ProductCamp St. Louis 2025 was held on April 5.
Slides and materials from sessions are here: ProductCamp St. Louis 2025 Session Materials (Google Drive folder).
Normally we vote on which sessions will make it on the schedule. For 2025, due to the number of sessions proposed, all proposed sessions made it on the schedule; the only exception is if the presenter requested their session be removed from the schedule, in which case the session is still listed below but appears in strikethrough, like this.
On this page:
Proposed Sessions
Slides and materials from sessions are here: ProductCamp St. Louis 2025 Session Materials (Google Drive folder).
Anyone who proposed a session was given an opportunity to share slides, handouts, and other materials after ProductCamp. All materials that were provided are in the ProductCamp St. Louis 2025 Session Materials (Google Drive folder). If you have questions or are looking for more information about a specific session, please reach out directly to the person who submitted the session.
View the schedule to see when these sessions were held at ProductCamp St. Louis 2025.
- Session ID1: How to Clone Your Best Customers [Brandon Towl.]
- Session ID2: Exploring Fundamentals of Product Psychology (back by popular demand) [Hannah Davison.]
Session ID3: From Puzzle Pieces to Strategic Mastery: A Product Manager’s Guide [Dana Slay.]Session ID4: A Mental Health Manifesto – Harnessing Agile Principles for Mental Wellness [Dana Slay.]- Session ID5: How to differentiate in a competitive market: ERY Method [Kevin Dulle.]
- Session ID6: When Buyers Won’t Commit: The Art of Offering Less to Get More [Brandon Towl.]
Session ID7: The Stage Gate Process [Michael Feldhake.]Session ID8: Concept Development [Michael Feldhake.]Session ID9: AI-driven decision making AYFKM [Dan Glasscock.]Session ID10: Maximum Team Productivity [Dan Glasscock.]- Session ID11: The Product Career Playbook: Strategies for Growth & Leadership [Karen Loiterstein.]
- Session ID12: The Ultimate Product Playbook: Equipping Sellers, Resellers & Leaders to Sell Your Product [Karen Loiterstein.]
Session ID13: Agile Meets Data Science: Agile Strategies for High-Impact Data Science & Machine Learning Projects [Ganesh Kumar Suresh.]Session ID14: Agile Unleashed: Beyond Frameworks to Build an Organization That Thrives in Complexity” [Ganesh Kumar Suresh.]Session ID15: From Intuition to Impact: Building Strong Product Sense [Ganesh Kumar Suresh.]- Session ID16: Self Care for SUCCESSFUL Innovation Leaders [Dan Reus.]
- Session ID17: The GTM Black Box: Unlocking the Secrets to Scalable Product Growth [Karen Loiterstein.]
- Session ID18: Bug-Free is a Myth… Unless You Predict It: AI Testing Hacks for Product Managers [Rahulkumar Chawda.]
- Session ID19: Selling Without The Sleaze: Learn to collaborate your way to sales success. [Gill Wagner.]
- Session ID20: Marketing Plans That Pay For Themselves [Gill Wagner.]
- Session ID21: When Your Product Is a Human: Managing “People-Driven” Services That Leverage Technology [Jeff Lash.]
- Session ID22: Ask Me Anything: Product Leadership [Jeff Lash.]
- Session ID23: Are you solving the wrong problem? [Raj Iyer.]
- Session ID24: Leveraging AI in Product Development [Brian Collard.]
- Session ID25: The Problem With Process: Using A Different Kind of AGI to 10x Your Digital Product Outcomes [Travis Duncan.]
- Session ID26: Mining Gold From Feature Requests [Stacey Weber.]
- Session ID27: Productivity & Focus for Product Managers [Jonathan Mesh.]
- Session ID28: Beyond Agile: Helping Your Company Move to a Product Operating Model [Jonathan Mesh.]
- Session ID29: Software is Eating the World: The Effect of Technology on Culture [Jonathan Mesh.]
