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Feel Like a Kid Again

Super Saturday Morning at #IDSA17Atlanta to Welcome Next Gen

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It’s a first—that we can remember—for an IDSA event! Super Saturday Morning at this year’s IDSA International Design Conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis will be open to attendees and their families (children ages five and older) from 9 am to noon on Aug. 19, 2017. From feathered friends—to a magician—to some of the biggest names in children’s product design—these special sessions will be geared toward a wide range of attendees. (RSVP here with the names of the family members and the ages of the children who will attend.) Check out the exciting schedule: 

9–9:30am | Design and Creativity Inspired by KidsRyan Ringholz, founder and chief designer of PLAE, looks to kids for inspiration to build a next-gen lifestyle brand focused on fun, creativity and design. He will share the power of being serious about fun; the impact that tapping into your inner child has on creativity and design; and how he’s used that philosophy to build an emerging, global, lifestyle brand.

9:30–10am |​ The Art and Science of Play | For more than 86 years, Fisher-Price has been designing play experiences that teach, captivate and delight—as well as provide parents with solutions to make their lives easier. This design and development has been influenced by changing needs in society, technology and tastes. Mark Zeller, IDSA, senior VP of global brands creative, shares the work behind the play and the desire to design for the needs of families—today and tomorrow.

10–10:30am |​ Designing for (the business of) PLAY | Critical thinking. Creative problem solving, Collaboration and compassion. These attributes are of basic importance to the development of every child. Yet many times these same attributes are absent around the board table. As a designer, and now VP of global innovation for the world’s largest manufacturer of play equipment, PlayPowerMichael Laris, IDSA, will share the importance of bringing the skills we learned in play, and developed as designers, to board members who sometimes have forgotten lessons learned on the playground.

10:30–11am | Coffee Break | Design Gallery

11–11:30am |​ Innovate the Impossible | TEDx speaker Michael Mode, president of Big Lightbulb, Inc. will talk about the fascinating relationship between magic and innovation by showcasing significant inventions by magicians throughout history. The audience will be entertained, learning how to use a magic mindset to think differently and solve what may have seemed like impossible challenges in the past.

11:30am–12pm |​ Steve Burns is vice president of research and development at Kids II, the world’s largest, privately-held, toy and juvenile products company in the world. He and his team are responsible for transforming consumer insights into product platforms across five, key categories of juvenile furniture—from playtime to sleep. He’ll share how he and his team derive outcomes that meet the expectations of customers and consumers.

12–12:30pm |​ Francie Krawcke has more than 15 years of raptor training experience and almost 20 years of teaching experience n the environmental education and interpretation field. She’s one of only about a dozen individuals in the country who’ve successfully trained a wild bald eagle to free fly. In addition, she has free flown 10 different species and trained 20+ species of raptors. Meet Krawcke and her feathered friends from the Michigan Avian Experience.

And don’t miss family-friendly attractions across Atlanta such as The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Braves Major League Baseball, Georgia Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Center, Six Flags Over Georgia, Zoo Atlanta, Olympic Park, Center for Puppetry Arts featuring a Jim Henson exhibit this summer, Atlanta Botanical Garden, film festivals, plays, musicals, movie tours, AIA Historic Downtown Architecture Tour, streetcars and trolleys, World of Coca-Cola, Piedmont Park and Stone Mountain Park.