Label Networks' presentation at Outdoor Retailer will be based on findings from their latest Sustainability Study and Youth Culture.

We’re pleased to announce that Label Networks has been asked to present at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market on January 24, 2013 in Salt Lake City, UT. During each bi-annual trade show, the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) offers a series of seminars at Outdoor Retailer aimed at enriching the experience of exhibitors, brands, media, and industry leaders in the outdoor industry.

Label Networks was chosen by OIA to present at the upcoming show regarding Youth Culture and issues around the future of Sustainability.

For readers who may be attending Outdoor Retailer in January, we encourage you to come by and hear our presentation!

Here’s more information:

“Sustainability and State of the Future Among Youth Culture”–Delivering Fresh Insight on How Youth Care, Buy, Act on Sustainability and Impacts for the Future

About the Presentation: While today’s youth culture of 13-25-year-olds is undoubtedly the most tech-savvy generation in the world, they also represent a new generation of hope that grew-up with recycling and a broader awareness about the environment, global warming, nuclear threats, and humanitarian issues affecting their world. This demographic also offers a fresh set of eyes, attitudes, and opportunities to roadmap key solutions on creating engaging sustainability strategies for their future.

The presentation is based on Label Networks’ Study tracking a series of questions posed to America’s youth that had to do with their concerns about the environment, humanitarian issues, greenwashing, brand transparency, and thrift/vintage buying habits among many other top issues. The results reveal how much this marketplace is concerned, but also why brands, non-profits, retailers, and industry leaders need to understand how this new generation thinks and acts on such topics in order to create relevant and viable sustainability plans for their future. Label Networks’ presentation will also tap into the “State of Mind” of today’s youth marketplace, exploring their sense of Success, Hope, and Happiness which includes their DIY entrepreneurial spirit. For example, when it comes to the environment 86.5% of the youth feel that it’s not too late to fix the environment; but 92% believe change will only come from themselves, not their leaders (teachers, politicians, celebrities, parents).

21.9% think the recession is getting better, which is highest among 21-25-year-olds, but skepticism peaks among 13-17-year-olds with higher percentages that say the recession is getting worse. There’s now a new demographic that has gone through their entire teens within this economic period of recession, a new “savings” culture. This is redefining spending patterns, created new forms of “up-cycling”, changes in transportation habits, increase in wearable technology and more relevant sustainability practices.

Overall, this presentation is intended for those seeking insight from a new angle—from the lifestyle perspectives from the marketplace itself regarding the growing importance of sustainability and how it will ultimately affect our world through the actions of future demographics.

Speaker and Company Biography: Kathleen Gasperini, Co-Founder, Senior Vice President of Label Networks

Kathleen Gasperini is internationally acclaimed as an industry leader when it comes to global youth culture marketing, research, and branding strategies. She is the co-founder of Label Networks, the leader in delivering global youth culture intelligence from the heart of opinionated youth environments towards creating unique branding strategies for clients ranging from Apple Computer to Adidas Originals. Based on 17 years of experience from running grassroots to global events and campaigns, branding, and visionary marketing, her work and that of Label Networks has appeared in the New York Times, BrandWeek, Advertising Age, Yahoo! Financial News, the AP, Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Petersburg Times, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Sports Illustrates, Red Nova, Elle, Vogue, Spin, Vibe, Transworld Publications’ Surfing, Skateboarding, and Snowboarding, among others.

Formerly, Kathleen worked among leading youth culture magazine titles, including positions as the Senior Editor of Powder and Snowboarder Magazines under Surfer Publications, and the editor of Women’s Sports & Fitness. She was the technical writer for the IMAX movie “Extreme,” and is the co-founder of the non-profit youth-focused foundation, Boarding for Breast Cancer, for which she received a Humanitarian Award from Snow Sports Industries of America. Kathleen was the publisher of the original, music, fashion, sports, and youth lifestyle magazine, W.i.g. Magazine–for Women in General, and has been published by Harper Collins for her book “Pretty Good for a Girl—the Autobiography of Tina Basich, a Snowboarding Pioneer.”  Traveling extensively to various leading-edge youth markets, Kathleen is also the primary speaker representing Label Networks’ Global Youth Culture Intelligence and Branding Strategies, working with brands, agencies, designers, retailers, and thought-leaders regarding trend forecasting from youth markets across North America, Europe, Mexico, Japan, and China. Kathleen is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, NY, and the University of Nairobi. Kenya, with a B.A. in Economics and Emerging Cultural Studies. She is fluent in Swahili.

Presentation Location: Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek, 75 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT  84101

Date and Time: Thursday, January 24, 2013 – 12 noon to 1pm