Events
The Levitt Group meetings are non-profit events designed to give members the maximum possible knowledge in the least possible time.
Run over Friday afternoon/Saturday morning at a convenient and conducive location, the events feature a range of thought leaders from both academia and exemplary companies.
The events are exclusive and informal, giving those who attend the opportunity to question and debate the speakers' ideas. Speakers are carefully chosen to cover a wide range of business sectors and topics and so to be of interest to all members, whatever their particular interests. In addition, the events provide an opportunity to mix with other senior marketers, share ideas and find common interests.
Book now for our next event, in Leeds on 19/20 March 2010.
Full information and booking details can be found here.
Synopsis:
Friday 19th, 5.30pm - 6.30pm: Neil Pakey, Deputy Chief Executive of John Lennon Airport: 'The Power of PR'. As new head of Liverpool Airport he has already notched up 20 years in the aviation industry. He plans to connect Liverpool to every major European city, and has played a pivotal role in the turnaround of Liverpool John Lennon Airport. These days he's running it. It's owned by Peel Airports, a strong northern brand through its ownership and development of the three regional airports. It operates in a sector dominated for so long by one (almost) monopolistic player, and yet has delivered success and strong individual brand recognition for its businesses, and continues to do so.
7.00 - 8.00: Professor Stan Paliwoda, Strathclyde University: 'International markets - the bigger picture'. With interests in international marketing, specially in Central Europe, Professor Paliwoda recently co-edited with Dr Svetla Marinova a special issue of the European Journal of Marketing on “Marketing within the enlarged Single European Market”; and a special issue of International Marketing Review with Dr Stephanie Slater, “Globalisation and Regionalisation”.
Saturday 09.00 - 10.15: William Higham, author of the recently published "The Next Big Thing - spotting and forecasting consumer trends for profit" - copies of the book to be distributed to delegates: 'Spotting and Forecasting Consumer Trends for Profit'. Trend forecasting is a comparatively new discipline, and its proximity to the worlds of fads and fashion can make some people wary of its commercial effectiveness. But as an early warning of how market needs and behaviours are changing, and of the threats and opportunities they offer, it can provide genuine benefits - especially in times of flux such as we are living through now. But how do trends work, what differentiates them from fads, how can they be predicted, which ones need to be monitored and which can be ignored, and how can they benefit companies on a practical level?
10.45-12.00: Helen Curtis, Head of Marketing for the Global Portfolio, BT Global Services: 'Insight into the hidden P's - Proposition & Partners - adding some magic to the mix in a recession'. In a tough economic climate businesses need to consider what else they can add to the mix to help them have a greater impact and drive more leads for the business. Helen will share her experiences of marketing a global services portfolio during 2009 and what she see's in 2010. In particular she will share some insight into the role of proposition and partner marketing which have helped add some magic to the mix in a tough market.
Venue: Weetwood Hall Conference Centre and Hotel, Otley Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS16 5PS.
Cost: Overnight £250, Friday only £145, Saturday only £125. An additional £30 is charged for non-Levitt Group membership to cover joining fee. There is a late booking fee of £50 for bookings made after the cut-off date of Tuesday 2nd March.
Recent events:
Our last event: 13-14 November at Moor Hall: a challenge to marketers!
Stormy autumn weather provided a dramatic backdrop for the airing and debate of some exciting and controversial marketing ideas, which kept senior academics and market-hardened practitioners enthralled.
Seldom at one event have so many good ideas been laid out for analysis and inspection. Fortunately the restaurant and bar at Moor Hall provided plenty of refreshment to lubricate the discussions following the talks, which consequently carried on late into the night!
The first session featured a fascinating account by Chris Knight of Polaroid Eyewear, who explained and discussed their marketing strategy, with illustrations of some of the key elements. Although Polaroid have been around for many years, and enjoy a good reputation for technical excellence, they have had to fight hard to maintain market share, as a David against the Goliath of the Italian designer brands. They’re fighting back with a strong strategy and it seems to be paying off.
Next up, Cindy Barnes and Helen Blake, authors of “Creating and Delivering Your Value Proposition: Managing Customer Experience for Profit” presented and discussed the ideas in their new book, describing how value propositions differ from product to product, how they work and how great companies design and deliver them. We also received a copy of the book.
On Saturday morning, we had a fascinating account, from Peter Dorrington of SAS software, of their marketing strategy. This was B2B marketing at a very sophisticated level, and it held lessons for us all. The marketing of an intangible, like software, is a complex process, yet he managed to demonstrate how rigorous planning creates a framework in which they can achieve tangible results.
Finally, Ralph Stacey, Professor of Management at the Business School of the University of Hertfordshire, questioned the validity of planning in a world governed by unpredictable events. He challenged the prevailing orthodoxy that planning works to the benefit of the organisation. In so doing we were asked to re-examine our whole faith in the conventional reliance on medium and long term plans, such that we were encouraged to acknowledge that the plans themselves may have no value – only the process.
Radical stuff for a roomfull of marketers whose careers were built around the need for the very things he was calling into question!
The Ashridge Event: great learning and a grand lifestyle mix to create a memorable experience - June 12/13.
Ashridge Business School provided a stunningly beautiful and memorable setting for a fascinating event. Feedback was almost unanimous in praise of the venue - fine food, comfortable rooms, an excellent academic atmosphere and a wonderful environment.
Delegates were equally full of praise for the speakers, who without exception increased their learning and understanding of marketing.
Doctors Gibbs and Humphries gave us detailed insight (as well as a copy of their new book) into how to gain competitive advantage through collaboration and partnering. Their analysis of the causes of success and failure was based on extensive empirical evidence, and they gave us some enlightening models to evaluate the likelihood of success, as well as to manage such partnerships in order to steer them in the right direction.
Clive Grinyer of Cisco spoke amusingly about how to (and how not to) design customer experience and build a loyal customer base. Using consumer and B-to-B examples he led us through a number of case studies, which led to the conclusion that the complete customer experience must be considered and designed into the product or service, if you are to gain true competitive advantage.
Dr Freeling illuminated and enlightened us about the evolutionary nature of most marketing, and what it means for how we try to create differentiation in order to compete effectively. ‘Big steps’ are rare - the best most marketers can hope to achieve are small gains as part of a process of continuous improvement and evolution. If we understand this we will seek to improve our product’s competitive position using small, incremental steps, rather than be sidetracked by the temptation to make radical changes in the hope of reaping big returns.
Finally, Bhupendra Patel opened the doors to Johnson and Johnson, to demonstrate how one of the world’s greatest companies ensures that marketing is integrated throughout every aspect of its processes. He showed us how their ‘Credo’ underpins every decision they make - much more than jus a Mission/Vision/Values document - and shared details of their 3-prong approach to marketing effectiveness.
It was a memorable event, and one which provided a truly worthwhile learning experience to all the senior marketers and academics who attended - not to mention a great opportunity to network over fine wine and food!