Looking around the office here, it's clear that conference season is upon us - volunteer t-shirts are coming in, freshly printed, as staffers pick up phone lines to field questions about registration and travel logistics. So as the 2013 Net Impact Conference team furiously rolls out sessions, we just had to share a few we're really excited about. After all, #NI13 doesn't just rehash the same old questions and theories you already know; it's about sharing a space with today's thinkers and doers to create the opportunity for breakthrough ideas and that next a-ha! moment that might change the world. Here are just a handful of the 100+ sessions you can join this October:
Big Data = Bigger Impact:
How Understanding Consumers Can Drive Radical Change
Collecting huge volumes of data is getting easier and easier, but where and how does it actually lead to greater impact? It's a critical question, for both corporations and nonprofits, whether you're seeking environmental or social outcomes. Hear how big data is changing consumer behavior and helping to revolutionize the way we think about sustainability.
From Seed to Scale: Has Clean Tech Financing Failed?
The clean energy economy is poised for rapid expansion, driven by venture and growth stage investments, policy reforms, and consumer demand. Hear from funders in this space about what they're funding, why, and how their investments are gaining ground in the transition to a greener economy.
Get Moving, Keep Moving: Momentum in Your Career Transition
Job and career transitions go better with discipline and focused action - especially when you're looking to transition into impact-focused work. This session gives an overview of six practices that will help participants develop the needed momentum to make their impact career transitions more effective and successful.
Cultivating Community Health Through Urban Food Systems
Small-scale food production and sustainable farming have hit the mainstream - just open any Williams-Sonoma catalog or flip on the Food Network for proof. But how can traditionally scrappy food initiatives bolster critical urban health needs? Join inspiring leaders, from a small-scale city farm to a culinary hub and kitchen, as they dive into these issues head-on.
Personal Branding: Telling Your Impact Story
This interactive session will help you discover how to create your own unique purpose story - that critical narrative that communicates your effectiveness as an impact-maker and allows potential employers to see you as so much more than a resume. You'll walk away with the tools to position yourself as the most compelling job candidate for any impact job.
Are Corporations More Effective Activists Than Individuals?
As corporate agendas increasingly intersect with hot-button social issues, such as LGBT equality and immigration, we're taking it to the debate floor. Recent legislative actions illustrating the potential power of corporate action beg the question: can corporations be considered activists - and if so, are they more effective activists than individuals? This lively debate format will unpack the role of corporations in society, and how individuals and organizations can collaborate to achieve progress.
And we didn't even get to the keynotes
With groundbreaking keynotes featuring leaders from TOMS, Joie de Vivre Hotels, Campbell Soup Company, DoSomething.org, Kiva, Fast Company, and more, the 2013 Net Impact Conference is clearly the place to be this October 24-26.