The 6th Annual Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber summit for young professionals takes place this Thursday, April 29. Called Bold Fusion, the event offers an opportunity for the next generation of movers and shakers to come together and “challenge the way they work and live in Cincinnati USA.”
The focus of this year’s half-day event is on innovation and reshaping traditional work and lifestyles for the future. An impressive array of presenters is lined up to inspire and invoke new thoughts. Most notably, the keynote speaker is Cincinnati-native David Pescovitz, research director at The Institute for the Future and the co-editor of popular blog BoingBoing. His goal is to shake up the views of the Bold Fusion attendees and get them to rethink they way they live and the companies they represent professionally.
“Many of the best ideas may come from unexpected contributors,” explained Pescovitz who went on to say that those contributors can come from so far outside an organization’s own walls that they even speak a different language.
The other speakers are nothing to scoff at, either. The day kicks off with LPK’s Vice President of Trends, Valerie Jacobs, giving a “back cast” that will look at the ways sociocultural trends have shaped our lives over the last several years, in order to propel us into the future.
There will also be other local professionals giving their personal accounts of jumping into the murky waters of innovation, and how they have grown and changed through those experiences, including Chris Ostoich of Blackbook and Ignite Cincinnati; Chris Graves, Enquirer Media/Locals on Living and Amy Storer-Scalia of CincyChic; Erika Brown, P&G Beauty & Grooming Brand Manager of Digital Strategy & Innovation, Founder of BeingGirl.com and Co-founder of Tremor; Meredith Holthaus and Pete Healy, Museum of Advertising; Elizabeth Edwards, Metro Innovation; and Steve Burns of AMP Electrical Vehicles.
A new twist this year is the introduction of Bold Fusion’s “Lounge 140” which will feature an assemblage of local social media gurus. This group will be updating attendees and those who unable to make the event through their various social media outlets. UrbanCincy’s own Jenny Kessler has been asked to be a part of Lounge 140, and will be tweeting about the event live @jenlkessler and from @UrbanCincy. Those looking to follow along with the live tweets about Bold Fusion can follow #CincyHype and even join in the conversation.
So, in a nutshell, why should you come to Bold Fusion?
“Bold Fusion 2010 wants all of Cincinnati USA’s creative makers, hackers, innovators and passionistas to participate in the largest convergence of young talent in a single place, around a single topic in the region,” said Jennifer Young, Marketing Communications Manager for Cincinnati USA. “Press pause, realign and decide what to make of your future.”
Bold Fusion will take place Thursday, April 29 from 1pm to 5pm at the Westin Hotel (map), with a happy hour event following the summit from 5pm to 7pm. Nonprofits and companies sending two or more people to Bold Fusion can purchase tickets for $45. College students can register for $35, Cincinnati USA members will be able to get in for $60 and all others will be able to attend for $85. You can register online now or by calling (513) 579-3111.
