

The 2010 League of Kickass Business People Schedule (Draft)

January: The League of Kickass Dragons Den
• The League of Kickass Dragon’s Den will feature 16 up and coming businesses, entrepreneurs, and business developers that will have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to four judges who will comment, critique and offer advice based on their own business experience for your entertainment value. The goal is for entrepreneurs to have a valid opportunity to show their creativity, business smarts and plans to those who have excelled at their own start ups.

February: The Future of Sport/Olympic Party
• With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games happening in February, we thought it would be kickass to look at the changing landscapes of sport and business in Canada. Especially with the Olympics in Canada sport, its athletes and businesses have intertwined. From athletic sponsors, to active-minded organizations to leading sports brands and from the business of sport to sport as a business. We will look at all the angles, pros and cons of sport and business in Canada.

March: The Buzz Report
• Reporting on the top trends across Canada. Looking at trends, business, design, technology, marketing, public relations, communications, advertising and social media will be a set of leading experts and first time release of survey data. What will 2010 and the new decade bring? Be the first to go and the first to know.

April: Culture Camp
• Taking a look at everything culture. Music. Art. Theatre. Performance. Film. This event will put 12 of the leading arts organizations under one roof and get them unplugged for your delight. A combination of the best of the business and art of Toronto’s culture on display with hoped for special announcement too.

May: Personal branding
• Your career and image in the world is no longer what you say it is, it’s what they say it is. The world is networked, and you need to jump in the deep end - expand their network, build a personal brand, and find the best position. May is the month of personal branding. We plan to bring in experts on branding and career development to explain how to create and control your personal brand. From social networking to blogging to networking and creating a database – people have an opportunity to bounce their hard hitting questions off seasoned experts who have achieved personal brand success. Open to both LOKBP and LOKU30 members with a special mentorship session.

June: Meet the CEOs
• Meet your leaders. They may not have had a career in marketing but they certainly know how to work with them. Over the last couple of decades, marketing and the world of communications has lost a seat at the executive table, these CEOs will let you know how to get it back. An intimate and up close night with 5 of Canada’s leading chiefs of business.

July: The League of Kickass Amazing Race
• Think Amazing Race - really cool places + interesting sights + creative tasks + urban exploration with a professional and creative twist. The weather is great. Team will race in well-balanced and talented groups of four that will compete for clues to find and figure out who will become the Kickass Amazing Race champions. We are putting the kickass in teambuilding, communications and relays with the help of supporting industry celebrities, agencies and clients. We will have teams of four from different companies compete against one another for the Amazing Race challenge and charity with a patio finale.

August: Kickass Cares – Who’s your City?
• With thousands of members and advisory panels in five cities, the League of Kickass is looking to give back to the communities we come from. The choice of where to live is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. In fact, place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives. The LOK will choose a charity that works towards the betterment of all these 5 cities on the same day. Each city, will hold an event to raise money and volunteer time for charities of their choosing. We hope to crowdsource best solutions and have our community come together and give back to the people, places, and areas that enrich our lives.

September: Kickass Corporate Social Responsibility
• Let’s grab a deeper look at Corporate Social Responsibility. Lately there has been a push for businesses to adopt corporate social responsibility initiatives to ensure their business is onside and practices the values entrenched in the company. This event will look at how businesses are adopting CSR, what is important when discussing CSR and why it’s become so important.

October: Kickass Pecha Kucha
• PechaKucha Night is a forum for inspiring creatives covering off 12 different faces of the Kickass business landscape (arts, design, technology, photography, architecture, ads, marketing, innovation, trends, PR, the customer, social media) in rapidfire fashion. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation (”chit chat”). We give the presentation format a bit of a spin but still based on a simple idea: 30 images x 30 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace and displays the magnitude of Canadian out-of-the-box thinking.

November: Customer Experience
• The most successful businesses influence people through engaging, authentic experiences that render personal value. Easier said than done. We highlight top Canadian businesses and people getting it right and the opportunities they tap into and hurdles they overcome. We’ll discover what leading, well-loved companies are doing to deliver a mulit-level experience that sets it apart in the eyes of its customers ,serves to increase their spend and builds unwavering loyalty and even, dare we say it, inspires love for their brand.

