Henry Coutinho-Mason

VisuAIse Futures: An Interactive AI-Powered Creative Experience

It’s one thing hearing someone talk about the power of AI. It’s another thing to have your audience experience it. Live and in the moment. Together.

Henry’s new interactive AI experience transforms the keynote format from something that people sit through, into a visceral personal and collective “a-ha” moment that will live long in the memory of every participant.

But don’t mistake this session for just some fun “AI theater.” Its real magic comes when Henry uses AI to analyze the generated images and unlock the collective intelligence of your audience – turning your next event into a powerful source of insights just delivered faster and in a far more engaging format than any boring and expensive consultancy project!

You already know that the future of your organization depends on using AI effectively. This session won’t just transform the way your people think about AI, it will energize them to explore and seize the opportunities it presents.

Why Audiences Love This Keynote:

• Innovative integration of AI into the keynote experience.
• Ability to make the concept of AI augmentation deeply personal.
• Connection of the experience to the bigger corporate strategic and cultural implications.

Key Takeaways:

• A radically new and optimistic perspective on AI and its implications.
• An image that they have personally co-created with AI!
• A video montage highlight reel and post-event report, offering a uniquely visual window into the collective future vision of your audience.

Note: This experience works with small groups (i.e. to visually display leadership alignment), right up to 1000+ audiences. It can be also done in as little as 15 minutes as a powerful icebreaker or as a full, traditional keynote on the latest people-first AI trends.

Thriving In The AI Era: Designing a People-First AI Strategy

This year it’s AI. Last year it was the metaverse, web3, and crypto. Before that, it was social media and mobile.

Henry’s approach is a deceptively simple one – don’t only focus on what’s changing; instead, identify what won’t change for your customers. What are the basic human needs and wants that your customers will still look to your organization to cater to a decade from now?

So instead of talking solely about novel technologies themselves, Henry talks about the underlying relevant basic human needs they speak to. Generative AI and convenience, empowerment, and creativity; Web3 and community and ownership; the metaverse and identity and status.

This deeply human-centric view of technology might seem obvious, but Henry’s talks present a view of the world that is both fresh and compelling. More importantly, it’s an accessible and practical approach that audiences can take back into their organizations to think strategically about the long-term implications and opportunities that technologies like AI, Web3, and the metaverse will present.

Why Audiences Love This Keynote:

• Ability to cut through the BS! And show how to connect what’s happening today with a longer-term roadmap for their organization.
• Fresh perspectives on well-known topics – both the focus on basic human needs and the relevant innovation case studies.
• The down-to-earth and accessible style that engages the audience as equals.

Key Takeaways:

• Feeling empowered and inspired, rather than nervous!
• A clear strategic framework to use with their teams.
• The current best practices and some entertaining stories about the most niche use cases, too!

The Future Normal: Key Emerging Trends That Will Reshape Your Industry

Henry’s signature talk is a fast-paced dive into the key trends that will present innovation opportunities for your audience in the near future. The current versions of this keynote draw from Henry’s new book, The Future Normal (written with 3-time WSJ bestselling author Rohit Bhargava and released in early 2023).

While the title might have remained a constant during his 10-year stint as CEO of TrendWatching, every session is unique thanks to Henry’s ability to bring in the newest and most insightful local and industry-specific case studies.

Why Audiences Love This Keynote:

• A uniquely global and cross-category perspective and insight.
• Clarity and structure of the presentation – to connect what’s happening today with what it means for tomorrow.
• Ability to show examples that lie outside of their day-to-day yet are always highly relevant.
• Irreverent and accessible style.

Key Takeaways:

• A notebook full of innovative ideas! Inspired by relevant, real-world innovation case studies to use with their teams or clients.
• Actionable insights into how those innovations will change what their customers will want next.
• The empowerment to become a trendspotter themselves.

Trend Driven Innovation: How to Use Cross-Industry Insights to Anticipate Emerging Customer Needs

The conventional ways of knowing what your customers will want next, such as using ever bigger datasets or qualitative research, are barely fit for purpose in a world that is ever more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

This terrifies most executives, but there’s a silver lining. It is possible to understand the direction of future trends and the opportunities they present, by looking at the very disruptive startups and game-changing innovations that create such volatility. How are these innovations changing customer expectations? And how can you get ahead of your competitors by catering to those new expectations?

Based on Henry’s first book Trend-Driven Innovation, this talk unpacks the theory of how to become not just a trendspotter, but a trend doer. While this theory forms the basis of TrendWatching’s research, content, and products it is miles away from being a dry, speech. Instead, Henry brings in a unique and entertaining mix of global examples to show exactly how the audience can spot what’s coming next.

Why Audiences Love This Keynote:

• Focus on basic human needs as a strategic imperative.
• Integration of real-world innovations, to bring the theory to life.
• The down-to-earth style that’s accessible and highly practical.

Key Takeaways:

• A new way of seeing the world!
• Tips and tricks on how to embed a culture of trend-driven innovation in your organization.

Building A Future-Proofed AI Strategy: An Executive’s Guide to Navigating Rapid Change

Generative AI is the biggest paradigm shift for a generation. Every company needs to have a clear and coherent strategy towards generative AI, or face being left behind. The big challenge is that no one knows where AI is headed (not even the people creating it!).

However, as the former Managing Director of TrendWatching, the world-renowned global consumer trend firm, Henry has spent 10+ years helping clients understand, anticipate, and act on fast-moving emerging technology trends, from the metaverse and Web3 right back to mobile and social technologies.

In this strategy masterclass, Henry shares a human-centric view of technology that will ensure you build an AI strategy that will remain relevant long into the future. While some strategy sessions can be heavy on theory and light on tangible utility, Henry’s use of real-world examples means this workshop is inspirational and immediately actionable.

Why Audiences Love This Keynote:

• Compelling reframing of the AI conversation: to put people and their needs ahead of technological innovation.
• Real-world case studies of AI use cases – tailored to your industry and customers.
• Future-focused insights, delivered in a highly accessible way.

Key Takeaways:

• Alignment around a strategic framework to use with their teams.
• A clear view of where and why you can successfully apply AI.
• A sense of empowerment and opportunity, rather than fear!

Note: this session can also be extended to include a ChatGPT-powered Innovation Workshop and/or hands-on training sessions with leading practitioners where you will build real prototype AI solutions.