Conference Schedule

The conference will begin with registration at 12:00 noon, Friday, May 28, 2010 and ends with a networking reception 5:30-8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 29, 2010.

Mark your calendar for the Keynote address:
“Great Consulting Success in Any Economy” by Alan Weiss
Saturday, May 29 plenary session at 8:45 am – 10:15 am.

NOTE: May 12th – Download UPDATED Conference Schedule – as at May 12, 2010

Please refer to Conference Schedule above for latest times

Friday, May 28

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Session 1, The Value in Change Management: The Key to Successful Organizational Change

Change is unavoidable in today’s business environment and individuals, managers & companies have a choice. Either be controlled by, reactive and led by change or be proactive to maximize benefits, reduce negative impacts and lead the change. This workshop will be highly beneficial to sharpen these skills and empower Management Consultants and their clients to be able to motivate staff to respond effectively to current economic upheavals. The workshop will highlight the following aspects of Managing Change: Dynamics of Change, Resistance to Change, Leadership & Communication, Cycle of Change and People’s Reaction, Action Plans, Tools and Techniques for Change Leaders.

About the Speaker: Kevin Schwenker

Kevin Schwenker, FCMC, principal of Schwenker & Associates, has been active in the fields of human resources development, strategic planning and marketing as a management consultant for over 20 years. He has led a wide range of multi-faceted consulting projects locally, nationally and internationally, for private, public and not-for-profit sector clients.

2:45 pm – 4:00 pm Session 2, The Value of Connecting: Revolution 3.0, Wired to Win

“Revolution doesn’t happen when society adopts new technology, it happens when society adopts new behaviors” (Shirky, 2008).
Explore the shifts in behaviour that are reshaping the way we share information and knowledge in the ‘Idea Age’. More than a primer in social media and emerging technologies, this session will help you separate the hot from the hype, understand who’s really driving what technology trends (and why-o-why?), and identify new opportunities for adding real-time value to client accounts.

Make no mistake: The revolution is happening. Don’t show up without a flag.

About the Speaker: Bev McPhee

As a Senior Managing Consultant with IBM, Bev is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Service Excellence Award and has been consistently recognized as a Top Performer in her field. She has led numerous strategic business transformation initiatives, working with both private and public sector clients to integrate wide-scale change and innovation. A keen advocate of emerging technologies, Bev sits on various technology councils and boards, leading specialized initiatives in the new media space and teaches graduate-level courses at Royal Roads University.

4:15 pm – 5:45 pm Session 3, Activate your inner GPS, a value-abling tool for clients

Your GPS (Great Possibilities and Solutions) is activated when you ask powerful questions. This interactive session will engage participants in learning the skills to coach clients to success, helping them think critically and discover the possibilities and solutions open to them, adding value to their consulting experience.

About the Speaker: Rachel Foster

Rachel Foster, MN CEC CMC Rachel Foster has more than 30 years of diverse experience in the health and human service in Canada and the UK. Rachel is a Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads) and is trained facilitator in Personality Dimensions™, Blanchard Situational Leadership©, and Legacy Leadership© working part-time as an internal leadership coach and facilitator in Organizational Development with Covenant Health, Alberta, and part time in her own coaching and consulting practice working with clients in the private and public sector. She is a seasoned facilitator who is passionate about coaching committed leaders and their teams in courageous conversations for compelling results.

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Session 4, Friday Evening Networking Session – The Value of Play!

Join us as we start our evening networking by playing with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™: Hands On, Minds Engaged. with Jacqueline Lloyd Smith who will lead us through a fun, spirited session. No Host Bar open until 10:00 pm.

About the Speaker: Jacqueline Lloyd Smith

Jacquie has over twenty years experience working as an internal and external consultant. In 2000, she earned a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Management and in 2006 she completed an MBA in Executive Management Consulting. In 2005 she studied business strategy and global business in Grenoble, France. She has consulted all over North America, and in Europe and Australia.
Jacquie is a certified facilitator and global partner with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY ™ a division of the LEGO® Group from Denmark. She is one of 4 global trainers certified by LEGO® to train others to facilitate LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY ™.”

