11 Suggestions for the next 11 Days -- Inspiration for Fast New Ideas for 2009

Although the economy is down, budgets are cut, and everyone is looking to save money, innovation is still in demand.

Here are a few suggestions to inspire new ideas from Patrick Hanlon, founder and CEO of Thinktopia, in a recent AdAge article Economic Slowdowns Demand Fast New Ideas.

1. Immersion
Immerse yourself in relevant data, reports, trends, and studies, while identifying your goals and challenges

2. Know what you need to know
Have definite outcomes in mind-knowing what you want to get out of your session will help you have a better experience and better ideas.

3. Conspire to inspire
Design a great brainstorming session by keeping PowerPoint presentations to a minimum and mixing people up for discussions and creative thinking.

4. Bring in your best people
Bring in people from all parts of your business (creative, finance, operations) for different ideas and viewpoints.

5. Bring in outside thought leaders
Bring in award-winning designers, ethnographers, trend-makers, stylists and thinkers of all kinds. They can be objective and practical and smart about your business opportunities in ways you can't.

6. The best way to innovate is to cross-pollinate
Bring in thought leaders outside your business walls too.
Example: Consider a furniture designer when looking for ideas on how to design new packaging.

7. Structure, structure, structure
Make sure everyone knows the expectations, and understands the goal of exercises

8. Simulate all the senses
Engage people in all the senses: touch, sound, taste and sight.

9. Success inspires success
Think of others who have been successful, come up with great ideas or products to kick-start thinking.

10. Think forward by thinking backward
What should you be doing right now in order to prepare for the future headed your way?

11. Think of your brand as a city or country
Do this by asking questions: What would it look like? What would people do there? What kind of music would they listen to or clothes would they wear?

Now, here's my suggestion -- take each of the suggestions and put it on your calendar. One inspiration for each of the next 11 days. Then, apply it to what you're working on that day. I'll check back in after 11 days to see how it went for us.

2008 Idaho Innovation Award Winners

Yesterday, leaders from Idaho's business and technology communities honored this year's winners of the annual Idaho Innovation Awards.

As the state’s only innovation awards program, the Idaho Innovation Award has recognized innovations exclusively in the technology industry. However, this year the Idaho Innovation Awards program recongnized innovative professionals and companies, in addition to technology innovations.

The 2008 winners and finalists are as follows (by category):

* Innovator of the Year
Winner: Dr. Timothy P. Barber, Chief Scientist, Keynetics Inc.
Finalist: Bruce J. Bradley, CEO, Microbial-Vac Systems,Inc.
Finalist: Frank L. VanderSloot, President and CEO, Melaleuca

* Innovative Company of the Year
Winner: Keynetics Inc.
Finalist: Marketron Broadcast Solutions
Finalist: Melaleuca

* Innovation of the Year/Commercialized Technology:
Winner: Antibody Profiling Identification -(AbP ID) by Idaho National
Laboratory
Finalist: M-Vac System by Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc.
Finalist: Motion to Energy Power Generation by Idaho National
Laboratory and Boise-based research partner M2E Power Inc.

* Innovation of the Year/Early-Stage Technology:
Winner (tie): Booklamp.org by Novel Projects, Inc.
Winner (tie): IMS Enviromental Probe by Boise State
University
Finalist: Kount E-Commerce Fraud-Control Techonology by Kount Inc.


The Idaho Innovation Awards program is organized by Stoel Rives LLP, sponsored by the Idaho Business Review, and supported by accounting firm, Cooper Norman.