- Session ID30: Team Building: the How and Why for Product Managers [Jonathan Mesh.]
- Session ID31: Keeping AI Human [Mark Vogel.]
- Session ID32: Pursuing Your Entrepreneurial Dream: Spiritually-led Business Development [Terese Messman.]
| Session ID#:1 | How to Clone Your Best Customers |
| Description: | Any business would “clone” its best customers if it could, right? Yet most businesses fail to get more gold-star customers because, while they can point to examples, they don’t know what makes them the best, why they buy, nor how to reach them.In this session, we’ll review a simple process for interviewing customers to discover this information and better inform product marketing. We’ll also cover missteps to avoid, as well as the four killer questions that can unleash fresh insights.This session will be most helpful for business owners, marketers, sales teams, and heads of business development, especially those who find it hard to get straightforward answers to their questions about marketing spend and marketing strategy. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy |
| Submitted by: | Brandon Towl. Brandon is the CEO and Head Writer for Words Have Impact, a content marketing agency. He has spent over a decade helping to “decode” what his clients’ customers want–and using that information to inform overall marketing strategy. |
| Session ID#:2 | Exploring Fundamentals of Product Psychology (back by popular demand) |
| Description: | This presentation will explore fundamental principles of product psychology. Through compelling case studies from popular companies, we’ll examine the psychological frameworks behind habit formation, motivation, and user retention. Attendees will gain actionable insights on designing products that will foster long-term engagement, product satisfaction, and conversion rates. Please note: This is a new presentation, not a repeat from last year. If you attended my session last year and enjoyed it, consider coming again! |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Design and Collaboration |
| Submitted by: | Hannah Davison. Hannah is a UX/UI designer with a passion for product psychology and integrating it into her work. She currently works at a nonprofit, focusing on their SaaS platform, while also assisting with Agile project management, Scrum, and QA.https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahdavison15/ |
| Session ID#:5 | How to differentiate in a competitive market: ERY Method |
| Description: | The ERY Method UnWorkshop helps businesses break free from the ordinary and stand out in a crowded market. It uncovers creative, focus-driven factors that make your brand unique. Through strategic deconstruction, interactive exercise, and unexpected insights, this hands-on experience challenges conventional thinking. You’ll gain clarity and confidence to differentiate your business, attract the right customers, and build a brand that’s impossible to ignore. If you’re ready to move beyond generic positioning, this UnWorkshop is your next step. |
| Session Format: | Workshop |
| Category: | Design and Collaboration |
| Submitted by: | Kevin Dulle. Kevin M. Dulle is an author, visual translator, facilitator, and experience designer with over 30 years of expertise working with financial institutions, healthcare organizations, non-profits and consultants in strategic planning, design, and visual thinking. He helps organizations transform abstract ideas into clear, actionable visuals, making complex challenges easier to navigate and solutions more accessible. |
| Session ID#:6 | When Buyers Won’t Commit: The Art of Offering Less to Get More |
| Description: | Sure, some products have longer sales cycles than others…but it’s still frustrating when you do everything you can to get your market’s attention, and all you hear is crickets.There are many reasons why this might be, but here’s an under-appreciated one: Your potential customers just don’t want to commit to buying what you are offering.So how do you fix it? Change the offer.In this presentation, we’ll explore what makes customers hesitate (and procrastinate), and how those circumstances reinforce each other. We will then look at ways to create offers that are easier to say “yes” to, which will get your customers buying from you more often…eventually transforming them from prospects into repeat customers. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Customer and Market Focus |
| Submitted by: | Brandon Towl. Brandon is the CEO and Head Writer for Words Have Impact, a content marketing agency. He has spent over a decade helping to “decode” what his clients’ customers want–and using that information to inform overall marketing strategy. |
| Session ID#:9 | |
| Session ID#:11 | The Product Career Playbook: Strategies for Growth & Leadership |
