In just four days, the Innovation Master Class will be holding its first Innovation Training Workshop session in Makati.

This Friday, June 23, MAZARS Asia Pacific's Innovation Evangelist Mr. David Nosibor will be at Tower Club Makati, and he will share to us how to challenge ourselves through Design Thinking, a mindset that has originated from Engineering and has spread to multiple industries.

What are the questions that are to be answered in this Master Class?

1. How should you prepare for the challenges arising from changing times?
2. What is Design Thinking and its effectiveness in business?
3. What are the challenges your business is facing?
4. From the challenges that has been set, what could be the ideas that can solve it?
5. What are the benefits of field interviews and consumer feedback in decision-making?
6. How does your business link the problem and solution together?
7. In which perspective your business as a whole will see these solutions?
8. Why prototyping is a must, and how the feedback from it can mold the solution better?
9. What will you do more, and what will you do less?

Imagine this: You want to learn a new language, whether it be French, Japanese or Korean. You want to communicate with others without barriers. You have the goal of connecting to people you haven't met. The question is this: Are you that willing to learn?

This is the same with Innovation: If your willingness to learn to innovate is not 100%, then you're not ready for it. Learning without the willingness to learn is impossible - it's not learning at all!

If you are faced with this situation, what will you do? What can you do? Take these pointer questions as you go through this:

1. What made you interested to learn this at first? Who/What has been your inspiration to learn from the start? 
2. To whom/what are you doing this for? Is it to impress at work? Is it to express your love to someone? Is it because you want to make great things for humanity?
3. Where do you want to be in the future? Of course you will not stay fixed in one place, you curious one - you are bound to be somewhere, and the question is, where do you want to be in the future.

It has been reported that the think-tank of Ayala Corporation, one of the biggest conglomerates in the country, helped the company's growth.

Its chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said in a speech that the said division, named Ayala Innovation, helped drive the conglomerate's growth. Recently, Ayala has invested in healthcare, education, e-commerce and financial technologies.

"Innovation and inclusiveness are not just within the purview of small companies. In fact, in light of today’s volatile times, I believe that conglomerates, given their sizable capabilities, can accelerate industry competitiveness and inclusive development through innovation," Zobel de Ayala told the participants of the Inclusive Innovation Conference just last week.

The following statements from Zobel de Ayala confirmed that they know very well what innovation is. "Innovation should serve a clear purpose. Innovation should address a problem or an unmet need—whether to improve business efficiency or to increase the affordability and accessibility of essential products and services to meet a broader segment of the population," he added.

This is a proof why your company should have its own think-tank - a group of innovators - to grow it. Innovate or perish - this is the new game for companies and organizations alike.

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If your business is struggling to have its own think-tank, it's time to see the Innovation Master Class this June 23, Friday. This one-day innovation training workshop led by Mazars Asia Pacific's Innovation Evangelist David Nosibor, helps you get on the right track. Seats are filling up, so hurry and call (+63 2) 633-0153, 643-3887 or 535-1150; SMS (+63) 920 924 2532 or (+63) 920 981 4376; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us on our Master Class Philippines Facebook page.

Footprint - noun, the impression left by a foot or shoe on the ground or a surface. Synonym: Impression.

Many people have left great impressions of themselves - some shared their ideas, some warned about the consequences of not taking action against something, and some build masterpieces. What's common among them all? They make sure that what they are doing stands out. How do they do that? They innovate.

When it was said that flying is impossible, the Wright brothers prove them wrong. When it was said that landing into the moon was impossible, astronauts proved them wrong. When it was said that we can't make smaller computers that we can bring anywhere, we are proven wrong.

Innovation is not just about building a product or a service and leaving it as it is - trends change, people's choices change, and in the blink of an eye, what seemed to be their greatest idea is not that great yet. "There has to be something better," says another.

