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Conference Recap
The inaugural "I don't know" to CEO Stanford Business Conference was a success with over 300 attendees, 25 speakers, and 9 corporate sponsors. Reid Hoffman, Chairman & President, Products of LinkedIn, delivered a keynote to a filled to capacity crowd at Tresidder Memorial Union. Hoffman revealed new insights on the power of building and maintaining your network and exposed attendees to the realities and importance of the using these networks. He offered advice and techniques of maintaining an active and useful network, not just a database of names. Hoffman provided examples and techniques for connecting with people already in your network on a regular basis and how to find new connections. Another key takeaway was that to successfully accomplish any project or idea on a large scale, you must tap the power of your extensive network. As students we are trained to work on a more individual scale, or small group scale to complete projects. Academia doesn't train students to tackle the large visions that solve big problems; academic education has prepared students to do research or write books. However, even the best research and books are beyond the scope of the individual. When embarking on a new vision, project, organization, your overall success is contingent upon the utilization of your network .

Sponsor Showcase Luncheon
Attendees had the opportunity to attend one of 9 luncheons in the industries of Finance, Business Management, and Technology with our esteemed sponsors: Cisco, Symantec, Yahoo!, McKinsey & Company, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, EA, and IBM Research. Representatives of the companies ranged from recruiters to Directors to the Chief Technical Officer of Symantec, Mark Bregman!

Session Recaps
Inside the Boardroom: Roxanne Teti introduced the panel and the speakers and Anti Umarji moderated. The speakers present were Nicholas Teti, Camille Samuels, and Bruce MacGregor. The panel began around 2:45 and finished around 4:05. Overall the discussion consisted of leadership styles, the type of decisions executives face and are made in a boardroom, and what techniques are useful in constructing a culture conducive to creating success and social cohesion within a corporation. The session ran out of time for a full question and answer period but a few questions were asked.

Breaking into Business: Attendees of the Breaking Into Business session learned about small changes they can make in their routines and resumes to better position themselves for a career in business. Prior to introducing the panelists, moderator Vivian Wang taught students how to effectively read the Wall Street Journal in just 10 minutes each day. Attendees also learned about on-campus resources and how to alter their resumes for business positions and interviews. The panelists brought many experiences to the table -- an Economics professor, a consultant, a company founder, and an engineer --and provided business and career insights for students from many backgrounds.

Art of Negotiation: Katherine Barr, a Senior Consultant with negotiation firm Vantage Partners, gave a presentation on effective tactics working with people and encouraged attendees to view negotiation as a process with variables that you can identify and refine. She provided examples of different types of negotiations and the needs and interests to be aware of in various situations and negotiation techniques that lead to an agreement that is optimal for both parties. Attendees did a negotiation exercise with one half acting the role of an celebrity agent and the the rest acting as a company trying to negotiate a promotional campaign. Using Barr's tactics and techniques, attendees reported feeling more confident in their negotiation skills and felt more prepared with Barr's tips and frameworks.

Intro to Marketing: Cammie Dunaway, Chief Marketing Officer of Yahoo!, shared practices from the cutting edge of marketing in the new media, complete with examples of what Cammie calls "Participation Marketing." To illustrate her point, she showed a digital video of hundreds of Shakira fans shaking their booty to the beat of "Hips Don't Lie." Cammie's Slides are available in the Conference Handouts Section.

Business from Ground Zero: Perspective from a new CEO: Seth Sternberg, CEO of new Web 2.0 web-based instant messaging client meebo, got to the heart of today's startup environment -- he discussed the key issues facing startups from funding to hiring and launching your website.

Hot Markets: With four leading experts in a start-studded panel featuring different industries, the "Hot Market" session at the "I don't know" to CEO conference was definitely "hot" with over 100 participants in the crowd, listening eagerly to the panel answer questions regarding technologies in the space of consumer internet, greentech, biotech, and life sciences. The distinguished panel helped the audience develop a framework in looking at highly touted trends, to determine whether or not a hyped market was really warming up, or just a frothy bubble. One of the many factors imparted was to look at the people moving into the field. For instance, despite the great amount of hype greentech has been getting recently, there is a identifiable enormous problem there, and the many talented, successful individuals who are moving into the space from IT and other notable fields to tackle the issues that we all face as energy consumers is proof that it is for real and not a fad. Another inspiring thought was that of Seth Sternberg, the CEO and cofounder of meebo, an universal IM service. Mr. Sternberg points out that the biggest technology development he has recently seen is the falling cost of starting a web service product which has become phenomenally low, an inspiration to all those with big plans to change the world through the platform we know as the web. Panelists also gave students a realistic idea of the risks involved in such industries and the need for caution before jumping onto a trend.

Jumpstart your Marketing Career: Stanford Technology Ventures Program Professor Tom Kosnik shared a presentation that gave attendees examples and direction to prepare for a career in Marketing. The presentation detailed different marketing positions within a company and the roles and responsibilities associated to help attendees evaluate possible career paths. Professor Kosnik encouraged students to create a "Virtual Board of Advisors" of people and mentors you currently value. The Jumpstart Your Marketing Career Presentation and Example Board of Advisors is available in the Conference Handouts Section

Take the Lead: Professor Burke Robinson shared insight on business leadership taken out of his years of experience as a executive leadership consultant.

Business Trends in Latin America: Latin American professionals with years of experience in the US and abroad give a comprehensive view into the trends and opportunities for doing business in and with Latin America. Country experts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, discussed the business environment and the enormous source of intellectual and human capital available in the region. The message is clear: Latin America is full of talented and capable individuals waiting for your visit. Intern abroad, meet the people, get to know us! As a region, Latin America is worth US$4.7 Trillion in purchasing power that has been largely ignored, and to continue doing so is a huge miscalculation. Become involved, engage the people, join and support organizations like SELA (the Society for Entrepreneurship in Latin America), and you will see all that Latin America has to offer. The region is always looking for business partners in all industries and the first to arrive will have a tremendous advantage. Please visit http://sela.stanford.edu to get in touch with us and let’s continue the dialogue.

Leveraging your Engineering Degree: Three Stanford Alumni currently in business facing roles shared their perspectives on career hunting and offered advice to students on additional coursework and skills to acquire during their time at Stanford.

Conference Session Handouts
We are able to make a few of the session handouts available to those who were unable to attend the conference or a particular session.

• Business101 Workshop: Intro to Marketing - Cammie Dunaway - Chief Marketing Officer, Yahoo! Inc.
• Business101 Workshop: Jumpstart Your Marketing Career - Tom Kosnik - Stanford Technology Ventures Program
• PowerPanel: Business Trends in Latin America

Coordinators Application
If you enjoyed this year’s conference, help ensure that it will successfully happen again next year and become a Stanford tradition. Apply to organize and plan the next conference as one of the four “I don’t know” to CEO 2008 Conference Coordinators. Coordinators should be interested in expanding the conference beyond its inaugural offerings and have a passion for business and the Stanford community. This is a rich learning experience that enables real-world skills such as major event planning, marketing strategy and implementation, fundraising, graphic design, and student/sponsor/session management. Beyond the valuable real-world experiences, make valuable business connections from high-impact alumni, speakers, and sponsors.

Interested students can apply here

Post-Conference Survey

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