To work in tech in North Carolina is to know Dan Ariely. And to live in North Carolina is to know Vivian Howard.
Of course, both are recognized far beyond the bounds of the state Pendo calls home—Dan for his research and books on behavioral economics and Vivian for her popular television series A Chef’s Life. But Pendo is proud to share roots with this duo, and prouder still that they’ve agreed to join us at Pendomonium, where they’ll inspire the audience of product and customer success teams, UX designers, marketers and more gathered September 10-11 in downtown Raleigh.
At Pendo, we believe inspiration can be found in many corners of the creative world. And each of these keynote speakers has a lot to say about creating products (or food) that people love.
Dan and Vivian join previously announced speakers Elias Torres, chief technology officer at Drift, and April Dunford, consultant and author of Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get it, Buy it, Love it. The full conference agenda, with more than 40 sessions, as well as optional pre-conference workshops for power users, new users and executives, will be revealed in coming weeks. Early bird tickets are on sale for $699 through August 1.
Dan will kick off the event on September 10 with insights from his research on behavior and experiences as a professor, author, and entrepreneur. Though his official title is James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University, Dan’s research is applied through his Center for Advanced Hindsight, a series of New York Times bestselling books and Wall Street Journal columns, and the startups he serves. Dan previously worked as chief behavior officer of Timeful, the scheduling startup acquired by Google in 2015, and now holds that title at Lemonade, the New York startup disrupting the insurance industry.
His research centers on why people do the things they do, and specifically, why so many of those behaviors are irrational.
Vivian kicks off day two of the conference, when we’ll highlight and learn from masters of their craft. Long before running her award-winning television series celebrating eastern North Carolina food traditions, Vivian trained in New York City under cutting-edge chefs like Scott Barton of Voyage, Wylie Dufresne and Sam Mason of WD~50 and later, Jean Georges Vongerichten at his critically-acclaimed Spice Market.
She opened her first award-winning restaurant, Chef & the Farmer, in 2005 in Kinston, NC, followed by the Boiler Room, also in Kinston, and Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria in Wilmington. Vivian is a five-time James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
A Chef’s Life premiered in 2012 and ran five seasons, winning a Daytime Emmy, Peabody Award, and James Beard Award for Outstanding Personality/Host. Vivian will soon unveil a new series, telling food stories of the American South in the context of global food traditions.
Vivian’s focus on creating delicious and unique dishes inspired by her roots, and telling the stories around them will bring a different perspective to a room full of people bringing digital products to life.
You won’t want to miss either of these North Carolina legends.
Snag your ticket today.