This also applies to your business - there are great ideas out there, we just have not realized it yet. The better way to discover this is by pointing out a problem that your business can provide a solution for. That will be the framework for your business now and in the future. Don't let everyone tell you it's impossible until you try.

To sum it up, Innovators leave great footprints because they knew what's up, and they won't stop at nothing to prove everyone that they are wrong and it's possible.

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This Friday, June 23, join Mazars Asia Pacific's Innovation Evangelist David Nosibor as he comes to Manila for the Innovation Master Class at the Tower Club Makati. Seats are filling up, so don't wait and call Ex-Link Events at (+63 2) 633-0153 / 643-3887 / 535-1150, SMS (+63) 920-924-2532 / (+63) 920-981-4376, email info@exlinkevents.com, or message us on Facebook (@masterclassphilippines).

Did you know that before it reached the fame it has now, design thinking was just a term used to describe what architects and engineers are doing to build a structure or make a new product? Books have been written about the subject around the 60's and the 80's, but it was just in 1991 when the approach is put to business use.

From finance, education, fashion and even in fastfood and packaging, design thinking has a lot of uses. All products and services implemented with design thinking has one thing in common: It was made with the end-user, the customer, the receiving end, in mind. That's why design thinking transcends all industries. Why not make good use of this thinking to help raise your company to further heights?

The Innovation Master Class will be held at the Tower Club Makati this Friday, June 23, sharing a full course on how design thinking can help you and your business. For more information, call +63 2 633 0153, +63 2 535 1150 or + 63 2 643 3887; SMS +639209814376 or +639209242532; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us on Facebook.

Last year, we learned that Facebook has been doubling down on video content. Now, we learned that Twitter partners with the media for its first exclusive morning show as well as premium video content.

Although they are both social media platforms, do take note that these two are different platforms. These platforms lay out the foundation for people to share their content, and that's what makes these interesting, because most of what social media is involve its users who share content. In shorter terms, the users are the ones innovating the platform.

With this at hand, we can say that innovation is platform-agnostic. It doesn't matter what canvas we have, as long as we can make the most out of it. So go fill your own canvas with your creativity!

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In case your business is struggling to make ends meet in creating new things that will awe the market, don't fret - we have the Innovation Master Class this June 23 (Friday) at the Tower Club Makati. This whole-day workshop is dedicated to everyone who wants to make business decisions a notch above the rest. Seats run out fast, so get in touch with Ex-Link through (+63 2) 535 1150, (+63 2) 643 3887, +63 920 981 4376, +63 920 924 2532 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

Hi everyone! How's your long weekend? We hope that your company's environment is refreshed after this long weekend, because if not, there's something wrong.

Imagine one day you enter your office and you see your colleagues and your bosses struggling, trying to solve problems. Even if you are the creative guy in the company, it's either you get sucked into the environment or struggle to balance everything. Your company's spirit of innovation may be dying.

There is one option your company can take: Know Design Thinking. Solving problems by design is common these days, as it justifies the purpose of the solution to the general public. Implementing design thinking to create better solutions is key for your company's survival.

If you feel that your company's spirit of innovation is dying, talk to your boss and suggest implementing design thinking to your company's decision-making process. Better yet, ask if you and your boss can go to workshops and learn more about it.

A lot of new innovations are decided through design thinking before it gets unleashed to the public - and it has various applications in finance, product design, food, architecture, multimedia, so on and so forth; so get your company's mindset into design thinking now!

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If you ask us what would be the first workshop on design thinking you can go to, we suggest the Innovation Master Class this Friday, June 23 at Tower Club Makati. This is a one-day workshop on design thinking to help your company take a different approach in decision-making.

Refresh your business mindset by calling (+63 2) 535 1150, (+63 2) 643 3887; by texting +63 920 981 4376 or +63 920 924 2532 or emailing info@exlinkevents.com. Seats are running fast so hurry and call now!

Problems are never-ending in this cruel, cruel world - whether if that's a company problem or a personal problem; or maybe we're just thinking that it's a problem when it's not a problem at all, we hope?