| Description: | This session will equip you with the essential strategies to grow and lead in your product career. You’ll learn: 1. How to position yourself for leadership roles 2. Ways to expand your influence and visibility 3. Frameworks for navigating career transitions 4. Key skills that set top product leaders apart 5. Actionable steps to accelerate your growth Whether you’re looking to move up the ranks or refine your leadership skills, this session will provide the playbook to help you succeed. Walk away with clear, practical insights to take your product career to the next level! |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Careers in Product |
| Submitted by: | Karen Loiterstein. Karen Loiterstein is a strategic revenue leader who builds and scales Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams into high-performing, revenue-generating engines. As VP, Revenue & GTM at TierPoint, she drives sales productivity, customer retention, and revenue acceleration. Karen has built and scaled eight commercial teams, known for bringing structure to complexity and aligning functions in a practical, high-impact way. Connect with Karen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-loiterstein/. |
| Session ID#:12 | The Ultimate Product Playbook: Equipping Sellers, Resellers & Leaders to Sell Your Product |
| Description: | Product playbooks are one of the most powerful tools to ensure sellers confidently communicate and sell your product. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to develop effective playbooks tailored for sellers, resellers, and leaders—so your team is aligned, prepared, and ready to win.What you’ll gain: ✅ Real-World Inspiration – See examples of high-impact playbooks in action ✅ Hands-On Creation – Start building your own playbook using a proven template ✅ Expert & Peer Feedback – Refine your playbook with insights from industry peersWalk away with a practical, ready-to-use playbook that will boost sales effectiveness and drive consistent messaging across your teams. Don’t just talk about playbooks—build one that works! |
| Session Format: | Workshop |
| Category: | Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy |
| Submitted by: | Karen Loiterstein. Karen Loiterstein is a strategic revenue leader who builds and scales Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams into high-performing, revenue-generating engines. As VP, Revenue & GTM at TierPoint, she drives sales productivity, customer retention, and revenue acceleration. Karen has built and scaled eight commercial teams, known for bringing structure to complexity and aligning functions in a practical, high-impact way. Connect with Karen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-loiterstein/. |
| Session ID#:16 | Self Care for SUCCESSFUL Innovation Leaders |
| Description: | When we are trying to lead innovation in our organizations and with outside partners, we’re often focused on the results. What gets missed is how to make sure we’ve got the endurance, mindset, network, and resources to successfully bring this innovation into reality. While some of these are outside our control, most are more manageable than we innovators realize. In this session, we’ll learn a way to innovate that builds innovator capacity and share how we innovators can help one another. |
| Session Format: | Workshop |
| Category: | Mindset of the innovator |
| Submitted by: | Dan Reus. Dan Reus believes you should not innovate alone. He and his team help innovative leaders create and have greater impact with the movements, coalitions, and ecosystems of innovators they want to work with and support. Dan has worked with innovators from bootstrapped startups to the Fortune 50 in sectors from deep tech to consumer products and services. Dan is based in St Louis and says, “The future will be what we make it!” |
| Session ID#:17 | The GTM Black Box: Unlocking the Secrets to Scalable Product Growth |
| Description: | Building a great product is just the start—growing it successfully is the real challenge. Many companies struggle because they don’t have a clear, repeatable plan to bring their product to market and scale it efficiently.In this session, we’ll break down the three proven strategies for product growth, show how to turn early users into long-term customers, and share real-world examples of companies that scaled successfully. You’ll also learn how AI and automation can make growth easier.Whether you’re in product, marketing, or sales, this session will give you a practical playbook to drive adoption, revenue, and expansion. Don’t miss out on insights that can take your product to the next level! 🚀 |
| Session Format: | Roundtable Breakout |
| Category: | Product Development Execution |
