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OCT 2025 PROGRAM | The Institute for Perception
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October 2025 Program

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October 16 - 17, 2025 | 8am - 4pm

The Williamsburg Inn | Williamsburg, Virginia, US

In-person or virtual attendance fee

$1,795

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Registration
Fee
Includes:

  • Printed course manual

  • Digital downloads of our latest books

  • Lunch and beverage refreshments during the course and a group dinner on Thursday evening

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Learning Objectives

OBJECTIVE

Clarify the distinction between Invention & Innovation

Gain a foundational understanding of these core concepts

OBJECTIVE

Critically evaluate model assumptions

Question and refine your understanding of consumer behavior models

OBJECTIVE

Contextualize your work

See how your individual tasks contribute to your organization's broader innovation goals

OBJECTIVE

Segment customer needs

Learn how to analyze diverse customer preferences within your market

OBJECTIVE

Understand consumer decision-making

Explore Thurstonian models for difference and rating methods 

OBJECTIVE

Link sensory and consumer data

Predict consumer response based on internal panel data

OBJECTIVE

Focus on user benefits

Identify and articulate the core benefits of new offerings that can be noticed by consumers

OBJECTIVE

Learn how to use Combinatorial Tools

TURF analysis and Graph theory

OBJECTIVE

Learn how to plan a category appraisal

Develop optimum product rotations

OBJECTIVE

Build Product Portfolios

Optimum products for target segments

OBJECTIVE

Implement unfolding using LSA

An essential tool to develop new products

OBJECTIVE

Inform launch decisions

Provide robust justifications for go/no-go decisions

The instructors for this course will be:

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The Institute for Perception

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The Institute for Perception

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Molson Coors Beverage Co. (retired)

Thursday, October 16  |  8am - 4pm EDT

Topics

  • The Invention-Innovation Paradigm

  • Consumer-perceived benefits

  • Innovation in the beer industry: Historical perspectives

  • Technical changes to foster invention

  • Explaining a conundrum: A consumer preference benefit without a sensory difference

  • Thurstonian models for discrimination testing: Variability, decision rules, and d' values

  • Account of common difference testing methods: 2-AFC, duo-trio, triangle, tetrad.  Proportion detectors in the population and its invalidity

  • Equivalence testing

  • Consumer relevance research: Connecting internal sensory data to consumer-perceived similarity and preference

  • Ingredient supplier change: Performance variability using 2-AFC and triangle test

  • Apple-flavored beverages: A consumer preference without a sensory difference and its resolution

  • Issues with proportion detector measurements

Friday, October 17  |  8am - 4pm EDT

Topics

  • Why the tetrad is superior to the triangle and duo-trio methods

  • Which sample size do I need for my research?

  • Consumer-relevant action standards and how to create them

  • Same-different vs. paired preference for consumer relevance

  • Risk and sample size when switching to the tetrad method

  • Building a successful internal sensory program

  • Specifying panel sample sizes as a function of method, power, α, and size of the difference

  • Same-different method to establish consumer relevance (δR)

  • Linking internal panel and consumer sensitivities

  • Switching from the triangle to the tetrad method

  • Introduction to Landscape Segmentation Analysis® (LSA): Liking as a form of similarity

  • Successive analytical steps

  • Unfolding

  • Applications of LSA principles to an ingredient substitution project

  • Creating the product and consumer ideal point space

  • Studying consumer segmentation

  • Regressing sensory information to uncover the drivers of liking

  • Contrasting LSA with internal and external preference mapping and explaining their respective strengths and weaknesses

  • Comparing external and internal Preference Mapping with LSA using 27 real-world category appraisal

  • Maximizing input quality to support Innovation

  • Why link consumer and sensory data?

  • The sensory space in contrast to the Drivers of Liking space

  • How to plan a category appraisal

  • Product selection using graph theory

  • Optimizing sample presentation orders (positions, sequences, sequence spread)

  • Multiple day effect, complete vs. incomplete block designs

  • First mapping option for ingredient change project

  • Factor analysis

  • Assumptions and potential limitations of the approach

  • Using the Drivers of Liking space

  • Maximizing consumer satisfaction

  • Creating optimal product portfolios and generating optima sensory profiles

  • Maximizing first choice against competition

  • Using machine learning to characterize uncovered consumer subgroups

  • Predicting new product performance

  • Determine the performance of new products using their sensory and analytical profiles      

  • LSA as a computer-aided design tool: Predict consumer acceptability using ideal points without new consumer testing

  • Novel applications of LSA in the real world

    • Application of LSA to Descriptive Analysis data

Registration

Register

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Phone  |  (804) 675-2980

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