3rd Professionals Panel &
Idea Sharing Forum
CREATE & CONNECT
The Customization and Personalization
Professionals Forum
MCP & MEA KULMA
3rd Professionals Panel & Idea Sharing Forum co-organized for the first time with MEA KULMA – innovation festival (Austria), will take place from September 26-27, 2024, in Novi Sad and Fruška Gora national park with the aim to share valuable experience and ideas among professionals from different industries. Create & Connect. The Customization and Personalization Professionals Forum is conceived in the following way:
Panel discussions involve leading experts or professionals in a field of customization and personalization, providing in-depth insights, debates, or analyses on specific topics.
Experts Panel #1: Customization Eco-system and Business Models
Experts Panel #2: Personalization in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
Presentations of companies dealing with and successfully implementing personalization and customization strategies.
Trip to Sremski Karlovci, Fruška Gora national park, wineries and ancient monasteries. Experience the rich cultural and historical heritage of old town Sremski Karlovci. Find peace and inspiration in the tranquility of the monasteries nestled in the untouched landscapes of Fruška Gora National Park, providing a perfect backdrop for reflection and inspiration.
Open stage presentations and short talks bringing together speakers and attendees from various backgrounds, offering a range of perspectives and experiences.
I Open Stage – BUILD: Turning Points: Decisive Moments in Business Success
II Open Stage – BURN & LEARN: What we can learn from errors and failures?
III Open Stage – DREAM: Creative Impulses: Catalyzing Business Evolution
Networking and socializing opportunities during our curated sessions provide the perfect environment to foster collaborations that will thrive long after the conference ends.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and pioneers in a festival that promises to stimulate your senses and inspire innovation. Whether you’re a designer, entrepreneur, or enthusiast,
„Create and Connect“ is the place to be for experiencing the fusion of creativity and culture!
Pro Forum abstract submission
Pro Forum abstracts should be submitted via email to [email protected]. The deadline for Pro Forum abstract submission is August 30, 2024. Following the review process, authors will be notified by email if their Pro Forum abstract has been accepted, asking from author to provide presentation about proposed topic.
Please use the Pro Forum abstract template, which is available on the link bellow.
The MEA KULMA Innovation Festival Series was started in 2019 in the little Austrian village Kulma and brought together innovation enthusiasts from corporates, startups and academia, from cities and the countryside, protagonists of the digital and the physical world, all bound by storytelling and exchange on eye level. The MEA KULMA Novi Sad 2024 event will round up the MCP 2024 Pro-Forum with fresh innovation impulses by open minded people -> www.meakulma.at
Experts Panel #1: Customization Eco-system and Business Models
Paul Blažek
Serial Entrepreneur & Thought Leader,
Founder & CEO
CYLEDGE Media, Vienna, Austria
Exploring Interactive Value Creation: Innovating New Business Models Through Customization and Collaboration
Paul’s presentation delves into the dynamic landscape of new business models, emphasizing interactive value creation and innovation through customization, mass customization, and open collaboration. Paul examines the evolving Customization eco-system, where businesses thrive by tailoring products and services to individual preferences. Through case studies and insights, Paul will uncover how organizations leverage collaborative networks to co-create value, foster innovation, and adapt to changing market demands. Join Paul as we explore together the transformative potential of customization-driven business models in today’s competitive market environment.
Mirjana Ilić
Professor of Applied Studies
Academy of Applied Studies Belgrade
Founder of Moj Krojač Company, Serbia
Tailoring Success: The MojKrojač Experience in Customized Fashion
Join us as Professor Mirjana Ilić, the visionary founder behind MojKrojač, unveils the journey of pioneering the online customization of clothing in Serbia and beyond. For over a decade, MojKrojač has redefined fashion by empowering customers to personalize their shirts through an innovative configurator, navigating the rapid advancements in information technology and network development. This expert panel will delve into how MojKrojač harnessed IT breakthroughs and a robust partnership network to enhance customer engagement, loyalty, and business growth. Discover the secrets behind building a thriving client network and leading the charge in the custom fashion industry, setting new standards for personalized service and technological integration.