Saturday, May 29

8:30am – Opening of Conference by Institute President, Mary Colak

8:45 am -10:30am – Key Note Address by Alan Weiss – “Great Consulting Success in Any Economy”

Alan Weiss, through his consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc. has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, Times Mirror Group, The Federal Reserve, The New York Times Corporation, and over 500 other leading organizations.
Known as “the consultant’s consultant,” his prolific publishing includes more than 500 articles and 35 books, including his best-seller: Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill). His newest is The Talent Advantage (with Dr. Nancy MacKay, John Wiley and Sons), and his next is Thrive! His books have been on the curricula at Villanova, Temple University and the Wharton School of Business. They have also been translated into German, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Korean, and Chinese.

For more information on Summit Consulting

10:30 am – 11:45 am, Change Management Sessions, Concurrent sessions 5A and 5B

5A Every Reason Not to Run

Even the most disciplined athletes have days when they don’t want to lace up and hit the pavement. Manufacturing an excuse to skip a workout is easy, and most of us can find every reason not to run
Could the same be true in business? Does your client opt out of the work that would make them a success?
In this session, we’ll explore the psychology of business, along with primary reasons why key initiatives fail, achievable targets get missed, and good organizations finish last. Most importantly, we’ll discuss the critical role of management consultants in maximizing performance and success.

About the Speaker: See Bev McPhee’s Bio listing in the Friday sessions.

5B Cancelled – Listening, Collaborating and Speaking to the client

More and more often consultants forget to listen to what the client has to say. Listening must be active listening, which implies to really pay attention to what the client says and refrain from jumping in conclusions just because it seems a case “déjà vu”. Collaborating means stepping down from the podium and working closely with the client as a partner and not as a problem/expert solver. Clients need to understand what the consultant does in order to implement what is recommended. Speaking to the client means do not work in an ivory tower but constantly interact with the client to gather information and to better understand if they can implement the consultant’s recommendations. The glue is always working ethically and with high professional standards.

About the Speaker: Michele Vincenti

Michele Vincenti, MBA, M.A (HOS), CIM, FCSI, STI, CFP, CMC, C.I.M., F.CIM – Michele is founder and President of Alvana Business Consulting Inc., an international firm specializing in operational efficiency. Michele is also founder and President of UK based Holon Financial Ltd, providing financial management consulting to European companies and CFO of Quantum Global Financial Corp (QGF) which manages a quantitative hedge fund using a proprietary quantum financial forecasting model. Michele is highly skilled in strategic business planning with a focus on international development and is particularly adept in managing relationships and working as an agent of change management. He believes in holistic approaches where business solutions are achieved by integrating economics and people.

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm, Delivering Value Sessions, Concurrent sessions 6A and 6B

6A Unlocking Value – Delivering on the Promise of IT

To survive and thrive beyond the current global economic crisis, enterprises must demonstrate that they understand how to create value, have strategies capable of delivering value quickly and over the long term, and have a successful execution track record. To realize value from substantial investments in information technology (IT) – the potential winnings are high, the stakes keep getting higher, yet the odds of winning remain consistently low. The speaker will discuss the underlying cause from the focus on technology instead of the changes that IT both enables and requires. The session will outline the challenges facing boards, executives, business and IT management to ensure effective governance mechanisms for investments in IT-enabled business change that deliver optimal value, at an affordable cost, with an acceptable level of risk.

About the Speaker: John Thorp

John Thorp is an internationally recognized management consultant and speaker with over 45 years’ experience in the information management field, including technical, management and executive positions. Author of “The Information Paradox”, John’s focus is on helping organizations realize the benefits of IT- enabled change and extends beyond IT to the broader issues of Enterprise Value Management, and Strategic Governance. Working with the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), John lead the development of Val IT™, an open framework containing proven practices for optimising the value of IT-enabled change which complements ITGI’s existing COBIT™ framework.

