Spring and Fall Conferences

Innovation in Sports Fan Engagement

Baseball player in striped uniform holding a bat, ready to swing, with a large stadium in the background. The image has a blue overlay. Innovation in Sports Fan Engagement Spring 2026 Conference Report Digital transformation has expanded the ways fans engage with sports, creating new opportunities for personalization, global reach, and interactive experiences. At the same time, it has introduced fragmentation. Fans now follow teams and leagues across multiple platforms and streaming services, often…Read More

Digital Twins 2.0: Making the Invisible Visible

Futuristic digital illustration of two human profiles, facing each other, composed of glowing lines and dots, symbolizing artificial intelligence and connectivity. Digital Twins 2.0: Making the Invisible Visible  Fall 2025 Conference Report Digital twins are moving rapidly from niche technology to a central tool for business innovation. From factory floors and operating rooms to autonomous vehicles and global enterprises, the technology is shifting from experimental pilots to scalable, revenue-generating systems. The…Read More

Productivity in the Age of Intelligent Automation

A futuristic representation of a computer chip surrounded by glowing circuits and digital connections, symbolizing advanced technology or computing power. Productivity in the Age of Intelligent Automation Spring 2025 Conference Report Productivity has always been a central concern of business leaders, operations researchers, and innovators. But what it means to be productive—and how we measure and achieve it—is rapidly changing in the age of artificial intelligence. The Mack Institute’s Spring…Read More

AI Podcast: Reimagining Customer Service with LLM-Powered Chatbots

Listen to an AI-generated podcast summarizing key insights from Reimagining Customer Service Journeys with LLMs: A Framework for Chatbot Design and Workflow Integration, a white paper from Mack Institute co-director Prof. Christian Terwiesch and Lennart Meincke, Mack Institute predoctoral fellow. The paper presents a framework for integrating chatbots into workflows,…Read More

Announcing Our Spring 2025 Conference: Productivity in the Age of Intelligent Automation

A manufacturing assembly line in a factory setting, showcasing robotic machinery and equipment used for automation and production. Friday, March 21, 2025 The Wharton School, Philadelphia The Mack Institute is pleased to announce our Spring 2025 conference, Productivity in the Age of Intelligent Automation. This one-day event will bring together leading Wharton researchers and expert business practitioners to examine the uncertain question of how artificial intelligence will impact…Read More

AI-Driven Ecosystems

A glowing light bulb connected to a network of smaller bulbs on a dark background, symbolizing innovation, connectivity, and ideas. AI-Driven Innovation Fall 2024 Conference Report Artificial Intelligence has emerged as one of the most transformative technologies of our time, reshaping industries and redefining the competitive landscape. Yet the complexities and costs associated with AI development and deployment, coupled with the uncertainty of value creation, make it clear that no…Read More

Announcing Our Fall 2024 Conference: AI-Driven Innovation Ecosystems

A digital network representation showing holographic human figures connected by glowing lines on a dark background, symbolizing connectivity and communication.

Friday, November 8, 2024 The Wharton School, Philadelphia The Mack Institute is pleased to announce our Fall 2024 conference, AI-Driven Innovation Ecosystems. Bringing together leading Wharton researchers with expert business practitioners, this one-day conference will explore how firms can overcome the risks and high costs of AI development and implementation…Read More

Collaborative Innovation: Shaping the Future with Corporate Venturing and Startups 

Colorful, curved strands of light trail across a dark background, representing data flow or motion. Collaborative Innovation: Shaping the Future with Corporate Venturing and Startups Spring 2024 Conference Report In this era of rapidly evolving, highly disruptive technologies, corporate venturing practices are evolving, too. High-profile partnerships like Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in OpenAI or BMW’s move into the electrification space with ChargePoint underscore the current…Read More

Announcing Our Spring ’24 Conference: Shaping the Future with Corporate Venturing and Startups

A small group of people are engaged in a discussion at a table, with papers and a drink can on the table. One person is speaking, while others listen attentively.

Friday, March 22, 2024 The Wharton School, Philadelphia The Mack Institute is pleased to announce our Spring 2024 conference, Collaborative Innovation: Shaping the Future with Corporate Venturing and Startups. In this era of transformative and disruptive new technologies, the relationship between established firms and startups is becoming more collaborative. These…Read More

Driving Innovation with Generative AI: Strategies and Execution 

A robotic hand reaching towards a human hand against a vibrant blue background, symbolizing the connection between technology and humanity.

The stratospheric rise of Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Bard has brought artificial intelligence to the forefront of innovation management. Driving Innovation with Generative AI, a conference jointly presented by the Mack Institute and AI at Wharton, brought together representatives from academia, industry, startups, and the venture capital world…Read More

Announcing Our Fall ‘23 Conference, Driving Innovation with Generative AI

Silhouette of a human head with a digital circuit pattern, representing artificial intelligence or technology integration.

The Mack Institute and AI at Wharton are pleased to announce our joint Fall 2023 conference, Driving Innovation with Generative AI: Strategies and Execution. Inspired by the explosive interest in generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Bard, this event will bring together representatives from academia and industry to discuss this…Read More

Creative Disruption? Innovations in Supply Chain Management

A large number of shipping containers on the deck of a cargo ship at sea, representing global trade and logistics. Executive Summary:  Our Spring ‘23 conference, “Creative Disruption? Innovations in Supply Chain Management,” highlighted the challenges and opportunities faced by global supply chains in the wake of unprecedented disruptions. Speakers from academia and industry discussed such themes as the balance between efficiency and resilience, the role of advanced technologies in…Read More

Mack Institute to Explore Supply Chain Issues and Innovations at Spring Conference

Cargo ships loaded with colorful shipping containers docked at a port with large cranes in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

In recent years, events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and U.S. tensions with China have dramatically impacted global supply chains, drawing attention to their vulnerabilities and calling into question the widespread industry practice of prioritizing supply chain efficiency over resilience and crisis preparation. As firms continue to weather…Read More

Leveraging the Metaverse for Innovation: Key Takeaways from our Fall ’22 Conference

A person wearing a virtual reality headset and holding controllers in a classroom setting. Several other people are present, some also using VR devices. Emerging metaverse technologies have equally passionate evangelists and skeptics, making it hard to separate hype from reality. Facebook was the subject of buzzy media headlines when it rebranded to Meta, but now faces plummeting stock and mass layoffs. At the same time, investors continue to pour billions into metaverse-related technology…Read More

Data in the Evolving Mobility Ecosystem

Aerial view of a complex highway interchange with multiple overpasses and lanes, surrounded by urban development and trees.

Data strategy for the future of mobility may be one of the greatest opportunities for firms to capture value from their innovation investments in connected vehicles. At the same time, adoption of data-first strategy presents potential pitfalls for data usage.…Read More

The Future of Mobility: Strategy, Technology, and Geopolitics

A night cityscape featuring light trails from moving vehicles on a highway and a curved overpass, surrounded by tall buildings.

Discussing the “once in a century” transformation of the auto industry, including electric and autonomous vehicles, data and AI, and global supply chain issues…Read More