This spring I attended two events highlighting the importance of creative and innovative thinking. In February, I attended the Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh, NC, and this past month I attended the Food for Thought Conference in Greenville, SC. These two events proved to be the perfect complement to one another. They addressed similar subject matter but approached it from different angles.
Both events hinged on content-based lectures and discussions; however, the time outside of the formal programming took different forms. At Food for Thought, we rode on a bus between activities, ate meals, and raced cars with each other. As a result, our interactio
ns were more social in nature. In contrast, at the Emerging Issues Forum we spent our time outside of the lectures in structured breakout sessions where the interaction was monitored and focused.
Having experienced both types of interaction, I find the natural conversations, like those at the Food for Thought Conference, to be more valuable. Our conversations on the bus or the racetrack were not structured, but they drifted to program content allowing us to explore the ideas out loud and on our own. I found the organized conversations at the Emerging Issues
m Forum did not allow as much for participant driven discussion, but the social interactions at Food for Thought made the content more relevant.
Similarly, part of my work mirrors these social content-based conversations. I am fortunate to work alongside other creative minds, and our everyday conversations span from project-specific topics to new thoughts and ideas. These interactions help us discover innovative and different approaches to our work. These organic ideas manifest themselves in our client work: educational campaigns, cause marketing, and corporate social responsibilities programs. Events like the Food for Thought Conference and the Emerging Issues Forum give me a fresh appreciation and perspective on how new ideas are generated.
Both events hinged on content-based lectures and discussions; however, the time outside of the formal programming took different forms. At Food for Thought, we rode on a bus between activities, ate meals, and raced cars with each other. As a result, our interactio
ns were more social in nature. In contrast, at the Emerging Issues Forum we spent our time outside of the lectures in structured breakout sessions where the interaction was monitored and focused.Having experienced both types of interaction, I find the natural conversations, like those at the Food for Thought Conference, to be more valuable. Our conversations on the bus or the racetrack were not structured, but they drifted to program content allowing us to explore the ideas out loud and on our own. I found the organized conversations at the Emerging Issues
m Forum did not allow as much for participant driven discussion, but the social interactions at Food for Thought made the content more relevant.Similarly, part of my work mirrors these social content-based conversations. I am fortunate to work alongside other creative minds, and our everyday conversations span from project-specific topics to new thoughts and ideas. These interactions help us discover innovative and different approaches to our work. These organic ideas manifest themselves in our client work: educational campaigns, cause marketing, and corporate social responsibilities programs. Events like the Food for Thought Conference and the Emerging Issues Forum give me a fresh appreciation and perspective on how new ideas are generated.
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