Foresight & Trends: Reflections Halfway Through the Innovative Conference -

We are at the exact halfway point of the Foresight & Trends 2014 conference, and the attendees of the conference are as inspiring as the speakers. Where the first day's theme seemed to be well-being, day two of the conference focuses more on applications of innovation and attitudes toward change.

VP of Marketing, Creativity and Innovation at Estee Lauder, Mark Polson set the tone for the day in his morning session on The Climate of Innovation. Comparing and contrasting the idea of a company's climate (moods and morale), with its culture (beliefs and core values), Polson bravely states that "companies don't have fun because they're innovative, they're innovative because they have fun." Canadian entrepreneur Taylor Conroy of Change Heroes added a touch of social good to the morning, walking the crowd through the Early Entrepreneur Experiment and urging organizations to weave social impact into their DNA.

With a bit of fun and foresight up his sleeve, Ranan Lachman of Pley, a company known as "Netflix for LEGO," discussed the idea of a sharing economy. His toy rental program speaks to the shift in consumer thinking toward collaboration. Katy Mogal, Director of Market and Customer Experience insights at Jawbone took the room into the future with her talk on The Future of Wearables, with focus on the Internet of Things and the idea of smart accessory 'eco-systems' and holistic connectivity. Continuing with the theme of futurism, the Trend Hunter team then provided the crowd with a sneak peek of the Top Trends of 2015.