2016 NexGen Schedule

The Experience Economy

The 2016 USAV NextGen conference explores the concepts introduced in Joseph Pine and James Gilmore’s book The Experience Economy: Work is Theater & Every Business a Stage. This book contends future economic growth lies in the value of experiences and transformations-goods and services are no longer enough.

Conference Highlights

Throughout the course of the conference, participants will take a look at the idea of a experience economy in a hands-on way. Using a life cycle approach, participants will join teams and together work on a project from beginning to end. USAV manufacturer partners will act as surrogate customers, ready to evaluate the experience delivered by participating teams. Conference designers are seeking serious role-play and a compelling learning experience. We are committed to realistic problems and hard work throughout the NextGen Conference. But, there will be downtime and informal times for sharing, reflecting, and getting to know peers from across USAV and partner teams.

Schedule Overview

This schedule will provide you with a general conference flow to use for planning purposes. We will publish a more detailed schedule providing specifics on conference sessions prior to the event.

Tuesday, September 6

Prior to 12:00pm: Arrival

10:30am-12:30pm: Conference Check-In

12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch

12:30pm-1:00pm: Welcome

1:00pm-5:00pm: Session One |The Experience: Marketplace Position - The client experience begins far before a face-to-face meeting. Prospective clients do a significant amount of research before we even have an opportunity to talk with them and assess their situation. So what can we do to ensure we are positioned well in the marketplace? Do we ensure that the first stage of our client’s experience is powerful and consistent with the rest of our process? This session will explore solutions for the first “disconnect” that often arises in the customer experience.

5:00pm-9:00pm: Partner Showcase, Homework & Dinner

Wednesday, September 7

7:00am-8:00am: Breakfast

8:00am-11:30am: Session Two | The Experience: Positioning the Solution - Once we have the opportunity to meet a prospective client, our next task is developing a customized solution that meets their unique needs. However, the “right solution” will not automatically produce a new client. Setting the foundation of a positive customer experience is the ticket. This session will focus on developing a presentation that addresses the unspoken needs of perspective clients.

11:40am-1:20pm: Partner Meetings & Lunch

1:30pm-5:00pm: Session Three | The Experience: Implementation - Now that the prospect has committed as a customer, it is time to implement the proposed solution to their satisfaction. How can you execute a successful project while simultaneously making it an enjoyable experience for the client? What is the key to clear communication during this phase? This session will dig into strategies for effectively managing a project from start to finish.

5:00pm-5:30pm: Break

5:30pm-7:00pm: Homework

6:00pm-7:00pm: Cocktails

7:00pm-9:00pm: Dinner

Thursday, September 8

8:00am-9:00am: Breakfast

9:00am-12:00pm: Session Four | The Experience: Commissioning, Turnover and Support - The system implementation is complete and we are now ready to deliver the completed project to the client. What are the next steps needed to commission the system, demonstrate functionality to the customer, train them on system use, etc.? Have we addressed ongoing support in the experience? This session addresses how to wrap up a project strong and leave clients basking in an exceptional experience.

12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm-2:30pm: Wrap-up/Reflection

After 2:30pm: Departure