OPINION - Peter Hinssen on Ignorance and Innovation

A serial entrepreneur, advisor, keynote speaker and author, Peter Hinssen is one of the most sought-after thought leaders on radical innovation, leadership and the impact of all things digital on society and business.

Hinssen brings forward the idea that organizations need to have a percentage of people who Don't Know What They Are Doing to be innovative and bring forward the best result for the future. 

Hinssen points to emerging companies where the percentage of these people is much higher than in mature organizations. He shows that innovators in these legacy organizations spend a disproportionate amount of their time wrestling with those who Know What They Are Doing but will never generate a different result. 

Dr. Melodie Chan to Deliver 2014 Leaders KeyNote

Leaders of the Urban Animal industry arrive at Summit 2014 during an interesting time.

The landscape is changing daily: Deconstruction or reconstruction of the industry supply chain is taking place; Consolidation of consumer purchasing power by big box retailers and large online portals challenges the role of the independent service provider; and, Disruption of communication channels by the internet has left traditional marketing elements in the dustbin of history.

More than ever before, the environment faced by leaders is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). In addition, most current leaders are 'digital immigrants' surrounded by 'digital natives' they struggle to understand. The language, culture and customs now appearing in the workforce they lead and in the customer base they serve, often feels foreign to them. The need for leaders to constantly discern between danger and opportunity is great. 

As leaders contemplate their careers and the future of the organizations they lead, they can be paralyzed by fear and uncertainty or they can invent a future where they succeed. 

Melodie Chan, DVM, is Senior Manager Veterinary Services (Cattle/Equine/Genetics), for Zoetis. Dr. Chan will deliver the 2014 Leaders Keynote to Summit delegates. Melodie Chan first appeared on the Urban Animal radar screen in 2009 as a member of the CVMA Innovation Task Force along with Jean Gauvin, Chair and Larry Evans, Secretary. Jean Gauvin is currently the President of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Summit 2014 is the first time all three innovator/futurists will be together since 2010. 

Summit 2014 delegates can expect to be inspired, energized and equipped to invent a successful future by Dr. Chan's address.

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The Firefly Effect - How Brands and Social Media are Related

Ian Greene, keynote speaker for Saturday's Summit session, provides perspective on living in a digital era and how the future of the companion animal industry will fare in this new and technological world.

Leaders in the companion animal industry live in a time when disruption is accelerating.  Things seem volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) more than ever before. Each of us are 'digital immigrants' surrounded by 'digital natives' and we struggle to understand the language, culture and customs that are now appearing. The need to discern between danger and opportunity is great. As you contemplate your career and the future for your organization, you wonder - Where does strategy live?  How can I be certain? How will social communication affect me?

The 2012 Summit Leader's Library, Leaders make the Future, led by Bob Johansen, Distinguished Fellow, Institute for the Future, outlines 10 new skills leaders need to incorporate for an uncertain world. This inspirational address is intended to equip and add clarity to those who lead. 

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comScore Report Shows Canada Leads the World

The 2012 Canada Digital Future in Focus report from comScore was released last week and examines how the prevailing trends in general web usage and demographics, social media, online video, digital advertising, mobile and search are defining the current Canadian marketplace. This annual report provides insight into what these trends mean for the year ahead.

Key insights include:

• Canada continues to lead the world in online engagement, with visitors spending an average 45 hours per month online, representing a fertile ground for digital marketers and advertisers.
• While Facebook is nearing a point of visitor saturation in Canada, other social networks’ visitor bases are posting strong growth, including Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr. 
• Engagement on many social sites is trending upward, with Facebook driving the large majority of the increase in total minutes and page views for the overall category.
• Online video is becoming an increasingly popular channel, with total videos viewed up 58 percent. 
• YouTube continues to dominate the marketplace, representing nearly 1 in every 2 videos viewed in Canada.
• Display advertising is evolving to be more social, not only with the rise of “socially-published ads” (i.e. those published on social networking sites), but also the increase of “socially-enabled” ads running across the web that direct click-throughs to the brand’s Facebook fan page.
• Smartphone penetration has reached 45 percent in Canada, with daily mobile content usage growing more than 50 percent in several key content categories.

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comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics.