Day 1 of 3:
Megatrends, Chaos & The AI Revolution
What does the AI-enabled revolution look like? Let’s chart it out, discover new opportunities and innovate forward.
“Step into a future where technology and artificial intelligence remain pivotal in shaping our lives, unlocking fresh possibilities and defining a new era. After a decade driven by AI progress, we’ll delve into its ongoing influence across diverse sectors. Our event is crafted with a singular goal – to be the world’s best innovation conference – a place to learn next year’s trends from the world’s leading trend firm. Join like-minded pioneers, visionaries, and industry leaders as we converge to shape the future. Impressively, 97% of attendees rate our World Summit as the best innovation conference they’ve attended.”
- Sarah St. Jules, Chief Operating Officer, Trend Hunter
Immerse yourself in the future. Learn to action ideas. Change the way you work. Thrive in an AI-enabled world.
97% of attendees rate it "the best innovation conference ever" .
20/20 of the “most admired brands” in the world rely on us to predict opportunity.
95% rated the “overall caliber” of attendees higher than other events.
INC calls it one of the best innovation conferences to inspire your team.
"The best, most engaging and most relevant business event I have ever attended." Chief Strategy Officer & SVP of Marketing
"Hands down, the best way to experience innovation and the future." Consumer Insight Specialist
"The best event I've ever attended, and we go to motorcycle races." Head of Sensing and R&D
"Future Festival is a concentrated dose of inspiration and insights. This event is a must-attend!" Associate Brand Manager
"No service out there captures Consumer Behavior as well as Trend Hunter" Creative Development Manager, Ideation
"Future Festival created opportunities for our team and expanded our people's thinking." CEO
"Undoubtedly the most meaningful conference I've ever attended." VP of Sales
"Any senior executive would benefit hugely from taking a couple of days and attending Future Festival." Global VP of Innovation
Collide with top innovators from the world’s most impactful brands as you strategize how to navigate the road ahead.
As an AI company, Trend Hunter is thrilled to present our knowledge insights and best practices related to AI impacts across each category of trends.
Trends create empires, disrupt the slow-movers and reshape the world. In periods of chaos and AI-driven change, trends become a CEO-level problem and opportunity. Now AI is the main trend to understand, and after years of using and advising brands on AI, we're here to help.
2005 - Trend Hunter was born as a tech platform
2008 - TH Dashboard, now our AI Platform, is launched
2012 - Full pivot to tech-enabled custom research
2013 - Jeremy Gutsche helps launch IBM Watson AI
2014 - AI and Watson profiled in Our NYT Bestseller, Better & Faster
2014 - First AI keynotes and AI workshops
2017 - TrendHunter.AI launches, making our AI mission more-public
2019 - AI & tech clients now include Google, NASA, IBM, Samsung & Microsoft
2020 - AI Framework published in Create The Future
2023 - The first AI-themed Future Festival
Trend Hunter is the world's freshest, most data-driven consumer trend platform, with 3 billion views and insight derived from 278,135,891 visitors and AI. We've created 12,821 custom trend reports for 1,243 firms, and we want to show you FRESH, data-driven insights about YOUR consumer.
After every major crisis and pandemic, we enter a long period of chaos: people make up for lost time, reprioritize what's important and companies enter new markets. Now layer on the exponential change of AI. Most people are unprepared and many will be disrupted. What about you and your brand? Are you ready? You could turn 2024 into the greatest career opportunity of your lifetime.
Our core Future Festival curriculum is brought to life by Trend Hunter's team of Futurists -- inspiring keynote speakers and workshop facilitators relied on by hundreds of the world's leading brands. Our Futurists will spark your new ideas while delivering fresh, data-driven content from our Trend Hunter machine and deep insight from delivering more than 2,000 annual custom trend reports.
JEREMY GUTSCHE
NYT Bestselling Author & CEO of Trend Hunter
How to Innovate in an Era of AI
Trend Hunter’s CEO, New York Times bestselling author, and award-winning innovation keynote speaker and AI expert, will guide you through how to maximize your potential and innovate in times of change. As one of the world’s most sought-after keynote speakers, he has helped over 800 brands, billionaires and CEOs make change happen.
ARMIDA ASCANO
Chief Content Officer & Renowned Speaker
The Microgenerations vs Machines & Aligning Workplace Culture
As Trend Hunter’s Chief Content Officer and the brain behind our trend sessions and workshops, she is our most requested Futurist for custom trend keynotes. With expertise in generations, she explores the evolving dynamics of Millennials, Boomers, Gen X and Gen Z, and their distinctive responses to the AI’s expanding influence.
GIL COHEN
SVP Client Success
AI and Marketing
Trend Hunter’s SVP of Client Success explores hyperconnectivity’s transformative potential and the strategic approach to becoming consumer-centric. With her vast experience in trend analysis, she collaborates with top brands across industries, facilitating innovation and identifying opportunities.
ADY FLOYD
VP Client Success
The Future of Food
Trend Hunter’s VP of Client Success tailors research for 40+ brand partners, curating over 500 custom reports and conducting trend sessions for Fortune 500 firms. Her expertise lies in exploring the future of food and the interplay between human experience and AI in the food and beverage industry.
COURTNEY SCHARF
Chief Client Officer
Experience in the AI Era
As the Chief Client Officer at Trend Hunter, she leads the Client Relations team, curating over 5,000 custom trend reports. Specializing in the future of leisure, nightlife, and entertainment, she explores experience in the AI era and its intersection with culture.
SEAN WATSON
VP of Sales Operations & Special Projects
Future Tech and the Next Frontier
As Trend Hunter's VP of Sales Operations & Special Projects, he leverages his tech expertise, AI knowledge, and unparalleled enthusiasm for TH's content. In strategic internal initiatives and as a keynote speaker, he unveils AI's impact on humanity's future and our evolving relationship with technology.
JONATHON BROWN
Chief Sales Officer
Innovate like a Rap Star
As Trend Hunter's Chief Sales Officer, he drives strategy for business innovation research, development, and marketing. With experience interviewing 500+ business leaders, he uncovers innovation best practices, drawing insightful lessons from hip-hop history and applying them to internal innovation frameworks.
MARK ONUFER
Director of Accounts
FuturistU Emcee
Director of Accounts at Trend Hunter and FuturistU Emcee. Having interviewed 100+ global leaders in innovation, he now solves complex problems for hundreds of the world’s most influential brands.
JAIME NEELY
President & Assessment Author
FuturistU Director
Trend Hunter’s President, FuturistU Director, and the creator of Trend Hunter’s Innovation Assessment, helping 30,000+ professionals understand and improve their innovation processes both individually and as teams.
Get excited for an all-new curriculum of fresh, data-driven insights and best practices, including new research, frameworks and workshops for thriving in a chaotic AI-fueled world.
What does the AI-enabled revolution look like? Let’s chart it out, discover new opportunities and innovate forward.
Get inspired about CHAOS, OPPORTUNITY & AI with Jeremy Gutsche, one of the world’s top innovation keynote speakers & chaos experts, and the #1 most-watched innovation speaker on YouTube, with over 20,000,000 views. His books and keynotes have specialized in AI for almost a decade, and in his NEW keynote, he'll explore the history of innovation and how the trajectory of YOUR innovation will evolve with AI.
Our CEO, Jeremy Gutsche, is a New York Times bestselling author who has become an advisor to over 800 brands, billionaires, CEOs & NASA, particularly focused on innovating through times of change. As one of the world's top innovation keynote speakers, he'll kick-off the innovation event with unparalleled energy. Then he'll return for a lunchtime keynote about How to Create The Future with AI.
"Gutsche is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on the planet, well-regarded as the top trend-spotter in the world... the most energizing, inspiring & applicable... & I’ve heard Bill Clinton... Bill Gates... & Tony Robbins." - The Sun Newspaper
Our Chief Content Officer, one of the world's most popular speakers on trends, Armida Ascano, will help you uncover the forces impacting your business in a fast-paced and tech-driven world.
Leveraging our big data from 225,000,000 people, we’ve built the most researched, most data-driven system for identifying opportunities. This unparalleled research led us to 6 Patterns of Opportunity and the 18 most important Megatrends shaping our future.
