Carl William Kerchmar – Month of Design conference moderator

Carl William Kerchmar – Month of Design conference moderator

The economic presence of the experience economy is here. The Netherlands
have 300 free-time activities per year, about 5 - 6 per week, 16 euro per
activity at 77 billion euros annually and representing 25% of the household budget. The free-time market is 6x bigger than the vacation market and the quantity of festivals has grown by 800% before the turn of

the millennium and 900% in the number of visitors. The future of brands will depend on the dialogue between product and consumer; experience is a way to foster that relationship where designing space will be the platform. PORTAL TO YOUR DREAMS is a creative visualization / economic strategies company that uses the tool of Scenario Planning and the power of universal trend stories + tailorised trend applications to help businesses innovate and better understand the consumer spirit. Its approach is holistic, to say the least: It truly combines the creative and the commercial and ensures that human passions work for business – rather than the other way round. Current projects PORTAL is involved with include sponsorship, culinary design and official photography for Formula Zero who in August 2008 successfully held the world’s first ever hydrogen fuelled motor race in Europe; the Green project Tree Life, a new retail design campaign for the music and games industries and educational paths into Imagineering as a business innovation tool, amongst others. Within all of these project experience has and continues to be a driving element in today’s economy. Experience has become in-rooted in the design logic of space and is the fundamental way consumers have a dialogue with brands.

BIOGRAPHY:

Carl William Kerchmar is a NC State University educated economist. He left the US to gain a Master’s in European Urban Cultures in Holland, Finland, Belgium and UK as well as studying at the prestigious Artemis Styling Academy in Amsterdam. Before setting up PORTAL, he worked as a new media researcher at Erasmus University’s Brain Park, styled culinary events through NK Concepts, ran an art studio in Amsterdam and consulted for clients ranging from the music and fashion industries to insurance companies.

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