Volcanic eruptions, Killing puppies, 240,000 crème eggs and 130 tea trees.
All covered at the Innovation and Growth Conference in Hamilton on Monday.
“A ground-breaking conference giving forward-thinking business owners and entrepreneurs a leading edge in global growth.”
Kevin Malloy, Coca Cola Global Client Director kicked the meat of the day off via faceme. Customer interaction is key and the way we reach them in 2020 is going to be very different. Already 50% of internet access in NZ is via mobile devices and its steadily increasing. Despite this trend, only 21% of corporate websites in the US are mobile browser compatible.
Rod Claycomb on start-ups:
- It’s not rocket science – it’s harder than that
- If you can’t afford to break it, you can’t afford to buy it
- If it wasn’t hard, someone else probably would have already done it
The different types of networkers, card thrusting mercenaries, cling-ons and backslapping bar-huggers. The do’s and don’ts of networking were explained by Sue Sinclair. Do your research, don’t dive straight in with “what do you do?” and have a short, sharp introduction about yourself. In 20 seconds you need to cover what problem you solve and why this is interesting.
Possibly the most useful communication tip of the day came from Mark Robotham: “It’s not what you say to people, it’s what they remember and pass on.”
Bacon and eggs. Are you the chicken or the pig in your business? The chicken’s involved but the pig’s committed Mark told us as he mixed metaphors with the Chicken and Pigs business model analog
First we’re going to talk about what is facebook. Next we’re going to talk about how to set up a facebook page. Now I’d like everyone to stand up and hug the person next to you. Everyone was grateful Wayne Atwell was joking, especially the guy next to me. Look out for google plus places and what it means for your business. It’s becoming harder and harder to show up in organic international search results, no matter how good your SEO is.
“Make it work, then make it right, then make it fast” – fantastic advice Geoff Furniss found on his design team’s white board.
Zealong Tea – Jeff Howell shared Vincent Chen’s story: From noticing the flourishing natural growth of camellias in the Waikato he was able to make the connection that this might just be a great place to grow the world’s purest Oolong tea organically.
Guy Howard-Willis of Torpedo 7. Some of the volumes they’ve moved in 24 hours:
- 3.5 tonnes of marshmallows (specific gravity about 0.25 – that’s a lot of marshmallow)
- 240,000 crème eggs
- 20,000 pairs of men’s underwear
Guy is a cyclist who guesses he’s covered the equivalent of 3.5 times round the globe on his bike. He reckons his best ideas come to him while he’s out on a ride.
Going international with your business doesn’t have to be intimidating. NZTE are here to help, and if they can’t tell you how, they can point you towards someone who can. The audience had the chance to ask a panel of experts about what it takes to take their business global. Get out there and understand your customers, establish a presence at trade shows, tap into local knowledge – even hire them, and get away from your desk: don’t be afraid to get on the ground and talk to people in the market. Customers, competitors, distributors, industry bodies. Talk to everyone in the supply chain. New Zealander’s have a great reputation overseas and we can use that to get a foot in the door, but shouldn’t lead with it once we’re in that door. Sometimes NZ is just a little misunderstood though: “You’re from New Zealand, do you know the flight of the Conchords guys?”
Cam Calkoen blew away the crowd as the after dinner speaker. The definition of support: with no tissues or handkerchiefs in sight, being lent a jacket to blow his nose on during a public speaking gig in front of a room full of high school girls. He had an infectious charisma that made it impossible not to buy into his “dream big” mentality. Cam’s favourite word is “Awesome” and it’s easy to see why.
Timothy Allan managed to grab a picture that says it all: http://instagr.am/p/LuhndzFBFL/