Using this framework, you’ll learn how to apply these Megatrends and patterns to any industry, and then more specifically how the resulting Megatrends conference content can be leveraged when you return home. For continuity, the rest of the innovation conference builds upon these frameworks, deep-diving into the top Megatrends throughout the rest of the day.
What great opportunity is within your grasp? Our latest book, Jeremy Gutsche's award-winning Create The future, is all about how to make innovation and change happen, particularly during times of chaos. The book, which is our textbook on innovation, features tactics for disruptive thinking, innovation, and change in an AI-driven world.
We've reached a point in time when everyone wants innovation, but most people don't know how to make it happen. In our era of rapid change, disruption, and possibility, there are so many great opportunities within your grasp. However, smart, successful people consistently miss out. We have 7 traps that keep us stuck to the path we are already on.
Presented by Trend Hunter at award-winning venue TIFF Lightbox, the 2024 Innovation Strategy Awards will take place at Future Festival World Summit on October 1st, 2024. Spotlighting inspiring innovation tactics from the world’s most successful brands, the awards are based on our renowned innovation frameworks and are sourced from conversations with thought leaders, authors and Fortune 500 CEOs.
Eligibility: a company or person entered to win an Innovation Strategy Award will be chosen based on the most unique and impactful innovations presented and must complete our enclosed survey to be eligible.
What does the AI-enabled world look like? Let’s chart it out, discover new opportunities and innovate forward.
How to Make Innovation Happen During the AI Inflection
Learn How to Make Innovation Happen During the AI Inflection as we reflect on history and project into the future. This compilation of stories draws from Jeremy’s best ideas gathered over 15 years of keynote speaking and a de-cade of leveraging AI to evolve Trend Hunter. Discover strategies to optimize your potential in the face of uncertainty, change, and the evolving age of AI.
The Micro-Generations and the AI Inflection
During the AI Inflection, innovating for microgenerations means recognizing how generational behavior is influenced by the way different age groups interpret shared experiences. The collective impact of these experiences holds the power to permanently redefine generational identities, forming the basis for innovation tailored to the unique characteristics and preferences of each segmented group.
Upgrading Your Workplace Culture During the AI Inflection
In the evolving realm of AI-driven workplaces, hybrid work models are continuing to thrive thanks to a balance of in-person and remote work. Adapting to shifting employee priorities influenced by AI, organizations are upgrading their workplace cultures to embrace technological advancements. How can employers strategically harness the positive impact of technology to drive innovation forward?
How to Innovate like a Rap Star During the AI Inflection
Learn how the “elements of an innovator” can be found by studying the “4 elements of hip hop” (DJ, MC, Breakdancing and Graffiti). Using hip hop as a lens to find innovation lessons during the AI Inflection, this keynote collides worlds to find common ground and new insight. With a fresh take on Trend Hunter’s Create the Future framework, the session delivers tactical takeaways for tomorrow’s innovators.
How Shopping is Being Transformed During the AI Inflection
During the AI Inflection, the retail sector is continuing to transform, with the industry working to seamlessly blend enriched in-person experiences with the convenience of eCommerce. This keynote delves into strategies for navigating this intricate balance, exploring innovative approaches in the dynamic landscape of retail and marketing influenced by artificial intelligence.
How to Create Memorable Experiences During the AI Inflection
During the AI Inflection, all aspects of entertainment–from tourism and night-life to media consumption–have undergone significant transformations due to the rapid advancement of AI technology. As this technology continues to evolve, consumers are redefining their concept of “fun,” rooted in a desire for experiences that offer more customization, curation, and connectivity.
Making Food & Beverage Innovation Happen During the AI Inflection
During the AI Inflection, the realm of food and beverage is undergoing a transformation shaped by the convergence of social media and advanced AI technology. Learn how to innovate in the era of ai as culinary exploration gains momentum and consumer interest in diverse flavors and tech-powered dining experiences grows.
How Future Tech is Accelerating Innovation in the AI Inflection
During the AI Inflection, technology has surged forward at an unprecedented rate with applications like Generative AI becoming embraced by the masses. Beyond consumer applications, how can your business harness the power of these technologies to drive innovation forward as future tech continues to evolve rapidly?
