YP Development Course: From Mind To Market

Seminar Description 

Intentions are great, but only actions will make a business a success. How do you get a great idea from mind to market? Progressing ideas or intentions into viable business opportunities is important to stay in the game.

This seminar will give practical tips on how to assess and commercialise any business idea/product/service and crossing the marketing chasm to find out how to characterise an idea, validate its market and determine your ability to deliver against competitive forces.

Presented by Piet Beukman, Associate Professor and Director of the Engineering Management Programme at the University of Canterbury

Date and Time
Wednesday 28th November – Full Day Course

Cost

IEEE Members: $100

Non Members: $200

Register Today at: https://goo.gl/forms/5J7EOi4IJwcbPX4Y2

Full Course Information Below

There is a need for professionals/researchers to be aware of how their ideas or wishes, whether technical or commercial, could be turned into a profitable commercial reality.  This seminar covers the essentials needed to successfully evaluate potential opportunities and turn your ideas into viable business propositions in a practical way that is also easily remembered.

Participants will gain an awareness and understanding of the commercial realities involved in assessing potentially valuable business ideas.

You will become made aware of and gain understanding of the following learning outcomes:

• The processes and risks of commercialising new ideas emanating from your research, work, new contacts, or ideas
• The commercial success potential of an idea
• The financial viability of a new concept
• How to gain a competitive advantage by using your experience, knowledge and business capabilities

We will cover the following topics:  

• Introduction
  • The value of an idea – what is involved in turning it into reality
  • Classical business plans are not appropriate in this context, we need something different
  • The commercialisation process
• So What?
  • What is the idea? Description leads to proper understanding.
  • What is the problem? There has to be a need.
  • Where does the idea fit? Positioning is power.
  • Who cares?
  • Who is the customer? Making sure there is one.
  • What is the path to market? Getting there is half the fun – and also essential for success.
  • Where is the money? Getting paid is the other half of the fun – and also really essential.
  • Why you?
  • What is your competitive edge? You have to prevail against the odds.
  • Who is or should be on the team? The right know-how and skills are essential.
  • What is your story? Communicating the right message to the right people is the key.
  • Now what?
  • Implementing steps in a path from your idea to viable business
  • You need as strategy without hype or fluff – actions speak louder than words; we know that, but how are they defined? (ideally you will also look at strategy later)

More about Piet Beukman

Piet has a passion for developing people into capable professional leaders that can deal with their technical, as well as their business tasks, with equal capability.

Piet is the Director of the Engineering Management Programme at the University of Canterbury. An accomplished “pracademic”,  He has 42 years of experience in the aerospace, military, marine engineering, venture capital, commercialisation and consulting industries to offer. He also has hands-on experience of commercialising ideas from roles as director of technology commercialisation for an Australian university, as well as involvement in the New Zealand start-up and angel investment environment.

Piet is influential in developing best practice methods for the effective execution of engineering activities. He is highly regarded in New Zealand and internationally as a practitioner with a sound track record of achievement for using a practical, but rigorous, approach.

Piet has presented numerous short courses for local and international organisations including consulting firms, contractors, technology companies, district and city councils, electricity, infrastructure organisations and government departments.