Blended Speaker Event Series
Launched in 2018 and active until 2020, Blended was a Speaker Event Series hosted by Blended Collective that featured creative and business talent extending across cultures and industries. Our aim with these panel discussions and programs was to highlight stories that revolve around our company core values of authenticity, culture and diversity while bringing together brands and audiences of multicultural backgrounds to push forward conversations alongside growth, change, and innovation in our community. Previous partners and speakers include Microsoft, IHS Markit, General Motors, Pandora, and more.
The Series has transitioned into our founder Lydia Michael sharing her knowledge through workshops and speaking engagements internationally. Learn more here.
Blended: Multicultural Auto Buying During COVID-19
To continue our Speaker Event Series, we presented our first virtual event that was originally planned to take place during the North American International Auto Show in June 2020. The pandemic has had a severe impact on the automotive industry globally. In response, aspects of our multicultural buying behavior have been impacted. Click here to watch the replay of our panel.
This panel is supported by the German American Business Council of Michigan.
Blended: Design, Diversity and the DSO
Sept. 13, 2019 at ArcPrep / Michigan Research Studio, Detroit
Blended Collective and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s NextGen Committee partnered to host a special edition Blended event as part of Detroit Month of Design in September 2019, combining their shared values of diversity and inclusion in the context of music and design. “Blended: Design, Diversity, and the DSO”, hosted by Blended Collective through its quarterly speaker event series, featured a DSO musician who led the audience through an exploration of diversity in design through music. The event included a lecture, interactive music instrument station, and musical performance by DSO Principal trombonist Kenneth Thompkins.
Read more about our Speaker Series Event supported by Absopure and TechTown Detroit — Blended: Diversity & Tech in Detroit.
Read more about our event sponsored by Sigma Financial Corporation — Blended: How the Financial Industry is Answering the Multicultural Question
Blended: Reaching Multicultural Audiences Authentically
Dec. 4, 2018 at WeWork Campus Martius, Detroit
Panelists (left to right): Fares Ksebati – CEO & Co-Founder at MySwimPro, Rajoielle Register – Head of Growth Audience Marketing Communications at Ford Motor Company, Wilson Santiago-Soler – Multicultural Campaign Manager at Quicken Loans.
Blended: The Intersection of Culture and Design Special Edition Women’s Panel in Partnership with Detroit Month of Design
Sept. 5, 2018 at LTU Detroit Center for Design + Technology, Detroit
Moderator and Panelists (left to right): Lydia Michael – CEO & Founder at Blended Collective, Felicia E. Molnar – Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), Reem Akkad – Founder & Interior Designer at Reem Akkad Design, Karen Hudson Samuels – Executive Director at WGPR TV Historical Society, Sally Erickson Wilson – Chair of Graduate Studies/Color & Materials Design at College for Creative Studies.
Blended: Multicultural Marketing in the Automotive Industry
June 27, 2018 at Bamboo Detroit, Detroit
Moderator and Panelists (left to right): Lydia Michael – CEO & Founder at Blended Collective, Maria Arellano – Multicultural Art Director at UniWorld Group (previously), Florian Kotte – Validation Engineer at German Supplier, Barbara Toboy – Senior Analytics Manager at GTB, Javier Guzzman Barcenas – Plant Communications Manager at General Motors.
Blended: How Diversity Has Impacted the Entertainment Industry
Mar. 6, 2018 at WeWork Campus Martius, Detroit
Moderator and Panelists (left to right): Lydia Michael – CEO & Founder at Blended Collective, Randall McAdory – Automotive Head of Industry at Pandora, Hamoody Jaafar – Film Director at Woodward Original, Kevin Ketels – President & Founder at Kyrris Marketing, Victoria Kaempfe – Freelance Music Manager & Photographer.
Co-hosted with RIZZARR as part of Entrepreneurship Month at Microsoft Store
Feb. 22, 2018 at Flagship Microsoft Store, New York
Panelists: Amanda Johnson – Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Mented Cosmetics, Melissa Adeyemo – Independent Film Producer, Karen Goldfeder – Vice President of Business Development at dosomething.org, Edrizio De La Cruz – Founder and CEO of FinTech company Regalii
Are you interested in sponsoring, speaking, or do you know someone who would be a fit for our Blended Speaker Event Series? Contact us at info@blendedcollective.com for more details.