April 6, 2007

…is the annual Cutter Summit, which will be held on April 29-May 2 in Cambridge MA. I *never* miss it; Along with the POPTech Conference in Camden Maine, it goes on my calendar and everything else simply revolves around it. The topic this year is – Innovation, a subject that matters more than ever in today’s creative economy, if your company doesn’t want to be another ‘also-ran.’

This year the Cutter Summit is moderated once again by my dear friend and mentor, Tom DeMarco. If you’ve never been to an event with Sir Tom, then you simply haven’t lived (yet). Tom was the first POPTech moderator as well, and it’s because of Tom that I originally went to POPTech, which I’ve now done for 7 years. So here’s my advice – find anything that Tom DeMarco is involved with and follow him.

A weblink describing it all is here http://www.cutter.com/summit/2007.html?utm_source=mah&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=summit

Finally, I decided that I’d excerpt the invitation that Karen Coburn, president of Cutter, had issued to her own invitee-list. I included it because in her own articulate style, Karen describes exactly why this event is so special. So pretent that she’s written this for you, click on the link, read about it, and if it’s right for you, come join us. It’s a great skull session if there ever was one, with some of the neatest people you’ll meet in the business. Our own Cutter party…

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Dear Friend,

Very soon, a small group of high-level business technology executives will join thought leaders from around the world to explore the key issues surrounding business-enabling IT innovation, tapping into the experience of experts they might never encounter otherwise.

You are invited to join this intimate gathering in Cambridge, MA, 30 April through 2 May for Cutter Consortium’s Summit 2007: Focus on Innovation.

You’ll experience:

– Insights from Paul Robertson, Cutter Senior Consultant and founder of the famed Medici Quartet on how you can learn to enjoy a leadership process that harnesses uncertainty to stimulate the vital creative energy your organization needs to be innovative and remain competitive.

– New perspectives on Web 2.0 and what it means for your organization from Cutter Senior Consultant and social media guru Stowe Boyd.

– Guidance on applying skills in risk entrepreneurship from Cutter Fellow Bob Charette that will enable your organization to understand what truly drives its customers’ needs, positioning it to innovatively meet those needs before any of its competitors can.

– Robust and global research on the characteristics of people, teams, and enterprises that innovate successfully and repeatedly, and that you can apply to your organization from Cutter Fellow and Harvard Business School Professor Rob Austin.

– Challenging insights from DTE CIO and Cutter Fellow Lynne Ellyn, on the question “Is Innovation a Relevant Concept for IT?”

– Cutter Senior Consultant and Mays Business School Professor Rogelio Oliva, will lead the group through a Harvard Business School case on innovation and enterprise architecture.

– Agile and refreshingly provocative moderating of the event by Cutter Fellow Tom DeMarco that brings a level of depth, insight, and humor to the task that, simply stated, is found nowhere else. You’ll interact with the experts, through keynotes, the panel debate and discussion that follows each keynote, at breakfast and luncheon roundtables, and informally, in unstructured time designed for continuing the discussion.

In addition, Sunday 29 April is packed with pre-conference workshops led by Cutter’s internationally recognized experts, that will allow you to drill down on specific topics and challenges in an even smaller setting.

Summit 2007 will reveal fresh ways to think about innovation, and return you to your organization equipped with new vision and tools. The registration fee is $1,995 — more details can be found at: www .cutter.com/summit/2007.html.

I hope you will join us and experience innovation first-hand.

Karen Fine Coburn
President & CEO
Cutter Consortium
www.cutter.com