December: Alternative Marketing/Media
• Marketing and communications doesn’t fit in nice tidy boxes anymore. It comes in different shapes, forms, mediums and avenues. With marketing now so accessible, what is the right way to go about it? Alternative marketing is getting more attention and acceptance every day – it is predicted that 25% of a company’s marketing spend is on the alternative side of things and skyrocketing up. Mobile. Guerrilla. Mashups. Gaming. Digital display. Video. Word of mouth. Community. Geo-targeting. It’s all so new and exciting, but what’s a business to do? We’ll let each expert tell you and start the debate.

We hope to over the coming weeks finalize our schedule for Vancouver and our first expansions into Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary as well as 4 events for the League of Kickass Under 30.

Let us know what you thing. our operators are waiting on standby.

Eighteen people discussing hot business trends has now exploded into over 1,500 members in the League of Kickass Business People and almost 500 members in the League of Kickass Under 30 across Canada. We are committed to bringing the upper-echelon of talent, knowledge and business together and have big plans to make the 2009/2010 year better than ever. We are proud to be a League of Kickass Canadians, with LOK advisory panels in Toronto and Vancouver and plans to expand to Montreal and Calgary.

Our Toronto LOK advisory panel met recently and as you may have noticed, the website has already made one change. When people sign up to be a LOK member they are asked who has recommended them. We found that more people were turning to their friends and colleagues they felt would appreciate the LOK, recommending they take a look and join. This is great on two fronts: First, it validates that the person wanting to be a member is probably someone who will provide feedback, engage and is interested in the topics we cover. Second, it adds credibility to our membership; that we have people standing behind the character, interests, and integrity of our new members. This is a huge help when networking and ensures that the LOK can continue to add people of high caliber.

Our first exclusive event, The CMO Council, occurs on October 15, 2009. The LOK has invited 30 of the top CMO’s in Canada to gather, discuss, engage and have their say on the changing landscape of marketing and business in Canada. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, feel free to contact Erin for more information. (erin@agentwildfire.com)

For more information:
League of Kickass Business People or League of Kickass Under 30

Attached you will find the 2009 Buzz Report, an inaugural research study that provides a pulsecheck on Canadian business leader’s response to the new landscape of marketing, media, customer experience and brand-building.

This advance report is based on 300 online survey responses from some of Canada’s top executive marketing, business, digital and communications leaders polled online from late 2008 and first half 2009.

Unique among research reports in Canada, the Buzz Report study takes a complete look at new marketing, media and customer-driven strategies & tactics; not just general macro spending trends or specific social media.

This report was generated by Canada’s leading grassroots marketing, media and research company Agent Wildfire (www.agentwildfire.com) and sent to you as a favoured colleague ahead of widespread release.

Formal release of study results will be launched on August 3, 2009.

Please feel free to share the results of the study with your audience(s).

Key Highlights of the Study:

- 79% of study respondents are optimistic about social media/word of mouth delivering value in their organizations

- 67% expect investment of money, time and resources in social media/word of mouth to grow in the coming year
- “Awareness, publicity and buzz” is the #1 stated objective for initiating social media/word of mouth initiatives
- Social networks, social media, mobile, user generated content and influencer marketing are predicted to have the biggest new media segment growth in the coming years
- 32% believe a conversation worthy idea/concept is the key attribute of word of mouth, the #1 ranked choice
- 38% believe communications/PR is the most accountable owner for social media/word of mouth in an organziation
- Measurement, lack of budget and loss of control were considered the biggest obstacles to adopting social media/word of mouth
- Lack of authenticity, lieing and not creating two-way dialogue were considered the biggest sins of current practitioners
- 83% strongly agree/agree that agencies need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant in this
climate
- 59% believe user generated content/social media is a bigger benefit vs. 25% believe it as a bigger threat to their business
- 52% track content generated from social media and word of mouth, most other measures are tracked by less than half of the respondents polled
- 70% of people do not necessarily agree that Facebook will be the dominant social network in 3 years

If you want to interview the author of the study Sean Moffitt or get supporting assets, graphs or visuals, please send an email to jasmine@agentwildfire.com .

