At Introduced’s MESSAGE room, we’ll be talking digital content, hiring and (!) Gritty

Introduced is back for year two and the Technical.ly team is *extra* excited about this year’s lineup.

It’s one of 100 events as a part of Philly Tech Week 2019 presented by Comcast, and one of the key events to get on your calendar if you’re looking for the kind of networking and content that makes a lasting impact.

Keep an eye out this week as we’ll be releasing the full agendas for each of the three rooms of programming. If you’re not sure what that means, here’s a reminder: Introduced is a “choose your own adventure” kind of event. At any given hour, there will be three different sessions that attendees can pick and choose from, for a total of 18 (!) hours of content in a single day.

The Message Room is comprised of our Media and Creative tracks. If you recall, we got some major praise in the inaugural year, so don’t just take our word for why you need to be there.

Check out the full schedule and lineup for the Message Room below, including the story of how the most viral mascot in sports came to be. For more details, go here.

Register for Introduced

The Brains Behind Gritty: How One Mascot Went Viral

The Philadelphia Flyers had never had a mascot in 40 years. Then, in September 2018, they introduced the world to Gritty, a bizarre flame-colored explosion of energy. Now, Gritty has amassed over 170,000 Instagram followers and 240,000 on Twitter. But there’s more to his story than just numbers.

Learn how the Flyers’ digital team behind the mascot works together to create regular content, stay on top of opportunities all the while keeping demand and interest for the orange beast at a high.

• Lauren Capone, Coordinator, Marketing & Communications
• Ben DiCandilo, Marketing Manager
• Joe Heller, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
• Christine Mina, Manager, Digital Media
• Lauren Robins, Coordinator, Digital Media
• Sarah Schwab, Director, Marketing & Communications

From Pipeline to Brand Loyalist: Crafting Your Community of Consumers

There are myriad ways a consumer may come to your doorstep. From the traditional word-of-mouth to a paid Instagram influencer, the reason a consumer uses your product or service is not always easy to determine. Brand development happens over time, beyond what even analytics can always capture.

That’s why a full customer journey, from discovery to brand champion, takes an array of strategies, tools and constant review. In this panel discussion, we’ll review how to track and measure the customer journey and what types of branding and storytelling can help you create the community of brand loyalists you’re looking for.

• Liz Brown, Cofounder, BCKG and Managing Director, Backstage Capital Philadelphia
• Ryan Cody, Director of Sales, DirectLync
• Yaya Horne, Executive Producer, Tiny Room for Elephants 
• Moderated By: Stephen Babcock, Editor, Technical.ly

Could Company Benefits Outweigh Pay? Key Strategies to Attract and Retain Talent

This session is brought to you by Technical.ly Talent.

The competition for modern talent is only becoming more challenging. Leaders have to get creative in how they approach the new employee experience in order to not only attract that external talent, but to retain the talent they have.

With time and experiences becoming more valued than money, how can workplaces make their offers stand out by way of clever benefits packages? On this panel we’ll explore out of the box thinking connected to benefits, perks and the work experience.

• Emily Allen, Director of People Operations, Seer Interactive
• Dave Bookbinder, Senior Director, CFGI
• Kory Collins, Diversity Talent Strategist, Cigna
• Beth Perkins, People Growth Manager, O3 World
• Moderated By Kristin Dudley, Chief Product Officer, Technical.ly

Walk the Walk: Driving Profitable Business Transformation Using a Human-Centered Approach

This session is brought to you by Navigate. 

Transformation is a road frequently desired but less traveled. Meet one leading executive – from a Fortune 50 company – who helped her organization to make that journey successfully.

Over the course of only a few quarters, AmerisourceBergen’s Senior Vice President of Customer Operations Devetta James led a foundational shift to transform the customer onboarding process. During this immersive discussion, event attendees will learn how the application of human-centered design not only resulted in a breakthrough experience for customers and associates but also improved financial performance through faster revenue recognition and increased member retention.

• Devetta James, SVP of Customer Operations, Amerisourcebergen
• Kip Wetzel, Principal, Navigate

The Truth Behind Impactful Content: Where Storytelling and Digital Format Come Together

This session is brought to you by Think Free Productions.

We live in a world saturated by social media, streaming content, and digital information. It is everywhere, all the time, yet most of it never reaches a full audience. Why? The problem lies in that most digital content does not combine strong storytelling with the right digital format.

From docuseries to commercials to social media feeds, there is a true art in the structure and approach to creating impactful content that connects with audiences. Sara Mohazzebi and Alexis Casson have successfully directed and produced content for the digital division of Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine, award-winning mission driven organizations including Shine On Sierra Leone and College Spring, and major media and entertainment outlets such as Participant Media’s Take Part news and VHI1. Join them to learn the process, methods and insight needed to produce compelling content that will rise above the rest.

• Sara Mohazzebi, Director/Executive Producer, Think Free Productions
• Alexis Casson, Director/Producer, Camp Coven

“Yes, You Are a Technologist!”: Rebranding the Tech Scene

Writing code is just one foundational element of building technology today. The actual definition of a technologist is “an expert in a particular field of technology”. Yes, that includes software engineers and web developers. But increasingly those who work in data science and user testing and product management and so many other areas of technology production identify as technologists too.

This is a question of vocabulary.

In this panel discussion, we’ll explore how these hindrances to inclusion can be addressed and whether these phrases should be scrapped altogether.

• Greg Ebbecke, Vice President, Business Intelligence, Harmelin Media
• Amy Nelson, CEO, Venture for America
• Vikram Pendli, Chief Software Architect, Genzeon Corporation
• David Dylan Thomas, Principal, Content Strategy, Think Company and Creator and Host of The Cognitive Bias Podcast
• Moderated By Stephanie Humphrey, Technology and Lifestyle Expert and Technology Contributor to Good Morning America and Strahan & Sara

And reminder, this is just ONE of THREE rooms of content within Introduced (WOW!).

Plus, get access to a rotating demo floor and individual meetings with purchasing reps, investors and founders. Comcast LIFT Labs will have a lounge setup to help you relax and recharge between sessions and you can end the day reflecting on all you learned at our Happy Hour presented by Linode!

Don't miss Introduced 2019!