Gel 2005 Schedule
For the first time, Gel has expanded past a one-day event:
- Day 1 - Thursday afternoon, April 28, 2005 - a variety of hands-on experiences around New York City. Starting around 1:30pm, ending around 5pm. Descriptions below.
- Day 2 - Friday, April 29, 2005 - is in the Equitable theater, and takes the format of the one-day Gel conferences held in years past. Speaker sessions run from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., finishing with a cocktail party from 6:00 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m.
The idea for Days 1 and 2 came from Gel attendees! Many of you told us, at the end of Gel 2004, that you wanted a second day outside the theater; now we have Day 1. For those who only wanted the day in the theater, we still offer a 1-day ticket (for Day 2 only).
Detailed Schedule: Gel 2005
Day 1 - Thursday, April 28, 2005
Approximate schedule, as of March 2005:
1:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Day 1 experiences - each attendee will participate in one. (Attendees will get their highest-ranked choice, space permitting: priority is given in the order that tickets are bought. So GET YOUR TICKET EARLY to guarantee your best shot at your first-choice track! Register for Gel.)
Day 1 Experiences - each attendee will attend one:
Exploring the experience of...
1. The museum - American Museum of Natural History: Two tours: Doug Balder will give a tour of his architectural work on the Dinosaur Halls, showing how this world-famous exhibit tells the story of dinosaur evolution. Lisa Dombrow and Ann Prewitt, who run the museum's Discovery Room, will give attendees a tour through this nationally recognized interactive learning space and show how it embodies environmental design and learning theory.
2. The museum - Museum of Modern Art: Attendees will take two guided tours of the new MoMA in midtown Manhattan - including photography and painting exhibits.
3. The school: Led by Gel 2004 speaker and organizational psychologist Phil Mirvis, this event will take attendees to the New York City Leadership Academy for an inside look at how New York is using new methods to train the next generation of public school principals. Attendees will meet with Leadership Academy CEO Bob Knowling, and possibly Leadership Academy-trained principals, to see the effects of this unique educational experience.
4. The street: Michael Counts and the Counts Media team (see yellowarrow) have created an interactive experience, taking place in Manhattan, using their creative blend of multimedia tools and tricks. We're not allowed to say more - that would spoil the surprise! Note - Attendees on this track must bring their own device (PDA, Blackberry, phone, etc.) that can send and receive text messages, and must already know how to use the device to send and receive text messages.
5. The nosh: Myra Alperson, founder of NoshNews, will take attendees to Sunnyside, Queens, one of the most polyglot neighborhoods in NYC. While sampling Colombian, Romanian, Salvadoran, Lebanese, Turkish, Irish and other specialties on this route, you'll also learn about one of New York City's most intriguing communities. Includes a visit to Sunnyside Gardens, the first planned garden community in the US.
6. New York architecture: Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung, from Gothamist.com, will take attendees on a tour of two of the best-known Manhattan landmarks, the two major train stations: Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal. Experience the stark differences in these two environments, and learn the history of how the differences came to be.
7. Customer experience: Phil Terry, CEO of Creative Good, will conduct a seminar on customer experience and how this holistic discipline will be to business in the 21st century what advertising was in the 20th century. The seminar will include a live look at attendees' websites and conversations around catalogs, retail, and other channels. 2005 Copernican Award winners may also be present (finalists include Amazon, ING Direct, JetBlue, NetFlix, Staples, Westin Hotels, and others).
8. Improv: Join with Cathy Salit, President of Performance of a Lifetime, for an interactive, improvisational session where you will learn some of the "tricks of the trade" of the improviser and performer - in service of creating a great experience for you, your team, and your customers. (No acting experience required.)
9. Restaurant: New York-based Studio Gaia, designer of such popular NYC restaurants as Cafeteria, Republic, and Bond Street, will tour attendees around various locations that it designed.
10. Retail - Ron Pompei: Pompei, designer of successful retailers Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, will give attendees a look into his work, and his worldview about designing experiences in the retail world. Track will include a tour of Pompei's Soho studio and/or retailers with instructive customer experiences.
11. Retail - Times Square retailer: We are working on confirming a major Times Square retailer that will give attendees a tour of its retail environment, giving insights into the experience design process.
12. High-tech products: Dan Dubno, CBS News producer and technologist, will demo the latest gadgets and other high-tech products from around the world.
Day 2 - Friday, April 29, 2005
Day 2 takes place at the Equitable Theater and has the format of the one-day Gel conferences held in years past.
7:45 a.m.: Registration opens; catered attendee breakfast begins
8:15 a.m.: Theater opens for attendees to find seats
8:30 a.m.: Gel speaker sessions begin
10:30 - 11:00 a.m.: Catered mid-morning break
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Speaker sessions
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Catered lunch
1:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Speaker sessions
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Mid-afternoon break
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Speaker sessions
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Catered cocktails (beer, wine, and appetizers)
Register now
