It’s all about creating memories and triggering happy emotions

Q: How would you describe your job?
I build products and design interactions that make people happy.  The most exciting part of my job is to take care of the journeys our customers take when using mostly digital products. Do they enjoy, do they have fun, will they come back? These are the questions I ask myself every day.

Q: What advice would you offer to all soon to be working in marketing in the meetings industry?
Both marketing and the meetings industry are about one thing, that is creating story-full experiences for the customers. So it is essential, that we understand the power of stories when we create dialogs with our audience. As a marketeer you help create this magical places full of interactions. It’s all about creating memories and triggering happy emotions. So, stop being narrow.

Q: Hot to develop talent and how to help people grow to the next level?
As you know there’s no secret formula to growing talent. There, I said it. What you can do, is to create an environment for people to feel good, challenged yet encouraged to try and experiment. Like a sandbox. A playful place for creativity, but also a place with clear boundaries, expectations and most importantly thought leadership. I’m a strong believer in the master/apprentice model and believe that great talent is not discovered but made.

Q: What are you most excited about at the moment?
The future. Because it looks really promising for all creative, design-minded people. Even the most conservative industries are looking for inspiration in the creative industries. Today is the best time to be a design thinker or a fresh marketeer.

Q: Your advice/suggestion for turning a boring event into a memorable one?
Challenge people. Both speakers and participants. Turn the event into a story where each participant plays an active role. As an avid fan of role-playing games, I always look for inspiration there. What’s the “lore” of the event, what’s the plot, what will I remember forever? And ever. 

Q: What gets you out of bed in the morning?
My son. And not the happy thought of him, but him jumping on my head. Metaphorically speaking, it is the curiosity for what the day will bring. I open our team Slack and… begin the day.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
As a content writer, turned editor ,turned designer, turned design researcher, turned entrepreneur, turned head of UX, it’s hard to predict. But I see myself surrounded with T-shaped creatives, communicators and product designers who work on solving wicked problems.

Q: What kind of knowledge will participants of Conventa Crossover gain from listening to your lecture?
Hopefully the story about my unstructured professional journey can inspire the participants to rethink what they’re doing. And see the world of content marketing with another pair of eyes.

Q: What do you expect from Conventa Crossover?
To laugh. To have fun. And to learn from the participants as much as from the other speakers. And yes, to have fun. Wait, did I say that already?

Damjan Obal is a design manager, UX strategist, product designer and design researcher. A boy dreaming of magical portals, searching for places where design, technology and stories meet.

His Computer Science PhD talks about integrating users in the design process and he defended it while crafting products for the likes of CNN, AP, United Arab Emirates, Deutsche Bahn, Gorenje, Iskratel, Mayo Clinic. As well as a bunch of cool startups and some of the best NGOs (TED, Challenge:Future).

He launched a couple of products and 2 startups. Last one was Edgar (EdgarTells.me). The startup that brings the power of brand storytelling to small businesses.

Join meeting planners, meeting providers, congress destinations and professionals working in tourism and marketing at Conventa Crossover conference, international conference dedicated to the future of MICE and travel marketing.

When & where: 29 – 30 August 2016 in Hotel Lev, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 

“We are absolutely delighted that so many speakers have announced their presence already at this stage, and we know that there are many more to come,” says Conventa Crossover founder Gorazd Čad