Lars Skjelstad
Senior Researcher
SINTEF Technology,
Norway
The Power of Collaboration in Today’s Business Ecosystems
Businesses form value chains and co-operations, often referred to as Ecosystems, to best fulfill deliveries of goods and services to end customers. The topic of ecosystems is regaining interest today, as market needs and new technological possibilities evolve, and as the companies are more aware of the gains from empowering all employees. In some cases, companies outsource tasks directly related to sales or customer communication to other organizations. In other situations, employees are involved in developing increased customer value. The panel will discuss levels of cooperations, actors and example of eco-systems that are used today and how to gain increased customer value through co-operation. In the panel we have people both from industry and academia, sharing their knowledge and experiences.
Experts Panel #2: Personalization in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
Iryna Kuksa Frsa
Senior Research Fellow,
Director, Design Research Centre
Nottingham School of Art and Design, Nottingham, UK
Design for Personalisation – The Age of AI
Excessive consumption is accelerating climate change, pushing us to reconsider unsustainable lifestyles. Personalization, powered by machine learning and data analytics, not only drives more consumption by tailoring financial and social prompts but also benefits businesses and satisfies consumers. However, this trend towards increasing consumption through personalized content isn’t irreversible. This discussion, led by Dr. Kuksa, introduces the idea of ‘green personalization’—a shift in using personalization technologies to encourage eco-friendly choices and reduce overall consumption. She will explore how design professionals can pivot personalization towards minimizing environmental impacts and fostering sustainable consumption habits.
Thomas Aichner
Scientific Director,
South Tyrol Business School,
Bolzano, Italy
From Personalized to Programmed: The Dilemma of AI Customization
When considering the core values of mass customization, such as individual expression, fun in co-creating, and creativity, AI may introduce disadvantages, potentially leading to the homogenization of experiences. This presentation aims to explore the potential risks and drawbacks of utilizing AI in mass customization, highlighting the tension between leveraging technology for customization and preserving the unique human elements that form the foundation of personalized experiences. Could the reliance on algorithms diminish the consumer’s role in the creative process? If so, it might challenge the essence of what makes mass customization truly unique and innovative.
Frances Turner
Assistant Professor of Marketing,
Ithaca College, School of Business, NY, USA
Individualization and the Value of the AI-Imbued Co-Design Toolkit
Dive into the future with Professor Frances Turner as she explores the electrifying intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and mass customization (MC). Artificial intelligence (AI) astounds us in its ability to create and alarms us with its tendency to hallucinate. Its promise is in increasing the MC co-design toolkit’s role as purveyor of the individualization resulting from the customization and personalization process. An AI imbued co-design toolkit may improve the individual’s ability to manage complexity and choice, increase sense of control and enjoyment, and yield pride of ownership generated by the creativity inherent in the individual. Since these benefits enhance the MC co-design experience, proper incorporation of AI into the co-design toolkit should render optimal relational value for individual and provider alike.
OPEN STAGE SHORT STORIES
Share with us your positive experiences, thoughts, mistakes that you would like to warn others about in the pleasant informal atmosphere of the Fruška gora national park, full of cultural and historical attractions, along with Serbian gastronomy and exceptional wines.
Stage #1: BUILD
Turning Points: Decisive Moments in Business Success
In the first session of our adventure, share with us the experiences and key moments that started or turned your business idea around and brought it to success.
Stage #2: BURN & LEARN
What can we learn from mistakes and failures?
With a glass of good wine, it will be easier to talk about the mistakes and failures that follow every business success, with the aim of learning leassons.
Stage #3: DREAM
Creative Impulses: Catalyzing Business Evolution
Summarizing the stories with a good Serbian lunch, innovative ideas will surely be awakened as creative impulses of some future great success.
ENJOY THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL BEAUTY OF THE REGION
Experience the rich cultural and historical heritage of Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. Find peace and inspiration in the tranquility of the monasteries nestled in the untouched landscapes of Fruška Gora National Park, providing a perfect backdrop for reflection and inspiration.
