Meeting Overview

We're excited to announce the next member meeting will be hosted by REI at their flagship store in Seattle, Washington!

Join us or invite your colleagues for a travel-friendly meeting split over two days (afternoon of the 4th, morning of the 5th, and a hosted dinner in-between).

The theme for the meeting is Design Innovation, which ties in perfectly to SB’18 Vancouver’s theme, Redesigning the Good Life. At this Member-only meeting, learn how SB Corporate Members are driving innovation designed to help customers experience the good life (e.g., increased health, balance, simplicity, meaningful connections, etc.).

During our time in Seattle, members will have the unique experience to take advantage of REI’s outdoor expertise. Weather-permitting, some of our discussion will occur out in the brisk Pacific Northwest air and we’ll even have the opportunity to stretch our legs during an invigorating Biomimicry presentation and discussion. Pack your boots!

To kick-off the meeting, REI leadership will open up dialogue around The Path Ahead, the long-range brand design framework REI is pursuing to address systemic challenges facing humanity. In this interactive session, members will have the opportunity to collaborate on the framework’s eight macro themes.

On Day 2, we've scheduled time for you to bring your innovation challenges to the group and benefit from the attendees' collective expertise and diverse backgrounds. Discussions from this session will be carried forward on the Member Forum.

For the adventurous who yearn to be out in nature and want to spend extra time with peers in an outdoor setting, we've included optional activities before the meeting on the morning of the 4th and in the afternoon of the 5th, weather permitting.

We're looking forward to doing something different with members at this event. We can't wait to see you in beautiful Seattle!

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What You Will Learn

  • Discuss a vision for collectively tackling long-term challenges, including lack of physical connectedness, decreased work-life balance, and increasingly scarce resources.
  • Hear how other members have overcome struggles through carefully designing partnerships that create new and different solutions.
  • Bring your current sustainability challenge to the group and leverage our collective brainpower to work towards a solution.
  • Get inspired witha nature “booster shot” by exploring how design intelligence is embedded in the living things around us.
  • Reconnect with your purpose and passion in a group of like-minded peers, and become a “free range human” for a day!

 

Agenda

 

Wednesday, April 4

 

Morning | Surprise REI Activity (optional)

12 pm – 1 pm | Lunch
Meet and get to know fellow members before the program kicks off for the day.

1 pm – 2 pm | Welcome Remarks & Introductions
Darren Beck, Senior Director, Corporate Membership, Sustainable Brands
About SB, our community and about YOU

2 pm – 2:15 pm | Break

2:15 pm – 3:30 pm | The Path Ahead
Ben Steele, Chief Creative Officer, REI
Alex Thompson, Vice President, Brand Stewardship & Impact, REI

REI will share The Path Ahead, the long-range impact view of the systemic challenges facing humanity and a life outdoors. In this interactive session, REI will invite dialogue and collaboration with members on the framework's macro themes.

3:30 – 5:00 pm | Innovation & The Power of Partnership
Moderator: Charlene Wall-Warren, Director of Sustainability, BASF
Jeanette Hanna, North America Biopolymers Market Development Manager, BASF
Ryan van Maarth, Senior Director, Construction & Planning, Seattle Mariners
Karen Dawson, Director of Marketing and Community Relations, Cedar Grove
Geoff B Woolley, President, EcoSafe Zero Waste
Michael "Woody" Harward, Owner and President, MH Marketing Brokerage

6 – 9 pm | Cocktail Reception & Dinner, hosted by BASF
Details will be announced soon.


Thursday, April 5

 

8:30 am – 9 am | Breakfast

9 am – 10:30 am | Urban Hike: Give Your Innovation a Nature Booster Shot
Weather permitting
Nicole Hagerman Miller, Managing Director, Biomimicry 3.8 
Erin Rovalo, Senior Principal, Design, Biomimicry 3.8
Juan Rovalo, Biomimicry Professional, Biologist, Founder and Principal of Insite

Learn how to tap into the design intelligence embedded in all living things and how the natural world can provide just the boost that your innovation efforts may need.

10:30 am – 10:45 am | Break

10:45 am – 12 pm | Community Problem Solving
Tamay Kiper, Sr. Manager, Member & Advisory Services, Sustainable Brands
Two members, each with a different challenge
The purpose of this session is to advance our collective sustainability agenda by tapping into the knowledge and experience that is present in the room at member meetings. You are invited to come to this session with a challenge that your team is facing around Design Innovation and let the room weigh in, both with personal experiences and proposed solutions.

12 pm – 12:30 pm | Closing Remarks
Darren Beck, Senior Director, Corporate Membership, Sustainable Brands
How did today's meeting go, and what would you like us to do differently in the future?

Afternoon | Outdoor urban adventure with Biomimicry 3.8 (optional)
Weather permitting


 

Who should attend:

Members who are constantly seeking inspiration and are creating new approaches to sustainability, through groundbreaking business models, packaging, services, and product offerings.

Sustainable Brands Corporate Members are industry leaders who are united in search of the answer to one key question – How can their brand prosper while leading the way to a better future?

In addition to gathering in person at annual SB Conferences and other SB events, private* member meetings provide an opportunity for members to connect face-to-face in an intimate, small group environment to share challenges as well as innovative solutions to successfully field market-leading better brands.

This meeting is exclusive to the SB Corporate Member Network.

*All SB Corporate Member Meetings operate under the Chatham House Rule.


 

Meeting Details

Hotel
SB Members will be staying at the Hyatt Olive 8, where we are happy to extend a discounted group rate of $195.00 plus 15.6% + $2.00 city tourism fee. Book your stay.

The discounted rate is available until 3/16/2018. We strongly encourage members to stay at the Olive 8, as all shuttles will be leaving and dropping off at this destination.

Dinner Venue
TBA

Meeting Venue
REI Flagship Store in Seattle
222 Yale Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

Transportation
Transportation details will be sent prior to the meeting

Attire
Light hiking apparel, including boots that might get muddy, and business casual