Every business cycle is different. So, managers cannot just look back to what they did in 2004 and 1992 to serve as templates for their planning and actions for this recovery. What's different? For one, the federal government initiated recovery programs and spending earlier and more massively. Interest rates are lower, and credit is harder to get. Layoffs were deeper in many industries. Trade in industrial items came back earlier than in past downturns because of continuing demand from China and India. And commercial real estate has been harder hit, particularly the office sector.

Bill Benjamin Source: www.speaking.com

To advise the Colorado Springs Professional Forum attendees on these issues and their impacts on their companies, IAMC has enlisted leadership expert Bill Benjamin, corporate innovation guru Jim Carroll, industrial real estate researcher Dr. Glenn Mueller, global risk management maven Dr. Kent Moors and value proposition proponent Gary Kunath. More presenters are coming soon. We'll tell you about them as they are confirmed.

Bill Benjamin will serve as trainer for the Leadership Development Seminar at the Colorado Springs Forum. Benjamin will conduct a 2 1/2-hour seminar on "Emotional Intelligence and the Art of Coaching," on Sunday, April 25, from 1:30-4:00 p.m. As this is a Sunday program, be sure to make your flight plans accordingly. In the article "What Is the Business Case for Emotional Intelligence?," he writes, "The Center for Creative Leadership found in their research that the primary causes of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence. The three primary ones are difficulty in handling change, not being able to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations."

Jim Carroll

Note that pre-registration for this program is required, and you can do this by contacting Hazel Pankey. Members who complete the Leadership Development Program eligibility requirements receive the IAMC Fellow designation.

Jim Carroll will keynote the Colorado Springs Forum on the topic "Where Do We Go from Here? Why Innovators will Rule in the Post-Recession Economy and How You Can Join Them!" on Monday, April 26, at the 8:45 a.m. opening session. The program is sponsored by City of Ontario, CA, and the Tulsa Metro Chamber.

Dr. Glenn Mueller Source: www.daniels.du.edu

Business Week magazine recently named Carroll "one of the four leading sources of insight into innovation and creativity." With 15 years of experience as a futurist, business strategist and trends & innovations consultant, Carroll's clientele includes Ingersoll Rand, Rockwell Collins, Northrop Grumman, Walt Disney Organization, Lincoln Financial, Burger King, VISA and Nestle. He was recently featured on the CNBC prime- time show, The Business of Innovation, hosted by Maria Bartiromo.

Dr. Glenn Mueller, Professor in the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate & Construction Management of the University of Denver, will give the Monday, April 26, luncheon address entitled "Where are we in the industrial cycle? - A look at past and future industrial trends." Dr Mueller published "The Path of Goods Movement" as his seminal industrial real estate research in the early 1990s and updated it in 2007 with a publication entitled "Warehouse Demand and the Path of Goods Movement." Drawing from this work, his presentation will address several supply chain fundamentals: warehouse space demand and locations, transportation, distribution centers and finance and supply chain models.

Dr. Kent Moors Source: speakers.com

Mueller's research experience includes real estate market cycle analysis, real estate securities analysis, real estate capital markets, portfolio and diversification analysis, seniors housing analysis and both public and private market investment strategies. He is also the real estate investment strategist at Dividend Capital Group.

Dr. Kent Moors will address the Tuesday, April 27, luncheon program on the topic "Managing Risk in the Global Post-Crisis Market." A professor at Duquesne University, Moors believes that as we emerge from the worst international credit, financial and trading crisis in 80 years, greater emphasis will be required in responding to a range of risk factors. Reputational, proprietary, fiduciary, market, political, regulatory, organizational, operational and related risks will impact in new ways on both private and public sector planning. This presentation will introduce strategic approaches necessary to meet such challenges.

Moors is an internationally recognized expert in oil/natural gas policy and finance as well as global risk management. He has advised leaders at the highest level of six world governments, several U.S. states and Canadian provinces, as well as corporations and international banks in 25 countries. He is particularly known among public and private-sector policymakers for providing targeted political and market risk assessments during crises or in rapidly changing environments.

Gary Kunath

Gary Kunath will be the Forum wrap-up speaker on the morning of Wednesday, April 28. His talk on the topic "How to 'Matter More' through Creating Business Value" will advise the attendees how to build value propositions, gain credibility and access to senior executives, build relationships, apply a best practice value creation approach to the corporate real estate function and how to have fun, be authentic and redefine the customer experience.

Kunath is founder of The Summit Group, a recognized thought leader that provides high-end sales training and development in the areas of value creation, strategic business alignment, collaborative planning with customers, executive engagement, leveraging enterprise assets into the deal and enterprise offer development. He has lectured at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, Emory University's Business School and at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management.

These general session speakers will provide what amounts to a 2˝-day MBA seminar on gearing up for the economic upturn. For the price, the time expended and the great networking that goes with it, this Professional Forum education package is hard beat. Register now.