BMA-Minnesota to Explore How Applying Foresight to Business Decisions Can Change a Company's Future

MINNEAPOLIS, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- No one can predict the future, but any organization that wants to become and remain successful must be able to understand and anticipate change. To prepare B2B Marketers to manage long-term thinking in a world that demands delivery today, the Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA-Minnesota) will host "Reap What You New: A Futurist's Guide to Anticipating and Leading Change" on May 18, 2010.

The session will be led by Cecily Sommers, founder and president of The Push Institute, a non-profit think tank that tracks significant global trends and their implications over the next 5-50 years. A futurist who analyzes global trends, Sommers designs and leads future-directed programs that bring the power of foresight to strategy and innovation. Companies benefiting from Sommers' strategic foresight include American Express, Best Buy, Motorola and Target.

At the event, Sommers will show how major social, economic and environmental events of our time spring from just four constant and predictable forces. Sommers will teach organizations how to harness the power of understanding knowing how change works to predict and invent their own future.

"It's a challenging market for any organization," said Tim Lebens, vice president of membership for BMA-Minnesota. "Anticipating change and opportunities in the future will give company leaders insight into what moves their organization must make today to reach their long-term objectives tomorrow. Through programming and speaker such as Cecily, we are giving members access to cutting edge ideas and strategies that will enable them to keep their companies competitive today and in the future."

Sommers' presentation will address:

• How the brain, business and government are wired for the "Permanent Present" and resist change
• Four constant and predictable forces shaping the future
• Three dramatic disruptions on the horizon that should be part of every strategic conversation
• How to manage an innovation portfolio that plans on the far and future, while delivering on the near and now

The event will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley, Minn. Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program from 8 to 9 a.m. There will be a member's only networking event will follow immediately from 9 to 9:30 a.m.

The cost of the event is $30 for BMA members and $45 for non-members. Attendees can register online at www.bmaminnesota.org through May 16, 2010. There will be a limited number of walk-up registrations also available.

About Cecily Sommers, Futurist:

Cecily Sommers is the founder and president of The Push Institute, a non-profit think tank that tracks the major forces shaping our future and their implications for business, government and non-profit sectors over the next 5-10-25-50 years. A popular speaker at conferences, business schools and retreats across the country, Sommers treats her audience to a guided tour of the future, noting key opportunities and challenges along the way. She is also regularly heard various media outlets, including Public Radio's All Things Considered, delivering a trend report and analysis in her Future Conversations segment.  Sommers is a member of the World Future Society, was named by the Business Journal as one of twenty-five Women to Watch in 2005, and selected as one of Fast Company's 2007 Fast 50 Reader's Favorites.  

About Business Marketing Association

Business Marketing Association is the leading professional resource for business-to-business marketers and communicators. The organization develops and delivers services, information, skill enhancement, and networking opportunities that help its members grow, develop and succeed throughout their marketing careers. For more information on BMA-Minnesota, visit www.bmaminnesota.org.

SOURCE BMA-Minnesota