One does not simply mope around when problems come - especially if you are creative. By knowing how to think out of the box, you are able to think of different ways and be somehow funny at the same time. The more workarounds you have to make things flow, the better. It's OK if they laugh at your idea, especially if it will be effective in the long run. In the end, the success of the organization may depend on everyone's creativity in solving problems fast.

To help you and your business move forward, learn design thinking at the Innovation Master Class which will tell how it benefits everyone.

The Innovation Master Class will be held at the Tower Club in Makati City this Friday, June 23, 2017. Take the opportunity to help you and your organization set trends by calling Ex-Link at (+632) 643-3887, 633-0153, text +63 920 981 4376, +63 920 924 2532 or email info@exlinkevents.com.

There's a ton of opportunities abound for those who will go beyond and above what they do now. The question is this: Are we ready to do it?

In the 2016 Global Innovation Index report, the country is the 74th most innovative nation among 128 economies surveyed, leveling up by 9 notches from its 2015 report. This means that we are on the good track already in innovating what we do. We've been always told to think out of the box and set the trend for something, but how can we do that if we don't have the way of thinking to make it possible?

Enter Innovation Training sessions which will help us shape our minds to the desired track. Whether they are in the form of conferences, workshops or one-on-one sessions, the main goal of these sessions is to open one's mind to think of new ways which lead to new opportunities.

Innovation Training sessions serve as springboards for future development, and with the current status of the country, it's already the ripe time for companies to do so.

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At the moment, only a few offer these, and among them is the Innovation Masterclass which will happen this June. So how will this Masterclass stand out from the rest?

The Innovation Master Class will introduce us to User-Centered Innovation in a Business Context, wherein we will:

• Learn how businesses can use design thinking to build and scale a process around innovation; 
• Understand what leading companies do to foster innovative ideas; 
• Incorporate user-centered design into your innovation initiatives;​ and 
• Learn how to build internal engagement through a design thinking culture; Learn how to awaken creativity and transform it into business advantage.

Its fame arose when design thinking made a way into business circles, to the point that it is a global movement for human focused innovation, and a standard component of innovation activities in large and small organizations.

Design thinking, applied in the right way, can unlock tremendous innovation potentials. While Singapore has embraced its methodology with open arms there remain many questions around its impactful application.

This module is an 8-hour innovation deep dive explaining the nature of design thinking and its practical application. It aims to provide a solid foundation for creating better products, services, and experiences and maximizing new value creation through innovation.

The workshop is an intensive course incorporating best practices on conducting real-world customer interviews, interpreting primary and secondary sources and research, framing an innovation challenge in ways that maximize its potential, achieving a high quality of ideas, and rapidly testing concepts with actual users.

• Learn how businesses can use design thinking to build and scale a process around innovation;
• Understand what leading companies do to foster innovative ideas;
• Incorporating user-centered design into your innovation initiatives;​
• Learn how to build internal engagement through a design thinking culture;
• Learn how to awaken creativity and transform it into business advantage.

Participants learn about design thinking and experience the key elements of the method first-hand. The session concludes with practical tips for how to use design thinking to enrich one’s day job and innovate more effectively.

The Innovation Masterclass will be held at the Tower Club Makati this June 23. The seats are up and ready to be filled with teams who are eager to integrate design thinking to their decision-making process, so don't miss out.

Call Ex-Link at +63 (2) 633-0153 or 643-3887; SMS +63 920 924 2532 or +63 920 981 4376; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us at @exlinkevents on your Facebook Messenger for more inquiries.

An average telco launched its mobile division and offered unlimited calls and SMS to its network of users for a decent price - in the world's SMS capital we call the Philippines, this is a big deal - and so its user base expanded.

An airline company offered low-cost fares, which includes the basic flight fare and nothing else. While there's less features in it, those who are on a shoestring still hopped on to the offer.

