For our friends who may not yet know, Fernanda and I are investing a lot of time, effort, and love in Centifolia 2011, a congress that will bring together players from the perfumery and cosmetics industries October 19-21 in Grasse, the perfume capital of the world.

Gosh, what could we possibly be doing at such an event?

We are setting up collective intelligence springboards to help the perfume/cosmetics industries change. What’s the objective? The “perfect product.” The methodology? Beauty, Goodness, and Truth. I won’t repeat here everything that is already spelled out on the site. We also created a Facebook group: “From Cosmetics to Cosmethics.”

Centifolia is an event unlike any other of its kind. First, participants will hear high-quality “Ninja Speakers” who will present in accordance with the TED conference rules. This is the “Be Inspired” phase. Then, via World Cafés, we will maximize and expand the collective intelligence present among the event participants. These are the “Imagine” and “Co-create” phases. Lastly, we will invite the collective intelligence present everywhere in the world, meaning the holomidal collective intelligence, and do so using social media. Social media are light years away from the consciousness of most companies, though are already proving critical to the markets of tomorrow.

People are accustomed to colorless conferences, all “business as usual,” keynote speakers with their slides bristling with bullet-points, lunches where we’re confined to sitting with those we already know (and we miss the others), tedious post-lunch presentations that turn into naps in the auditorium in early afternoon…Centifolia 2011 will have none of this, which is a true break, one that will turn us toward radical innovation (as opposed to incremental innovation). Participants are sure to have great fun seeing how enormous the potential of collective intelligence really is for those who are committed to revealing it, unearthing a beautiful treasure of innovation and intellectual capital.

As for us, the CIRI founders, it is a construct, a completely new format we are creating. Of course, there will be mistakes, things to improve, lessons to learn…but beyond the event that is Centifolia, we are moving toward a perfectly replicable format for any other industrial or economic sector. So I hope, with all my heart, that as many people as possible will understand the unique event opportunity that we are giving one another with this creation.

So there is one question that consistently crops up: Centifolia is a unique space for innovation through collective intelligence…How do we promote and talk about this adventure we’re offering?

To say it or write it is not enough to really understand it. How can we help the people we’re inviting understand BEFORE the event what they can only truly grasp DURING the event? It’s not merely that we want to fill the meeting rooms for the sake of filling them; to me, it’s just a matter of getting the right information to the right people.

So all suggestions are welcome.

Meanwhile, for my friends who are reading me here, please spread the word. Word of mouth is what will make the difference.

Below is an email we sent to our networks. You might find it useful should you choose to relay this information to others.
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Dear Mr. Ms. XXX,

Did you know that any smart phone today can read the barcode of a product and give you an immediate qualitative, environmental, and social rating? You can also see, in real time, what your friends in your social networks have purchased or panned, and provide your own opinion. Today, social media, together with new mobility, can exalt or destroy a product and its brand. Sometimes within a few days. Markets are becoming conscious.

A product carries and conveys a world vision, one that was part of its genesis and manufacture. To buy a product (an ingredient, a service, a finished product) is to subscribe to this vision. To buy is to vote.

That changes everything. “Business as usual” has had its day. This is good news, for the conscious markets that are now emerging bear within them extraordinary opportunities! What if we gathered together to understand these opportunities, to see them, and to seize them?

This is the objective of Centifolia 2011.

As you can clearly see, Centifolia 2011 not just any ordinary congress! Outstanding speakers will share their visions (http://centifolia-grasse.net/eng/the-topics-2). We will use collective intelligence techniques that are entertaining, innovative, enjoyable, and unexpected. We will bring forth the most innovative visions and strategies ever to be. Together, we will create resource equity in opportunities, resources open to all.

Not only you will encounter people, ideas, and plans that you won’t see anywhere else, but you will savor a unique, unforgettable experience. There’s no doubt about it: Centifolia will not be “business as usual”!

And what will make this congress even more exceptional? Your participation. Register now!

We do hope to see you soon!

Catherine Peyreaud
Organizer of Centifolia

PS: don’t hesitate to come support us on our Facebook page!