The League of Kickass Business People – The Vancouver Debut
Join us to kick-start the League of Kickass Business People in Vancouver!

What: The League of Kickass Business People is a collection of mid and senior level opinion leaders, headline stealers, trend spotters, tastemakers and rainmakers who live, work, play and think ahead of the mainstream. The event will feature a panel discussion on how the Vancouver 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games are creating new opportunities for companies, as well as impacting their strategies and planning for the upcoming year.

Who: Moderated By:
Sean Moffitt, President, Agent Wildfire
Phillip Djwa, Principal, Agentic Communications

Panel Involves:
Lesli Boldt, Olympic and Paralympic Operations, City of Vancouver
Kris Krug, President, Raincity Studios

When: Thursday, May 28, 2009
Arrival and Appetizers 6:00 p.m.
League of Kickass Intro by Phillip Djwa 7:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion 7:15 p.m.
Soapbox Session 8:15 p.m.
Continue the Conversation 8:30 p.m.

Where: Tribal DDB
1600 – 777 W. Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia

Join The League of Kickass Business People Community:
http://theleagueofkickassbusinesspeople.ning.com/

For tickets, book here :
http://vancouverlok.eventbrite.com/

For more information:
Andrea Cvijetic, WOM Program Leader, Agent Wildfire 416-255-4500
andrea@agentwildfire.com

Beyond a packed house, a session that started with Accordion Guy and a number of props, the group discussed key issues that continue to crop up with the application of word of mouth:

- what is word of mouth and what it isn’t?

- is it an outcome or a strategy?

- it is culture and can it be campaignable?

- the role of an agency vs. company?

- why do people participate?

- is it personality dependent or its it based on the experience?

- how to use the new forms of social media as outreach and engagement tools?

- is open source always the right way to go?

- can you measure it and how?

There was a video on Rabble but sadly is no longer there.

The panel was entertaining, lively and well tweeted about, not too sure all questions were answered but happy to answer all follow ups from my fellow MESHies.

Thanks again to Stuart, Mark, Mike, Rob and Mathew and all support staff for putting on a the leading web conference in Canada and look forward to MESH marketing (a new Fall event) and MESH10.

Two of the most impressive (for me) presentations were by April Dunford and Jason Oke.

April Dunford’s (Rocket Launch Marketing) session was “Segmentation, Positioning and Storyteling: How a Smart Market Strategy Can Drive Growth”. Whereas some marketing majors would have found some of the content rather basic, it was nevertheless good to refresh my memory. Non-marketers in the room probably enjoyed an exercise in segmentation and positioning and took down relevant notes.

Jason Oke of Juniper Park presented on how to get everyone else as excited about your idea as you are was enlightening. Top lessons that I took home with me are:
- you absolutely have to believe in yourself when presenting an idea. Don’t thrash your own ideas!
- be multi-modal and address the fact that people have different learning styles
- know people. Remember that new concepts and ideas oftentimes get rejected. Jason then showed us some of the comments from Mac forums following the release of the first ever iPod.

Oh yes, and that Helvetica Neue Light is the best font for Powerpoint presentations.

Afterwards, The Drake hosted all MeshU participants on its premises between 6 to 9pm and pampered us with pleasant music, fantastic food and drinks.

Oh yes, if you were at both Mesh and MeshU, don’t forget to provide feedback to some of the speakers that you saw! Via Rypple. Follow this link

“Canada’s resident expert on word of mouth, social media and community-building Sean Moffitt takes you through the rationale for applying word of mouth marketing and community building in a cluttered, chaotic and customer-controlled marketplace. Sean will provide the 12 arguments on why word of mouth trumps traditional media in a stressed economy, isolates the 12 key types of word of mouth marketing, when and where they should be used and the 36 basic reasons why people talk.

Along the way, Sean will dispel myths, inspire ideas, give you the latest research, tools and advice from not only a leading consultant on grassroots marketing and social media but also a street savvy practitioner and brand champion that has seen them work firsthand. He’ll also impart wisdom on how to apply these strategies, insights and tactics back to the unique and conversation-worthy world of business-to-consumer to business-to-business worlds.”

Hope you’ll join me in a “roll up your sleeves” morning. Tickets are $80-100 and humbly, a very good value.