Return to Table of ContentsBy George Vlahakis
The last person you might expect to find at an annual business conference is someone who unabashedly calls himself an evangelist. But it all becomes logical when you learn that it's Guy Kawasaki, who created the notion of "market evangelism" in the 1980s to encourage new software development for Apple computers.
Kawasaki, a Forbes magazine columnist and the author of the best-selling book, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy: Creating Disruption for Fun and Profit, will be one of three featured speakers at the 51st annual Indiana University Business Conference March 12 in Indianapolis.
Other speakers will include Warner C. Blow, president and chief executive officer of Sterling Commerce Inc., a leading provider of electronic commerce software products, and Barbara Mackoff, a management psychologist and author of the books, The Art of Self-Renewal and Leaving the Office Behind.
Two afternoon workshops will amplify business computing issues discussed by Blow and Kawasaki. The theme for the conference is "Technology + Leadership = Competitive Edge." Sponsored by the IU School of Business and its Alumni Association, the conference will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis and is expected to attract more than 1,000.
With the expansion of the Internet and the World Wide Web, electronic commerce is a business trend that many are just beginning to recognize. Blow leads a company that has been providing electronic commerce solutions for more than 20 years and is recognized as an industry pioneer.
In his session, Kawasaki will present the definitive "take-no-prisoners" guide for "Davids" to beat the "Goliaths," as discussed in his book and seen in his efforts to spread the "gospel" about Apple.
Mackoff has observed the pressures of today's business climate from a front-row seat. Her approach to leadership--using personal resources to energize performance under pressure&--has been in great demand from an impressive list of corporations and associations. Mackoff's clients have included IBM, Nintendo, Nordstrom, Boeing and New York Life.
For registration information, visit www.bus.indiana.edu