Event Description

There are few things more difficult than leading the introduction to change. Innovation means no more ‘business as usual’, which often invites skeptics and critics. 20 years ago, Master Lock – an 80-year old iconic institution – was teetering on solvency. Their flagship products were being threatened by price competition from abroad. One man had to convince management to abandon strategies for competing on price, and instead to differentiate through design. That man is now CEO.

Join us for a presentation by Scott Williams, with a special introduction by Jen Bilik, on how design leads to a greater chance of product success, how investment in design allows premium prices, and how investment in design correlates to greater loyalty.

Speaker

Scott Williams

http://scottwilliamsandco.com/

With a career spanning theater, TV and hotels, Scott Williams is a brand builder focused on the theatrical narrative at the heart of brands. As Chief Marketing Officer of Morgans Hotel Group, he was the chief architect of brand strategy and realization for the hotels that invented the concept of “hotel as theater.” Prior to Morgans, as Chief Creative Officer Worldwide for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, he controlled creative output, and held the final responsibility for the quality of all of Starwood’s advertising/marketing creative products, including textbook success stories at W and Westin. Williams’s television career included marketing and producing efforts at CBS, ESPN and HBO. And as a writer, producer, teacher and actor, he gained a solid theatrical background at San Francisco American Conservatory Theater, where he received an MFA, and at the storied Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Williams also received a GMP from Harvard Business School. He serves on the President’s Council of the Red Ribbon Foundation for AIDS and the board of the Greenwich YMCA. Married with three children, Williams resides in Connecticut.

Special Speaker Introduction

Jen Bilik

http://www.knockknockstuff.com/about/jen

Jen Bilik is the founder, owner, and overall head honcho of Knock Knock.

Venue provided by A+D Museum.

Tickets

AIGA Members - $10

A+D Members - $10

Non- Members - $25

AIGA Members: Remember to bring your AIGA Membership ID card to the event. You’ll receive a lanyard for your AIGA ID at the AIGA Members-Only check-in table. This will be your name tag for the event.

Parking Details

In addition to metered street parking (please read the signs carefully: vehicles in violation will be towed), there are three large parking lots located within two blocks of A+D.

Metro service to or near the A&D Museum: Metro Local line 20, Metro Rapid line 720, and Metro Rail’s Purple Line (Wilshire/Western station).

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