BOSTON, May 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Leading technology management and product development company, Sagentia, will reveal "All You Ever Wanted to Know about the Front End of Innovation" and challenge innovation experts to discover "The Next Big Thing" in product development at the 2008 Product Development and Management Association's and the Institute for International Research's "Front End of Innovation" Conference taking place May 19-21, 2008 at the Boston World Trade Center and The Seaport Hotel. Sagentia's Geoff Waite will also co-chair the "Anatomy of a Breakthrough" track with Anne Orban of Innovation Focus.
Regarded as one the of the most vital events for those seeking to learn more about innovation, Front End of Innovation will feature top business leaders, including keynote presentations from: A.G. Lafley, CEO of P&G; Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur; and technology expert Ray Kurzweil. In addition, representatives from leading multinational companies will lead sessions including: Bank of America, EMC, FortuneBrands, General Electric, Google, Intel, Michelin, Microsoft, Motorola, Starbucks and Unilever.
In addition to the Sagentia-led pre-conference workshop, on day two of the "Anatomy of a Breakthrough" track, guests from Dow Chemical, FortuneBrands, PepsiCo, Plantronics Inc., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Stevens Institute of Technology will take part in a facilitated interactive debate on how breakthrough technologies best develop.
Members of the media and attendees will be able to engage with Sagentia and panelists at the following events:
Monday, May 19, 2008, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
"All You Ever Wanted to Know about the Front End of Innovation" is a practical primer workshop for new practitioners and managers of innovation. It will introduce attendees to the most important aspects of innovation through a series of presentations and interactive exercises. Participating speakers from Sagentia will be Geoff Waite, vice president; Doug Wilson, vice president; Dan Edwards, director of innovation & technology management; and Simon Karger, director of innovation and technology management.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 11:15 a.m. - 4;15 p.m. and Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 1:45 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
"Finding the Next Big Thing - The Anatomy of a Breakthrough" will explore the very essence of breakthrough innovation and also provide concrete examples of achieving success. In the Wednesday session, the ideas will be generated in a novel forum of two opposing teams: one basing their discussions on "Serendipity" under the banner of Louis Pasteur; and the second forming their opinions around "Structure", under the banner of Sir Isaac Newton. The debate, moderated by Waite and Orban, will draw as much from the delegates' participation as on the panelist's deep experience in innovation.
"Sagentia is involved with Front End of Innovation for the sixth consecutive year because this is the best platform for discussing the process and skill of breakthrough innovation and to help corporate innovators and management continuously improve," said Geoff Waite, vice president of Sagentia Inc. "Sagentia's 20-plus years of business is grounded in innovation as a vehicle for growth and profitability. We understand and value the importance of collaboration and the exchange of ideas in order to steer and develop the entire innovation economy. We look forward to meeting with our peers to discuss what's next."
The Product Development & Management Association and the Institute for International Research are proud to present the sixth annual Front End of Innovation.
About Sagentia
Sagentia creates, develops and delivers business opportunities, products and services for its clients.
Established in 1986, Sagentia operates in six global market sectors - medical, industrial products, consumer products, chemicals, materials & energy, telecoms & media and public sector - developing new technologies, products and services that change the basis of competition. The company also assists business leaders to create strategies for technology, innovation and growth.
Sagentia's resources are situated in state-of-the-art facilities in Europe, the USA, and China.
Sagentia is listed on the London Stock Exchange (Sagentia Group, ticker: SGA) and has more than 200 employees.