An inventor has learned the way to flash-fry noodles for later consumption, and the by-product of the said method is everywhere, saving hungry stomachs from starvation.

Why are we telling these brief stories? These are the ones who has set the trend in their respective industries. They innovated through sheer thinking, and they succeeded in getting the attention they need. Your company can also experience this.

Now, if you are struggling to think of innovative concepts, now's the time to check out the Innovation Master Class which will share to us the ropes of design thinking.

The Innovation Masterclass will be held at the Tower Club Makati this June 23. The seats are up and ready to be filled with teams who are eager to integrate design thinking to their decision-making process, so don't miss out.

Call Ex-Link at +63 (2) 633-0153 or 643-3887; SMS +63 920 924 2532 or +63 920 981 4376; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us at @exlinkevents on your Facebook Messenger for more inquiries.

Common vision refers to the shared mindset of an organization. Especially in decision-making, having the common vision will make things more understandable for everyone. The question is this - is your organization's common vision an innovative one?

Let us tell you a story: One day, a client asked a team to help them think of new concepts for activation. All the team did is to ask questions and guide the client to the direction they wanted to do. A week after, they already had the proposal and the samples gathered for presentation. How did it went?

Putting the concept of design thinking in perspective, the team maintained a system in which they will gather the necessary things to formulate a concept while leaving a window to new (and even odd) ideas.

According to Creativity at Work, "When design principles are applied to strategy and innovation the success rate for innovation dramatically improves. Design-led companies such as Apple, Coca-Cola, IBM, Nike, Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool have outperformed the S&P 500 over the past 10 years by an extraordinary 219%, according to a 2014 assessment by the Design Management Institute."

Yes, having a common vision - a common idea of how things shall go - is crucial in decision-making, so make sure your organization is innovative. If not, how about going to a one-day workshop to help you make the search easier?

We are talking about the Innovation Master Class that will share to us how we can innovate our companies to think ahead of the rest.

• Learn how businesses can use design thinking to build and scale a process around innovation;
• Understand what leading companies do to foster innovative ideas;
• Incorporating user-centered design into your innovation initiatives;​
• Learn how to build internal engagement through a design thinking culture;
• Learn how to awaken creativity and transform it into business advantage.

The seats are up and ready to be filled with teams who are eager to integrate design thinking to their decision-making process, so don't miss out.

Call Ex-Link at +63 (2) 633-0153 or 643-3887; SMS +63 920 924 2532 or +63 920 981 4376; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us at @exlinkevents on your Facebook Messenger for more inquiries.

Last October 2016, Vine, a division of Twitter, has announced that it's shutting down this January. Vine, who made a name for its six-second video rule, has been a home to a lot of great funny videos from the common folk. Vine also gave birth to one of the most talked-about viral curators on Facebook, Filipino Vines.

The death of Vine is yet another lesson in innovation - yes, you have a great product that people use, but will people use it in the near future?

Considering the changing landscape of online video that shifts to mobile use, Vine got stuck in its features so much that it wasn't able to withstand itself through the times - once your competitor extends your app's limits, and both of you are offering the same experience, it's your move or you're toast.

Setting aside the reason that Twitter, Vine's mother company, is struggling to be financially sufficient, the people who had their fame on Vine had jumped to other platforms due to their additional features, which in turn leaves advertisers no choice but to un-follow Vine as well.

Now that the Vine app has become the Vine Camera, people are still able to make 6-second videos and save it to their phone for sharing online. Thanks Vine for letting people be creative with your platform, and we're looking forward for more quick videos online through your Vine Camera.

(vine.co screencap taken from Vine)

Speaking of innovation, we have an upcoming Innovation Masterclass that we're sure you'll be interested to attend. We'll be providing other updates on this soon, but if you want first-hand updates, get in touch with us at info@exlinkevents.com, 0920-981-4376, 0920-924-2532, 633-0153 or 643-3887.