6B Adding Value to Your Client Engagements and Consulting Practice

An essential tool for the consulting toolbox. Learn about a platform for long-term organizational success that is applicable to any size and type of organization; about leading edge quality frameworks in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Europe; and how to apply a comprehensive framework to your consulting practice and client organizations to reduce the cost of non-value adding activities (errors, rework, duplication, dissatisfaction) and increase organizational performance.

About the Speaker: Dawn Ringrose

Dawn Ringrose of Dawn Ringrose & Associates has worked with a wide variety of clients across industry sectors to implement quality management systems. In addition to her FCMC designation, Dawn is a NQI Certified Excellence Professional, Registered ISO 9000 Specialist, and Assessor of Quality Systems. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science. Dawn has been recognized by the Quality Council of Alberta with the inaugural Quality and Excellence Builder Award and has advised on the Premiers Award of Excellence program.

2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Value of Learning Sessions, Concurrent sessions 7A and 7B

7A Web Presence and Social Media Presentations and Panel

This session has three speakers and will be followed by an interactive technology panel session after the break.

7A Nuts and Bolts: Building a Web Presence

SEO, SEM, affiliate marketing: buzz words or essentials for your marketing mix? Learn how to build a web presence beyond having a website. This engaging and informative session will walk attendees through the nuts and bolts of search engine optimization (SEO) and creating a web strategy both for themselves as consultants but also for their clients.

Terry Rachwalski

About the Speaker: Terry Rachwalski

Clarifying the niche, honing the message and targeting in appropriate media in the context of ‘whole product’ requirements requires a keen understanding of venture success factors. Terry Rachwalski has designed and implemented multiple ‘go to market’ strategies in North America and Asia through her firm, Front Porch Perspectives. Specializing in web and new media strategies for technology firms, Rachwalski matches media to the company product and need. Rachwalski holds an MBA and CMC designation and received the CMC Gold Medal for achieving the highest national standing in the CMC exam in 2004.

7A Building Your Website for Stormy Seas: Creating Credibility, Traffic and Authority

The web is changing constantly, it’s a challenge to find ways to keep your site relevant, informative, easy to use and effective. How can you find and retain the traffic that is directly related to your business without spending the entire marketing budget? Which online techniques should you pursue to market your business online? How can you create a site that will really add value to your business? This presentation will speak to each of these questions and aims to layout best practices for growing your business online.

Jeff Richards

About the Speaker: Jeff Richards, Constant Content

Jeff spends much of his time managing Constant Content, a content marketplace where freelance writers connect with online publishers. In addition, Jeff is part of the management team at RevenueWire, a e-commerce platform through which online businesses can sell a wide range of digitally download-able products . An engineer at heart, and by education, Jeff loves finding ways to make current efforts more efficient and productive.

7A Always Add Value: Why This Should be Your Social Media Mantra

Social media tools like blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have been around for a years, but companies are just starting to understand and tap into their value as a cost-effective way to connect with their customers and grow their business. In an engaging presentation based on case studies, experienced Social Media marketer, Chris Burdge will discuss the what, how and when of adding value to your social media campaigns.

Chris Burdge

About the Speaker: Chris Burdge

Chris founded bWest Interactive, a new type of social media consulting business focused on helping companies grow their businesses using social media and emerging web technology. Chris has been leveraging Internet based communications to build brands and move products for Fortune 1000 companies such as BMW Japan, HP, Kia, Nestle Purina, as well as smaller businesses like AbeBooks and Planet Organic Market. Prior to starting bWEST, Chris lead interactive marketing strategy at Suburbia Advertising, AbeBooks, Publicis and Cove-Ito Advertising in Tokyo, Japan. Chris regularly speaks at conferences, trade shows, and corporate events about social media and online marketing strategies, trends, and tactics.

