**The Description of this event has been changed**

7-9 PM - EVENT: DIY PR Workshop - Create and refine a PR campaign for your business or product with PR Guru Joe Dolce

You need to get the word out about your new product/baby/company, but have no budget for a PR firm. What to do? “Startup” and “DIY” belong together by nature. But when it comes to marketing & PR, there is definitely a difference between a cool, grassroots, “DIY” campaign, and one that actually feels like amateur hour.

In this hands-on workshop, Joe will work with you to develop the critical components of a PR strategy: your message, how to differentiate it from the competition, methods for communicating your message, and which outlets to target. You will leave this workshop with new content and the skills to put it to work the very next day.

$10- workshop, hands-on work, networking to follow

Don’t forget to bring your laptop and material to workshop!

Effective e-Mail and Newsletter Campaigns
Led by: Dan Taylor and Chris Yerkes

On Thursday, April 4th, from 7-9 PM Data Scientists and Senior Researchers at Johnson Research Labs, Daniel Krasner and Ian Langmore will be coming to the Stamford Innovation Center for our first “Ask The Data Scientist” event. Unwilling to wait until April 4th, we had to call them up and ask a few questions ourselves.

To see the full interview, click below.

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On Tuesday, April 9th Joe will be leading the PR Bootcamp from 2-5 PM. The results of this intensive workshop will be put to the test later that same evening as participants present to a panel of judges and the audience for our PR Showdown from 7-9 PM. There will be food, there will be drinks, there will be a PR champion!

We caught up with Joe Dolce at the headquarters of Joe Dolce Communication in NYC. Pencil in hand and notepad flipped to a fresh page (ok, so I’m actually clacking down on a keyboard but that imagery just isn’t as rich), I asked our DIY PR guru a few questions about his upcoming InnovationED workshop.

To see the full interview, click below. 

Read More

Mold the perfect narrative for your business with seasoned storyteller Terence Mickey.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

1-5 PM - WORKSHOP

7-9 PM - EVENT: Storytelling Showdown 

We connect and engage through stories. People remember, learn from and respond to stories. Underlying all of our communication, whether a pitch or a presentation or a memo, is a story-based structure that captures the imagination of the audience.

By learning the principles of crafting a story, you can transform your communications into compelling narratives. These principles will provide you with a process to connect with your audience on a visceral and emotional level, whether you are telling your personal story or communicating on behalf of your business.

Workshop Agenda

1. 30 minutes - What is a Story? - A presentation with examples will introduce the basic principles of narrative as an editing tool to shape content into compelling and memorable stories.
2. 60 minutes - “Why have you started your own business?” - Participants will work in pairs to develop their “why” story by applying the principles from the presentation to what they have prepared.
3. 60 minutes - Telling Your Why Story - Each participant will share a “why” story with the group for feedback.
4. 15 minutes - Transform Your Personal Story into a Call-to-Action - A presentation will demonstrate how to relate your personal story to specific audiences for your business needs.
5. 30 minutes - Crafting Your Business Story - Breaking into pairs again, participants will revise their “why” story for the particular audience and call-to-action chosen to focus on. 
6. 45 minutes - Refining Your Story - Focusing on the participants who will present at the Showdown, Terrence will lead the group in revising and refining their stories.

7-9 PM - EVENT:  Storytelling Showdown - Tell your story to our panel of Investors and Marketing Pros

Come hear the stories workshopped earlier in Terence Mickey’s intensive course as they are presented to a panel of investors and marketing pros. Find out firsthand what it takes to tell a compelling story and how you can apply storytelling to the business world. Food & drink are provided and networking is encouraged.

$10 includes beer & food

Wondering what your business needs next? Looking for the right partnership to take it to the next level?

Learn how to grow your business and meet the right people with online media veteran and Business Insider SVP of Business and Audience Management, Bridget Williams.

This workshop breaks down the stages necessary to growing businesses and making deals in a two hour evening session. Practical skills will be tested as participants break up into groups to simulate courting the right people and crafting deals. The workshop will cover the three parts of the Biz Dev process as follows:

1. The Hunt 

• Knowing organizations and their roles
• Finding the right person 
• Knowing the motives of each department 
• Crafting a Pitch 

2. Negotiations: The Art of Discernment 

• Putting teeth into contracts 
• Running models and setting realistic goals 
• Understanding the motives of partners 
• Knowing the stress deals will put on other departments 

3. Walking Away: The Most Valuable Skill to learn 

• when is a deal “not worth it” 
• breaking up on good terms 
• focus vs opportunism: where is the balance for your company

Doors open at 7 PM, and there will be networking before and after. Find out more, and reserve your spot:

Not what you’re after? Tell us what you’d like to learn.

We live in a world swirling with data, and 80% of new data is unstructured, a “digital exhaust” that trails everything we do. How can a company keep track of it all? Who should you hire to make sure you’re making the most of it? How can data science help your company produce business intelligence?

On Tuesday, May 7th, senior data scientists Daniel Krasner and Ian Langmore of Johnson Research Labs will be at Stamford’s iCenter to answer these and many other questions surrounding the growing industry of data science. Whether you’re looking to hire someone, want to break into data science yourself, or are just curious to learn more about the world of data, you should stop by.

Doors open at 7 PM, and there will be networking before and after. Find out more, and reserve your spot.

Not what you’re after? Tell us what you’d like to learn.

Making things is hard. And, often, marketing them is even harder. Have you built an amazing product, but are unsure how to promote it? Are you positive that people would love your company, if they only knew it existed?

Fear not. On Tuesday, April 9th, media & PR guru Joe Dolce is coming to the iCenter to help young companies perfect their PR campaigns and learn how to get the word out. 

sign up for the workshop:

Not your style? Tell us what you’re looking for.

Lifelong learning is said to be the key to survival in the 21st Century. With the rise of the “knowledge worker” and the “learning economy” those who continue learning - actively expanding their skill sets - are more likely to make higher incomes, and have a greater impact.

How are you learning? Passively, by stumbling across things you find interesting? Or, actively, by seeking out things you NEED to know - for that promotion, that new business you’re developing, that team you’re leading…

As we develop InnovationED, we’d love to know what you want and need to learn. At the link, a preview of classes we’re developing. Which are you interested in taking? Don’t see what you’re looking for, tell us in the comments! 

Tell us what you’d like to learn!

Do you love what you do?

If so, GOOD. If not, WHY NOT? What’s holding you back? Why haven’t you gone after that dream job, that great idea, that new skill?

At InnovationED, we believe that loving what you do is not only a driver of happiness, but critical to success itself. We’re building a community of innovators who actively chase what they are passionate about, and who are committed to working, and building, and investing in things they love.

What are you waiting for?