Our Industry’s Best Tactics and Ideas
Hear how the best-in-class innovators across industries exercise and grow their creativity in their roles. In addition to highlighting tangible tactics of innovation, this session serves as an award ceremony acknowledging those who broke the mold in the world of innovation.
Maximize your World Summit Experience with the Future Book and Trend Report.
Prototype The Future With Your Team
Innovators Who Send Teams: Starbucks, Disney, Visa, The US Air Force, Adidas, Domino's, Aflac, Staples, Netflix, Microsoft, Red Bull, Universal, Target, Pepsi, VW, Walmart, Bayer, Honda
Maximize your potential with personalized learning, custom research and special access to the world’s #1 trend platform (now with eLearning!)
3 months of essential learning content
Learn to filter out the noise and identify relevant opportunities even in times of widespread change and disruption.
Get a personalized innovation experience with 5-10 pages of custom insight about your innovation archetype, how you innovate, your strengths and your blindspots. The innovation conference keynotes will dive deeper into what this means, but you'll leave the conference with personalized insight and if you bring a team to the event, you can get an organizational assessment to compare your team's behaviours and composition to the world's top innovators. The end result is to make this more than just a conference on innovation, but rather a training program with a remarkable level of personalization.
Before and after the conference, PRO and VIP ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet with one of our innovation experts one-on-one. They can walk you through your individual or team innovation assessment, help you problem-solve using Trend Hunter frameworks, or steer you towards inspiration for your next big project.
Many of the activities are designed for teams, leading you to specific outputs for your own brand. Don't worry, you will still get a chance to network with other people... but for the workshop, it's better to have a team. These clients send groups of 6 or more: Starbucks, Disney, Visa, The US Air Force, Adidas, Domino's, Aflac, Staples, Netflix, Microsoft, Red Bull, Universal, Target, Pepsi, VW, Walmart, Bayer, Honda
How pro can you go? This year's World Summit program offers new experiences for VIPs, and a 5-day FuturistU Masterclass option. Earn credentials and get certified as a futurist!
Our business model is curating custom trend reports for 1,500 of the world's leading brands. This year, we completed more than 2,000 custom reports for aggressive brands looking to win in 2024 and beyond, and the #1 category has been: AI. It’s time to immerse yourself in the future, and disrupt before you are disrupted.
Monday, September 30th - Friday, October 4th
Become a futurist, taking your skills to the next level with our immersive FuturistU program. You’ll still get to be part of the World Summit epic trend day, tech party and networking events, but you’ll be learning in a smaller group in a focused 5-Day program that walks you through our full innovation strategy curriculum with a private stream of workshops and coaching from Jeremy Gutsche and our Futurist Team.
WANT HIGHER ROI FOR YOUR BRAND? BRING 6 PEOPLE - If you really want to convince your boss, push for 6 people and you will get a private table so that you can apply the learnings to actual solutions, tactics, next-steps and pitches for your company, instead of an assigned case study.
YOUR CURRICULUM & OUTCOMES - This program works through the full cycle of innovation, working through dozens of our best innovation workshops, best practices and tactics. You’ll learn while applying each tactic to your capstone project. Half of each day is content and half is an applied set of structured workshops, leading to your new business case and perfect pitch.
Exclusive Trend Safaris for Futurist U Masterclass participants
Learn about the latest trends shaping the future with immersive Trend Safaris - a hands-on experience exclusively curated for Futurist U Master Class attendees. From healthcare to cannabis, this year's Trend Safaris will highlight Toronto's coolest innovations, and will also include a networking component.
Sample Topics
The official reveal and selection will be closer to the event.
Conference Location
TIFF Lightbox
350 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
Day 1 Cocktail Reception
Malaparte - 6th floor
350 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
Future Festival was designed for industry leaders who are ready to break through chaos. Content is aimed at Managers, Directors, VPs, and C-Level execs from all industries.
Future Festival World Summit is located in Toronto, Canada. All dates and other event locations for our in person events are listed on FutureFestival.com
Because innovative thinking is better shared. At Future Festival, you will be excited by trends and undiscovered opportunities. These are best shared with your group.
Right now you can get great deals on tickets. Quantities are limited. Buy now!
Yes, tickets can be transferred to a colleague. Message futurefestival@trendhunter.com a week before to make the change.