Design Thinking Masterclass

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Hosted Happy Hour – Southern Elements, 255 Courtland St. NE (inside the Hilton Atlanta Downtown, Atlanta, GA 30303)

 Description: Meet other attendees for a casual happy hour at Southern Elements. 

8:30 AM –Service project transportation from the hotel lobby (Hilton Atlanta Downtown), 255 Courtland Street NE Atlanta, GA 30303. Join us in the lobby of the Hilton in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 8:15 AM. We will hand out event t-shirts before departing at 8:30 AM. Rain or shine, the park cleanup initiative is on! Rest assured, we’ll monitor the weather forecast and supply hooded parkas if it rains. 

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Community Service Project (Meet at 4th Ward Park, 680 Dallas St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308) Participate in a community service project with Park Pride, an organization that engages communities to activate the power of parks. We will beautify Historic Fourth Ward Park, located at 695 Morgan St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. All supplies, including gloves, will be provided. Join us for this fun, pre-masterclass team-building activity while simultaneously giving back to our host city. 

12:15 PM – Check-In Security Desk (241 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30312) Visit the security desk to get a badge. Members of the U2030 event team will guide you to the Kilowatt Conference Room. 

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM – Lunch

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM – Welcome & Safety Moment (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Luke Peterson, Master of Ceremonies (Hibbing PUC)
2. Cheryl Davis (GA Power Company)

 Join us as our master of ceremonies, Luke Peterson, extends a warm welcome and sets the stage for the event, offering insights into what attendees can anticipate. Prioritizing safety, Cheryl Davis will guide us through essential safety information. 

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM – Fireside Chat: GA Power on Becoming the Utility of the Future (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Latanza Adjei (GA Power Company)
2. Chima Chijioke (GA Power Company)
3. Cheryl Davis (GA Power Company)

 Join us for an enlightening fireside chat featuring distinguished executives from Georgia Power where we’ll explore the profound implications of “the utility of the future.” 

Anticipate thought-provoking insights into pivotal questions such as: 

1. Who comprises the future clientele, and what are their aspirations?
2. How is Georgia Power Company pioneering innovation to harmonize with evolving customer demands?
3. What cultural metamorphoses are essential to facilitate this transformative shift?
4. Where do entrenched silos obstruct progress, and what strategic measures will dismantle them?

Prepare yourself for a discourse that unveils the roadmap to a customer-centric, sustainable future in energy. 

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM – U2030 Panel: Progress on the Vision (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Vanessa Edmonds (U2030)
2. Christina Corcoran (U2030)
3. Mike Smith (U2030)
4. Marlene Rosenberry (U2030)

At U2030, we aspire to be the ultimate source of inspiration and enablement for utility leaders, guiding them to achieve their transformation goals through dynamic knowledge exchange, collaborative solution development, and robust relationship-building. 

During this session, core members of your U2030 team will answer questions about how we are progressing toward this vision, delving into our strategies for sharing knowledge, building solutions, and cultivating enduring relationships. 

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Using Data to Benchmark Masterclass Innovations (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Amanda Freick (Innovation Force)

Join us for an insightful session where we unveil a cutting-edge project management tool designed to propel utility innovations forward. Discover how this tool will streamline the tracking of solutions generated during the Design Thinking segments of the masterclass, empowering you to introduce them to your organization and monitor their progress. 

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM – Break/Selfie Wall Photos/Video Interviews (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

3:30 – 4:00 PM – Lego Challenge Team Building Activity (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Christina Corcoran (U2030)

Work alongside other participants to construct LEGO bricks within a specified timeframe under the direction of a project manager. Explore new ways to collaborate and solve problems as you strategize, delegate tasks, and bring your collective vision to life through LEGOS. 

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Introduction to Design Thinking for Overcoming Internal Silos (JK Davis Conference Center, rooms Athens and Rome)

1. Theresa Barry (Oracle Energy & Water)

Learn how to leverage Design Thinking to break down barriers within utility companies, foster cross-departmental collaboration, and cultivate a culture of innovation. 

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Dinner, Trader Vic’s, 255 Courtland St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 (Trader Vic’s is the Hilton Atlanta Downtown)

Join us for a Polynesian-themed dinner where you’ll receive a colorful lei and enjoy our themed cocktail, the “U2030 SPARK Tai” (Mai Tai). 

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM – Continental Breakfast & Welcome (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Luke Peterson (Hibbing PUC)

Join our master of ceremonies, Luke Peterson, for a recap of important discussion points from day one and an overview of the day two agenda. 

8:30 AM – 9:15 AM – Center of Excellence Panel: Embracing Industry 4.0 and Bridging Organizational Divides (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Mike Smith (U2030)
2. Patrick Pent (Southern Company)
3. Jennifer Spearman (Southern Company)
4. Shawn Adderly (PG&E)
5. Paul Applegate (InvoiceCloud)

Industry 4.0 technologies encompass a range of advanced digital tools and methodologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, augmented reality (AR), and data analytics. 

Hear an insightful discussion about how to leverage these innovations to enable automation, connectivity, and data-driven decision-making, thereby driving transformative change and optimizing efficiency across various operational domains. 

9:15 AM – 9:30 AM – Break/Selfie Wall Photos/Video Interviews (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM – Design Thinking Part 2 – Scenario-based Solution Ideation (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Facilitator, Theresa Barry (Oracle Energy & Water)

Through one practice challenge and two solution sprints, leverage Design Thinking techniques to outline solutions that break down silos. 

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM – Lunch/Selfie Wall Photos/Video Interviews (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM – Solution Presentations & Silent Voting (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Facilitator: Luke Peterson (Hibbing PUC)

Deliver and watch solution presentations, and vote on the ones you like best. 

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM – Group Activity: Radar Graphing Top 3 Solutions (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Facilitator: Theresa Barry (Oracle Energy & Water)

Work in small groups to rate each solution on predefined attributes such as cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and impact. Each group will plot their ratings on the radar graph, with points on the axes representing the intensity of each attribute. The solutions with the broadest coverage on the graph will be identified as most promising and win the think-a-thon. 

2:15 – 2:30 PM – Solution Awards (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Dwight Scruggs (Cinch Home Services)

Join in the excitement of a dynamic awards ceremony hosted by comedian and business development executive from Cinch Home Services, Dwight Scruggs. 

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Open Discussion: Strategies for Pitching Your Solutions, and Conclusion (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)

1. Facilitator: Luke Peterson (Hibbing PUC)

Join facilitator Luke Peterson from Hibbing PUC for an interactive, open discussion on effective strategies for pitching your solutions to your utility. The session will conclude with an outlining of the next steps. 

3:00 PM – Masterclass Adjourns (JK Davis Conference Center, Columbus room)