When: April 30, 2008. 7:00 P.M.
Where: CSU 253/4/5
MANKATO – Known as the “Trendmaster,” [PDF] Robyn Waters (136 KiB) is a keynote speaker, author and a hired gun visionary for corporate America. Waters will share her thought-provoking presentation as the Morgan Thomas Executive Lecture featured speaker on April 30, 2008, at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The presentation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. in rooms 253, 254, 255 of the Centennial Student Union. Hosted by the College of Business, the event is free and open to the public. Limited seating is available.
[PDF] Waters’ (136 KiB) presentation, “The Trendmaster’s Guide to Trend/Countertrend,” will urge attendees to stop looking for the one right answer in marketing, and instead embrace the paradoxes. Through her lively tales of the marketplace’s most influential trends and countertrends, this presentation will show you how to live with the contradictions, make the most of the inconsistencies, and embrace the paradoxes of business as a source of fresh ideas. Waters has inspired audiences around the world with her unique message that challenges the audience to look at trends from the “inside out” by focusing their attention on what’s important instead of just what’s next. She simplifies and demystifies the art of trend tracking.
A graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Waters has more than 30 years experience tracking and translating trends into sales and profit. As Target’s former Vice President of Trend, Design and Product Development, she helped a small regional discount chain become a national fashion destination. Marketing expert Seth Godin calls her “the woman who revolutionized what Target sells, and helped the company trounce Kmart.”
Fast Company magazine featured her as one of the top 20 “Creative Mavericks” in its June 2004 Master of Design issue. She has served as a juror for numerous national design competitions, including the BusinessWeek IDEA Design Awards, the National Design Awards for the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the International Housewares Association. She has also been invited to serve as a juror for the 2007 Microsoft PC Design Competition.
She is the author of The Trendmaster’s Guide: Get A Jump on What Your Customer Wants Next, a simple and witty guide to tracking and translating trends into sales and profit. Her second book, The Hummer and the Mini: Navigating the Contradictions of the New Trend Landscape, explores the contradictory nature of today’s consumer. She is also a contributor to The Big Moo, a collaboration of 33 of the world's best business thinkers.
The Morgan Thomas Executive Lecture, which was established in 1982, is presented each year in honor of the former Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Morgan Thomas. Thomas served as Dean of the College of Business from 1960 to 1982.
For more information contact:
Leah K. Pockrandt
Director of Development
College of Business
(507) 389-2578 (Office)
(507) 995-7184 (Cell)
