Despite atrocious travelling conditions in many parts of the US about 190 of the 220 delegates pre-registered for this meeting and all but one of the speakers made it to Carlsbad for this annual INDA event, normally held in New Orleans. Carlsbad, being in one of the very few states unaffected by snow, proved to be an inspired choice of venue.
In the interests of maximising networking opportunities, moderators minimised after-speech questioning. The Visionary Award presentations continue to be the unscripted highlight of the conference.
Global Trends
Paul Leinberger of the Futures Company has identified that consumers are learning to live with increased economic uncertainty and are becoming less frivolous with money. They are now thinking twice about increasing consumption and prefer to “protect the world”, strengthen relationships, and share responsibility for the consequences of past overconsumption. In 2010, FC’s global Monitor survey covered 27,000 consumers in 27 countries:
· 54% of those questioned felt less secure about the financial future than they did a few years ago, and only 26% feel they have enough savings to rely on.
· 69% are now more thoughtful about purchases and 60% do more research before choosing a product.
· There is a renewed sense of trust in quality brands and less inclination to go for the cheapest products (c.f. 2009 survey)