| Submitted by: | Karen Loiterstein. Karen Loiterstein is a strategic revenue leader who builds and scales Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams into high-performing, revenue-generating engines. As VP, Revenue & GTM at TierPoint, she drives sales productivity, customer retention, and revenue acceleration. Karen has built and scaled eight commercial teams, known for bringing structure to complexity and aligning functions in a practical, high-impact way. Connect with Karen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-loiterstein/. |
| Session ID#:18 | Bug-Free is a Myth… Unless You Predict It: AI Testing Hacks for Product Managers |
| Description: | Chasing bugs at the eleventh hour is every PM’s nightmare. What if you could shift from reacting to predicting? This session explores how AI-driven predictive testing empowers Product Managers to adopt a proactive strategy—anticipating issues before they derail your roadmap. Let’s explore how to: – Focus testing around risk prediction, not routine. – Embed data-driven foresight into your product roadmap. – Align teams around prevention over firefighting. This isn’t just about tools — it’s about leveling up your strategy to lead with confidence, reduce risk, and deliver predictable, high-quality releases. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Product Development Execution |
| Submitted by: | Rahulkumar Chawda. Rahulkumar Chawda is a product management leader passionate about digital payments. He combines analytical skills with technical expertise to develop innovative payment solutions. Currently a Product Manager at Mastercard, Rahul leads scalable payment systems, including transaction processing, tokenization, and payment APIs. He excels in leading teams and creating user-centered roadmaps. Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rahulkchawda. |
| Session ID#:19 | Selling Without The Sleaze: Learn to collaborate your way to sales success. |
| Description: | Honest, ethical businesspeople love what they do, but often hate having to sell it, because they’ve had too many negative experiences when buying, and believe they must act like the stereotype to succeed.Nothing could be further from the truth, because authenticity closes sales, so behaving like someone you’re not is the worst approach you can take.In this session, a world-class expert on honest, ethical selling (who spent half his career teaching sales but no longer does), will briefly explain the three major sales models, then guide a discussion of how you can adopt the honest model for yourself.You’ll learn how to leverage your strengths and create positive momentum, to mitigate your weaknesses and avoid stumbles, and to create a path toward long-term sales success. |
| Session Format: | Ask the Expert |
| Category: | Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy |
| Submitted by: | Gill Wagner. “Business Gill” is a sales expert with 40-plus years of advocacy for the elimination of deceit and dishonesty from the profession he loves. His peers named him the “Father of Honest Selling,” the “Best Business Connector in St. Louis” and one of the “Top 100 St. Louisans to Know” to succeed in business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillwagner/ |
| Session ID#:20 | Marketing Plans That Pay For Themselves |
| Description: | How many times have you heard people tell you to think OUTSIDE the box? Have you ever wondered about the value of thinking inside the box instead?More than 20 years ago, I had an outside-the-box idea. What if I created a box called “”Marketing Plan That Pays For Itself,”” and then forced myself to think inside that box?The result was the most prolific marketing machine I’ve ever built. Until, that is, I changed the box to: “”Marketing Plan That Makes Me Money, AND Brings Me Business””In this session, I’ll share the original concept, and the new one, and then facilitate a brainstorm session to find ways that you can apply these concepts yourself. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy |
| Submitted by: | Gill Wagner. “Business Gill” is a sales expert with 40-plus years of advocacy for the elimination of deceit and dishonesty from the profession he loves. His peers named him the “Father of Honest Selling,” the “Best Business Connector in St. Louis” and one of the “Top 100 St. Louisans to Know” to succeed in business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillwagner/ |
| Session ID#:21 | When Your Product Is a Human: Managing “People-Driven” Services That Leverage Technology |
| Description: | Many of the “products” we use actually a combination of technology and personalized services provided by humans (think rideshare and food delivery apps, online tutoring, tax prep software with access to experts, managed IT services). There are unique considerations and challenges when the value of your product is dependent on the quality and consistency of the service delivered by a real live person. In this session, we’ll explore the unique challenges and distinctions of managing services, especially when they intertwine with technology products. Participants will engage in collaborative discussions, sharing insights, strategies, and best practices for effectively overseeing service-oriented offerings. Join us to uncover the subtle art of balancing technology innovation with human touch. |
