Over 100 attendees ranging from small business owners, students, start-up entrepreneurs, local government leaders and big business executives alike, gathered at the CAJUNDOME Convention Center last week with a common goal; to thrust their innovative ideas to the next level. All were participants in the much anticipated Innovation Engineering Leadership Institute held May 2-4, 2011.
The three day event hosted in partnership with the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE), the Louisiana Small Business Development Center, the Opportunity Machine and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPOL), lived up to its promise of an intense workshop guaranteed to spark innovation.
Lead by professional inventor, researcher, author and entrepreneur, Doug Hall, conference-goers experienced the equivalent of graduate level courses offered at the University of Maine. The program known as "Innovation Engineering,” is a systematic approach to creativity, designed to help develop, refine, communicate and successfully implement new ideas.
"You will not find another program that teaches you more on innovation,” explains Corinne Dupuy, director of MEPOL. "This program gave the attendees the confidence and fundamental tools to create, communicate and implement meaningfully unique ideas that will drive their companies forward.” In fact, the conference was so successful that talks have already begun on hosting an even larger event for 2012.
Dupuy is committed to capitalizing on the enthusiasm created at the conference and seeing out the completion of projects that were innovated at the conference. Through a one-day "Jump Start” session, businesses will be individually guided in the innovation and marketing processes in order to create a marketable action plan for profitable growth.
Louisiana was one of only ten states to receive grant funding for this national conference which amounted to substantial registration discounts for Louisiana companies, non-profits, and university and government employees. Strong professional relationships with MEPOL and Hall landed the conference in Lafayette over other cities vying to host the prestigious event.
Hall is the founder and CEO of Eureka! Ranch, a Cincinnati-based company and has worked with corporations such as Nike, Walt Disney and Procter & Gamble. He is in year 27 of a 50 year personal mission to develop and deliver to companies, government and educational organizations the most reliable and effective systems for realizing continuous innovation.
For more information on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana, the Innovation Engineering Leadership Institute or how your business can become meaningfully unique, contact Dave Thomas at MEPOL, 337-482-5844 or email dave.thomas@mepol.org.
