The Nordic Tour: Finding the keys to innovation

Creative and corporate sector meet each other on an innovation journey through Scandinavia

After the success of the first Nordic Tour in January 2007, de Baak Management Centrum VNO-NCW is organizing again a Nordic Tour, which will take place from the 28th of January till the 3rd of February 2008. Nordic Tour will take a select team of senior managers in the creative and corporate sectors through Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The team will experience the complex mix of factors behind successful innovation at first-hand. The Nordic Tour is an interactive and creative program with inspiring speakers, enlightening company visits, challenging work forms, and surprising settings.

"Innovation is the talk of the town, but real innovation seems to be difficult to put into practice. The Nordic Tour brings the right partners together at the right level so they can experience what is needed to achieve successful innovation," explains the initiator of the Nordic Tour. Pekka Himanen, Finnish professor and philosopher, and one of the speakers, is more outspoken: "Europe is like a former first-class athlete who incessantly works out plans but never takes any action."

Participation through intake interviews
The constellation of the group of participants is key to this tour, that's why participation is subject to an intake interview. Do you work in the creative or the corporate sector, and do you actively partake in marketing, innovation, business development or other related activities at a management team level? In that case, we would like to invite you for an intake interview.

Results
At the end of the tour, you will have created an innovation network consisting of people with whom you will have exchanged ideas at a high level. This boosts your ability to involve the right partners and make decisions that result in effective innovations that produce results quicker.

Program
The Nordic Tour is more than exchanging knowledge about innovation. Innovative companies such as Lego, Ikea, and Nokia share their enlightening insights in surprising workshops. Innovation experts and philosophers share their knowledge interactively in wintry locations. And, the participants' perceptivity and own role is put to the test in an unexpected way. Participants will also be able to experiment with the numerous possibilities of our time. They will assume a different digital identity, use iPods, and meet the latest generation of very young designers.

The expedition will take the participants through three countries in six days (subject to alterations):

Denmark
In Denmark, the participants' own perceptibility and beliefs will be put to the test. "Dialogue in the dark," a guided tour in complete darkness, forces participants to perceive things with other senses. KaosPilots, a management school where creativity and innovation are the starting point, gives participants insight into the power of "creative entrepreneurship." In the 'madhouse', which was designed by the local bank, participants will experience the different thought processes that lead to innovation. Last but not least , LEGO Lab introduces the participants to an amazing group of young, new-generation Lego designers.
Hotel in Copenhagen: www.hotelsktpetri.com

Sweden
In Sweden, the diversity of the group of participants is used in a workshop by AcneJeans in which the participants learn how they can capitalize on and earn money with innovations. Participants will also talk with an internationally renowned innovation expert about the secret behind Scandinavian innovations.
Hotel in Stockholm: www.nordichotels.se

Finland
In Finland, participants will assume a new digital identity in Habbo Hotel, a worldwide interactive game for teenagers. A famous Finnish writer and philosopher positions innovation in a cultural-historical perspective and Nokia reveals its secrets of innovation. Special Finnish locations and transportation provide for a very Scandinavian experience.
Hotel in Helsinki: Klaus K Hotel, www.klauskhotel.com

Fee
The fee for the Nordic Tour is €5950 (excluding VAT).

This fee includes:
- Company visits, workshops, and other forms of training
- Training accommodation, trainers, and coaching
- Expedition tour in Finland

The fee does not include:
- Hotel accommodation
- Lunches and dinners
- Transportation costs

Information and guidance
To qualify and register please contact the Training Advice Bureau, telephone +31343 55 6369 or info@debaak.nl