| Session Format: | Roundtable Breakout |
| Category: | Specialized Areas |
| Submitted by: | Jeff Lash. Jeff is currently VP, Product Management at Insperity, where he is responsible for enterprise product management strategy and leading product innovation and management across this $6B+ public company that provides HR services to small businesses. He has spent 20 years in product and service development and delivery, including as an advisor to product management leaders at Forrester/SiriusDecisions. He is founder of the St. Louis Product Management Group and Chair of ProductCamp St. Louis. |
| Session ID#:22 | Ask Me Anything: Product Leadership |
| Description: | What does it take to be a great product management leader? Whether you’re looking to move from an individual contributor (IC) to a leadership role, or you’re already leading teams and want to level up, this “Ask the Expert” session is for you. Nothing related to product management leadership is off limits! Your expert guide for this session is Jeff Lash, a recognized product management thought leader with nearly two decades of experience leading product management teams. Additionally, Jeff spent years advising product executives on how to elevate their product management teams and practices. Bring your questions and join a dynamic discussion on what it takes to succeed as a product management leader! |
| Session Format: | Ask the Expert |
| Category: | Team Management and Operations |
| Submitted by: | Jeff Lash. Jeff is currently VP, Product Management at Insperity, where he is responsible for enterprise product management strategy and leading product innovation and management across this $6B+ public company that provides HR services to small businesses. He has spent 20 years in product and service development and delivery, including as an advisor to product management leaders at Forrester/SiriusDecisions. He is founder of the St. Louis Product Management Group and Chair of ProductCamp St. Louis. |
| Session ID#:23 | Are you solving the wrong problem? |
| Description: | How do you know you are building the right product? Do you know your customer or end user well enough? Most companies are solving the wrong problem. According to research from the Harvard Business Review, a significant portion of companies, around 85% of executives, believe their organizations are “”bad at diagnosing problems,”” meaning they often end up solving the wrong problems by not properly identifying the root cause or most impactful issues, leading to potentially wasted time and resources on solutions that don’t address the core challenges. |
| Session Format: | Roundtable Breakout |
| Category: | Customer and Market Focus |
| Submitted by: | Raj Iyer. Raj is a creative, customer-centric transformation leader with proven results at global Fortune 500 organizations. Raj most recently led enterprise transformation at Kraft Heinz.Raj specializes in Digital/Product Transformation through design thinking approach. Leverages servant leadership and EI to collaborate cross-functionally in attaining strategic Outcomes & Key Results (OKRs).https://www.linkedin.com/in/consultiyer/ |
| Session ID#:24 | Leveraging AI in Product Development |
| Description: | This session covers how AI can be used to enhance the product development process. You’ll walk away with an in-depth understanding on where AI is most effective and how to use the latest tools to gain the most advantage. We’ll cover where in the product development process AI is impacting, how companies are adopting the technology, and what you can do now to help lead your organization into the future. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Product Development Execution |
| Submitted by: | Brian Collard. Brian Collard is the VP of Strategy and Product Development at Novaisys. He is the co-founder of the St. Louis Product Development Association and is a certified New Product Development Professional (NPDP). As a 20 year veteran in the space, Brian is experienced in managing strategic project portfolios in healthcare, finance, and technology. |
| Session ID#:25 | The Problem With Process: Using A Different Kind of AGI to 10x Your Digital Product Outcomes |
| Description: | Many organizations seek the quick or trendy approach to solving their problems, attempting to automate away their troubles with the latest hype cycle buzzword. Other organizations attempt to fix what ails them by introducing processes that protect against anything that might go wrong. But process can’t replace collaboration, buzzwords can’t replace people, and nothing solves a problem quite like getting the right mindsets oriented around the right problem space.So, before you seek to 10x your product by using the latest AI accelerator or band-aid a problem by instituting more process, STOP! Instead, start by looking at your people, getting a handle on your cumbersome processes, and use your own AGI (Actual God-given Intelligence) to drive changes in how your team(s) operate. |
