What futurists (or “futurologists”) do is to help people plan and prepare for the future, as opposed to offer predictions about the future. This can involve looking at future trends, notably about new technologies and technology trends, and a lot more besides.
If you’re looking for a conference speaker, a keynote speaker, or a workshop presenter or facilitator on this topic, the examples below represent some of the keynote speeches or workshop presentations I’ve given as a futurist speaker in the past. But each presentation is created specifically to suit your needs. If you don’t see a presentation about the future that would work for your conference, by all means contact me, and we’ll see if we can create one specifically for you.
The Upgrade Society & the Future of Luxury Automobiles
If we learned anything from the Great Recession and its aftermath, it’s that while it sometimes goes into hiding, money is always around, and the demand for luxury cars tends to persist and rebound faster than for most other kinds of automobiles. But what’s ahead? With continuing economic woes still lingering both at home and in many parts of the world, with new technologies bursting onto the scene, and with a growing interest in alternative fuels and energy sources, the future seems more uncertain than at any time in the recent past. Richard Worzel, a Chartered Financial Analyst, strategic planner, and one of today’s leading futurists, covers this and more in a provocative overview of tomorrow, including:
- The nature and prospects for the Upgrade Society, and how to aim for its heart;
- The coming switch in demographics: Where’s the money going, and how do you play for position?
- The expected, and unexpected technological changes to come to the automobile industry, and what they mean for the luxury car market;
- What climate change means for the driving experience, alternative propulsion systems, and customer preferences.
You’ll come away not only with a better appreciation for the world of tomorrow, but with a toolkit for coping with, and capturing, the uncertainties of the future.
Back to the Future? Tomorrow’s Radio & TV
Are television and radio back? After all the promise and hype surrounding the Internet, online advertising, and social media, it turns out that plain, old fashioned broadcast still remains the most direct, most popular passive-consumption media, and one of the few ways of both reaching broad audiences, and routinely reaching targeted demographic and psychographic groups.
Yet, the future is not assured for broadcasters, and both radio and TV are changing, even as the media around it are changing. In this presentation, Richard Worzel, who is a strategic planner and one of today’s leading futurists, discusses the issues that will shape tomorrow’s television, including:
- The continuing fragmentation of audiences;
- The complex relationship between the Internet, broadcast, and downloadable programming;
- How different generations consume and approach different media;
- The future of television, including 3D images;
- How digital media have affected, and will affect, radio; and
- How revenue models will drive media, not headline hype.
This panoramic view of broadcast’s future will not only identify the major issues ahead, but Richard will make available a toolkit of future planning tools to make it easier to tackle, even to capture, the uncertainties ahead for the industry.
Car Retailing 2.0: The Future of Marketing in the Retail Automotive Industry
For many car dealers, marketing consists of traditional media, such as newspaper ads, plus some push-marketing techniques like fax and email. But these are, at best, today’s media, and at worst, dying horses that have no chance of reaching tomorrow’s consumers. Young buyers, many of whom will soon be entering into the family formation stage of their lifecycles, don’t use most of these media, and often consider even email to be out-of-date and out-of-touch with their reality. And almost all active consumers routinely use Google to find consumer reviews of cars and dealerships, which can negate a carefully orchestrated advertising campaign. Dealers who intend to survive into the 2010’s and beyond need to be looking at so-called Web 2.0 media – things like Facebook and Twitter, which truly represent a new form of “word of mouth” advertising.
In this presentation, Richard Worzel, one of today’s leading futurists, provides an overview of the future of car retailing, including:
- The prospects for traditional media – where they can be useful, and where they are going;
- The interests and attitudes of consumers of all ages – how their thinking differs, how to apply the “Platinum Rule” of sales in approaching them;
- The Web 2.0 media emerging, how to use it, and how NOT to use it; and
- Why some technologies make it, and some – like satellite radio – don’t, and how to tell the difference.
You’ll walk away with a new appreciation of what’s possible, and what to do next to carry you into the very different future of auto retailing.
Liberating or Lethal: The Future Hangs in the Balance for Advertisers
Whether we like it or not, the advertising industry is changing, both in underlying techniques, and in the perceptions of the general public. New technologies and emerging developments in mass customization are altering the way we can and must advertise products and services, and simultaneously engendering fear and suspicion in the minds of our customers.
Richard Worzel addresses these developments, and gives you a map of tomorrow’s landscape, discussing what brands are becoming; how technology is changing what, when, and how we advertise; and how you can avoid the land mines and booby traps in a world where personal privacy is seen to be under attack. The future is approaching us at full throttle – and those who are unprepared will lose both clients and public esteem.