2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Value in Project Management Sessions, Concurrent sessions 7B

7B Fundamentals of Project Sponsorship

Excellence doesn’t come from overly sophisticated and complex methodologies but from a mastery of the disciplines one practices – Dale Christenson.

This is an interactive seminar that enables project sponsors to increase their effectiveness in directing the work of project managers. This seminar will give participants and immediate return on their learning investment by providing them with key areas to monitor and adjust in projects that they are accountable for. Participants will gain a brief overview of projects from ‘concept to cash’ or from the initial contemplation of a project to the realization of its benefits after successful implementation. They will learn of the need to consider complementary disciplines besides project management to increase your likelihood of project success. They will learn about the criticality of portfolio, program, change management and their inherent relationship to project management.

About the Speaker: Dale Christenson

Dale Christenson

Dale Christenson, PhD., CMC, is the founder and president of the Project Management Centre of Excellence Inc., a Certified Management Consultant and Project Management Professional specializing in project management consulting and training. He combines an extensive academic background with real-world expertise in the areas of program and portfolio management, organizational development, change management and critical project success factors. He’s held project management leadership positions in the public and private sectors. He is the winner of the Project Management’s Institute (PMI) Project of the Year and the winner of the Canadian Institute of Public Administration Leadership Award. Dr. Christenson has extensive experience as an international speaker and workshop facilitator.

7B Success Factors in Project Management – Overcoming the 5 Deadly Sins

Project management is an important element of management consulting; all consulting assignments may be considered projects from the start. More importantly, the management consulting profession has become more and more involved in helping client organizations implement the consultants’ recommendations and the implementation phase of a consulting project requires a high degree of project management efficacy.
Effective implementation is critical to the success of all projects and assists in achieving overall organizational strategy. Research shows that the majority of transformation efforts fail during the implementation phase. So what is causing projects to fail and how can we deliver value to our clients by ensuring our projects succeed?

This workshop will examine how to combat, or better yet avoid, the five deadly sins leading to project failure in an interactive and motivational presentation

About the Speaker: See Kevin Schwenker’s Bio listing in the Friday sessions.

4:45 pm – 6:00 pm, Value of Discussion – Interactive Panel Sessions, Concurrent sessions 8A and 8B

8A Technology Panel Discussion

Terry Rachwalski, Jeff Richards, Chris Burdge, and John Thorp

8B Corporate Social Responsibility Discussion

The Triple Helix of People, Planet and Profit – How to Work with Clients to Weave Corporate Social Responsibility into the Corporate DNA

This interactive presentation by the managing partners of The Acacia Group in Kelowna, B.C. will explore the current imperative for corporate social responsibility (CSR), the emergence of strategy around social responsibility and examples of leading organizations that are demonstrating efforts to fully engage in the communities in which they do business. Participants will leave with a broader knowledge of the importance of CSR in the business world as well as some tools that will allow them to assess the CSR status of organizations. They will be exposed to a unique model that demonstrates CSR as not just a “nice to have” add-on but a true competitive advantage.

Penny Lane

About the Speakers:

Penny Lane, CMC, specializes in leadership and Evidence-Based coaching, facilitation, strategy development and project management.
Christine Bonney has extensive consulting experience in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. For the past five years she has contributed strategically to the learning and leadership development of a billion-dollar organization with over 20,000 staff members.
Dave Harrhy brings a lifelong passion for social justice and corporate social responsibility to his work. In his many leadership roles he has taken on responsibilities that have allowed him to participate in private-public partnerships and forums through which the societal issues of mental health and addictions can be addressed.

6:00 pm -9:00 pm Great Evening!

6:00 – 7:15 pm Closing remarks followed by a wrap up of the Value of Play with Jacqueline Lloyd Smith
and then a Networking Reception!
Get to know your colleagues!