| Session Format: | Workshop |
| Category: | Team Management and Operations |
| Submitted by: | Travis Duncan. Travis Duncan is the Head of UX for Bayer’s Digital Farming Solutions group and has spent most of his career focused on leading teams that design and build digital experiences for customers in traditional industries. Travis believes “”how”” we deliver is as critical as “”what”” we deliver when it comes to building digital products our users (the “”who””) will love. |
| Session ID#:26 | Mining Gold From Feature Requests |
| Description: | Taken at face value, requests for features can lead us in the wrong direction. Join Stacey Weber to uncover the secrets of transforming feature requests into extraordinary product enhancements. Discover techniques for digging in and mining gold from “pesky” feature requests. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Customer and Market Focus |
| Submitted by: | Stacey Weber. Stacey Weber, Managing Partner at CI2 Advisors, helps product managers excel. A former Pragmatic Institute instructor, she has trained thousands in profitable product management. Since 2018, she has provided coaching, consulting, and curriculum development. Now, Stacey empowers product professionals to master relationship skills, elevating their careers and driving success. |
| Session ID#:27 | Productivity & Focus for Product Managers |
| Description: | Product Management is a demanding job. User research, requirements, selling, marketing, legal – the work never stops, and neither do the Slack & Teams messages. How do you maintain focus? Prioritize your time? Have healthy boundaries?Join to learn tools and techniques for maximizing success *and* sanity. We’ll cover such topics as: – Tools for personal task management & prioritization (Trello FTW!) – Mental health tips and tricks to stay at your best – Why “”always-on”” productivity is a myth, and how to reduce interruptions at work (including from your boss) – AI solutions to help you generate unique (not AI-regurgitated) requirements and other contentA presentation will be followed by a brief breakout period to discuss strategies you want to implement or already use and want to share. |
| Session Format: | Roundtable Breakout |
| Category: | Product Development Execution |
| Submitted by: | Jonathan Mesh. Jonathan Mesh, ex-Google product exec, specializes in user-centered product development, culture, & processes. He’s led the development of Google Optimize, product management at Ascension, & the world’s first psychologically healthy smartphone. Passionate about product, tech, psychology, culture, & faith, he leads The J2 Group, bringing Silicon Valley practices to the Midwest to help companies and individuals succeed through consulting and consulting. |
| Session ID#:28 | Beyond Agile: Helping Your Company Move to a Product Operating Model |
| Description: | Too many companies assume that Agile will solve all of their product development problems, but it doesn’t – and the best companies in the world, including most in Silicon Valley, often don’t use “”Big-A Agile””, while remaining incredibly agile and successful in their delivery. That’s because they’ve learned to be great product-minded organizations.Making the move to being product-minded is a big change, but this session will offer practical tips and solutions to help you and your teams move in the right direction.Topics include: – Using customer research and rapid prototyping to motivate & align – Building trust & energy in your teams – Getting buy-in to do things differently – Change your prioritization techniques to deliver value faster – Hidden factors that hold product teams back |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Strategic Product Leadership |
| Submitted by: | Jonathan Mesh. Jonathan Mesh, ex-Google product exec, specializes in user-centered product development, culture, & processes. He’s led the development of Google Optimize, product management at Ascension, & the world’s first psychologically healthy smartphone. Passionate about product, tech, psychology, culture, & faith, he leads The J2 Group, bringing Silicon Valley practices to the Midwest to help companies and individuals succeed through consulting and consulting. |
| Session ID#:29 | Software is Eating the World: The Effect of Technology on Culture |
| Description: | Technology, and software in particular, is changing the world more rapidly than ever before in human history. Come and explore ideas around AI, the attention economy, digital addiction, corporate structure, and yes, even a tiny bit of (neutral, I promise!) politics – and learn what you can do to be a positive force in the world, both personally and professionally. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Technology & Culture |
