Bringing a little bit of entertainment experience to the world of sporting goods, Duncan Wardle, who played an instrumental role in the innovation and creativity of Disney for three decades, will be the keynote speaker at the NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit, September 26-28, 2021.

Wardle will recount his experiences in his Monday morning opening presentation, “Back In Action: Igniting a Culture of Innovation & Creativity,” on September 27 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, FL.

Wardle retired from Disney in 2017 and founded iD8 and innov8 to help people and businesses tap into their inner entrepreneur with a simple set of tools to innovate. He started at Disney as an intern in 1987 and rose to head of innovation and creativity in 2008. His team helped Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and Disney Parks to innovate and create magical new storylines and experiences for consumers around the world.

Wardle shares his Disney experience with his unique Design Thinking process, which helps companies embed a culture of innovation into everyone’s DNA. Design Thinking helps place the end user at the core of the creative thinking process and looks at ways to uncover insights for innovation and help create fresh thinking and disruptive ideas.

Wardle is a multiple TedX speaker and contributor to Fast Company magazine. He teaches innovation Master Classes at Yale, North Carolina, Duke and Florida. He received the American Citizen of Choice Award at the White House in 2008 and holds the Duke of Edinburgh Award presented by Queen Elizabeth.

Registration is open for the 2021 NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit on September 26-28.