| Submitted by: | Jonathan Mesh. Jonathan Mesh, ex-Google product exec, specializes in user-centered product development, culture, & processes. He’s led the development of Google Optimize, product management at Ascension, & the world’s first psychologically healthy smartphone. Passionate about product, tech, psychology, culture, & faith, he leads The J2 Group, bringing Silicon Valley practices to the Midwest to help companies and individuals succeed through consulting and consulting. |
| Session ID#:30 | Team Building: the How and Why for Product Managers |
| Description: | Successful product managers aren’t those who write the best requirements. They’re the ones who get the best out of their *teams*. Come learn how to strengthen and energize your team, with practical tips and tools that will help your whole team succeed.Topics will include: – Building psychological safety, the #1 predictor of team success – Developing team identity, camaraderie, and empathy – Why user research is a *team* sport (and how to get your team into it) – Brainstorming for team engagement – Developing shared ownership of successPresentation will be followed by a brief roundtable discussion: what you want to do with your teams, struggles you have, ideas you want to share. |
| Session Format: | Roundtable Breakout |
| Category: | Team Management and Operations |
| Submitted by: | Jonathan Mesh. Jonathan Mesh, ex-Google product exec, specializes in user-centered product development, culture, & processes. He’s led the development of Google Optimize, product management at Ascension, & the world’s first psychologically healthy smartphone. Passionate about product, tech, psychology, culture, & faith, he leads The J2 Group, bringing Silicon Valley practices to the Midwest to help companies and individuals succeed through consulting and consulting. |
| Session ID#:31 | Keeping AI Human |
| Description: | AI continues to impact everyone’s job whether you are a Product Manager or Marketing Manager. Best practices reflect an integration of AI with traditional market research — but it needs to be employed at the right time and with the right methodology. Product Managers must take into consideration their company culture, business objectives, and that they are serving humans with ever-changing needs and behavior. The combination of AI technologies with the right market research will lead to a successful product launch or advertising campaign. |
| Session Format: | Presentation |
| Category: | Data and Analytics |
| Submitted by: | Mark Vogel. Mark Vogel started the Avant Marketing Group, a market research and planning firm, in 2004. Avant Marketing is recognized as one of the premier custom research firms in North America serving both domestic and international clients in several industries including agriculture, finance, durable goods, and enterprise branding.Prior to Avant Marketing, Mark held several executive roles with both agencies and corporations including Kohler, Andersen Windows, and Osborn & Barr Communications. |
| Session ID#:32 | Pursuing Your Entrepreneurial Dream: Spiritually-led Business Development |
| Description: | Do you feel the call to start a business, or to forge a new path in an existing job? Starting with a spiritual focus and fine-tuning listening to your inner voice will lead you into your true calling. Learn how a motive to serve can naturally unfold into earning an abundant living, where work does not feel like work, but like a joyous adventure. Listening to your inner voice is not limited to those who are faith-based – we all have the need to listen to the inner voice that tells us what we should be doing to fulfill our purpose. Learn to work through blocks, let go of limitation and soar into joyous, purposeful work so that you look forward to each day as an opportunity to grow and give. |
| Session Format: | Combination presentation and workshop with group wrap up at the end. |
| Category: | Strategic Product Leadership |
| Submitted by: | Terese Messman. Terese Messman learned about entrepreneurial adventures when she was one of the first 500 employees at Apple Computer in the Steve Jobs era. She started her own import business in the textile industry 25 years ago, owning her own label on an innovative microfiber product. She is the Chief Listening Officer for Inner Voice Empowerment, an entrepreneurial coaching business, author of “Stop People-Pleasing and Listen To Your Inner Voice”. She loves mentoring people of all ages and backgrounds. |
Session Categories
While it is not required that a session topic falls into one of the categories listed below, it’s a helpful guide for some of the topics that may be covered.
- Strategic Product Leadership (Prioritization, Stakeholder Management, Product Visioning, Product Mindset Leadership, Product Management Frameworks, Finding Product-Market Fit)
- Product Development Execution (Agile Processes, Requirements Gathering, Product Delivery and Operations, Automation, Reinventing Legacy Products, Total Cost of Ownership)
- Data and Analytics (Data Product Management, Product Analytics, Journey and Empathy Mapping, Market Research and Intelligence)
- Customer and Market Focus (Customer Centricity, Product Adoption, Product Research, Transforming Creativity into Commercialism: Aligning innovation with market demands.
- Design and Collaboration (Product and UX Optimization, Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design, Product Design, Ecosystems)
- Marketing and Go-to-Market Strategy (Sales Enablement, Positioning and Messaging, Lean Canvas, Business Cases)
- Team Management and Operations (Team Dynamics, Idea Intake, Organizational Focus)
- Startup Ecosystem (Funding, Investors, New Ventures)
- Specialized Areas (Manufacturing, Patenting, Non-Consumer-Facing Products)
- Other
Session Formats
In general, the most enjoyed and talked about sessions are those that have been very interactive. That said, you can structure a session however you wish. To help align expectations of the session leader and participants, we offer a list of format descriptions. This list is intended to be a guide but not intended to be limiting, so feel free to be creative.
- Presentation – The speaker presents on a specific topic, followed by opening the floor for expansion, comment, questions and general discussion.
- Roundtable Breakout – Similar to a presentation, except that audience breaks out into small groups and typically shares findings, comments, or team responses with the room at the end of the session.
- Workshop – In this format, the audience is actively involved, collectively or in groups, in an exercise or application of a technique or process which has been presented by the session leader. The description should mention the portion of the session spent in the exercise and what the attendees will produce. Proposers are encouraged to have knowledgeable assistants to help answer questions and support the exercise.
- Panel Discussion – Popularly seen, this format has several people qualified to talk about the subject of the session, preferably from diverse or even counterpoint perspectives or roles. A moderator facilitates questions from the audience or a series of prepared questions for the panelists, but a significant part of the session is still interactive Q&A with the audience.
- Ask the Expert – This format is most successful with a recognized authority on a subject of wide interest, or a direct participant in some particularly interesting event or phenomenon. The expert or a moderator introduces the topic and frames some appropriate discussion and then opens the floor for questions, including those that might be somewhat specific as long as they are applicable to more people than the individual questioner.
- Demonstration – Formal presentation on how to use or apply a tool or concept. This may can also include providing hands-on experience.
For Session Leaders: Logistics
If you are proposing a session, and it gets chosen, then you should be prepared to lead the session. Here are some details to help you make sure you’re prepared. There will be computers and projectors in each room. You can either…
- Bring your laptop or other device to present off of, along with any connectors you may need to hook up to a projector (especially for those with Mac laptops or tablets). Most rooms should have an HDMI connection and VGA connector.
- Or, store your slides online using a service like DropBox or Google Drive and then use the computer in the room to your presentation from there.
- Or, bring your slides on a USB drive and load them onto one of the computers in the room.
- Or, more than one of the above. (Things do go wrong, after all.)
We will have volunteers on hand to help with A/V as needed, and we have tested all of the equipment out in advance. That said, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan in case you can’t get your slides to present. We’ll do the best we can to help, but no guarantees. If you need something specific, bring it with you; for example, if you want to play a video and want people to be able to hear it, we suggest bringing your own speakers.
The rooms will be set up “classroom style” with tables and chairs facing the front of the room, most likely in rows. For simplicity and logistics purposes, we won’t be able to accommodate other setups (e.g. arranging chairs into a circle). If you want to do something interactive, for example, you can ask people to pair up or get in small groups — that will be possible without moving furniture around, but we ask that you don’t move equipment or furniture otherwise.
If you have specific logistics questions, contact Sarah Ramrup.
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