A global innovation think tank

Staying in the picture

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll probably agree that these are exciting times. When it comes to innovation and technology there’s a lot going on in the world at present.  It has become a cliché but it is so astoundingly true: the pace of change in this world is accelerating dramatically. The problem is: how do you begin to make sense of all these changes to your own career and business?  What are the emerging technologies and business models that will make the difference in the coming 3 to 5 years? What are the key lessons for my business?  Which companies and projects are the ones to watch? Who are the people behind those projects; who should I be connecting with? 

Time & validity

Time is one part of the problem.  You need time to keep track of relevant information (how many blogs, twitter feeds and business magazines are you successfully keeping abreast of?).  Moreover, you need time to process that information (are you managing to really think about the information you consume, or does it feel like you’re skimming on the surface?).   And you need time to find and connect with relevant people.  Unfortunately, time is the one thing you have in scarce supply.   

Validity is the other part of the problem.  Sure, there’s plenty of inspiration out there (seen any “top 10 trends” presentations on SlideShare lately?) but so much content out there today is simply the subjective opinion of one individual.  Are these really representative of the innovation trends that will shape our future?  How can you know?  

Your personal think tank

To tackle those challenges we have a proposition. If you’re interested in innovation—and you have something relevant to say about it—then we invite you to join the Council of The Fifth Conference.  Best described as an innovation think tank, our goal is to identify and explore the most significant innovations impacting on business and society over the next 3-5 years—and to involve, for each topic, the world’s most influential innovators.   

Our research team will do the work: we’ll connect with and interview the innovators; we’ll write up the content; we’ll organize panel debates and conferences. As a member of the Council you’ll have free access to the intelligence and insights that we generate—and you’ll be part of a dynamic network.  In return, we’ll rely on you to help us identify the emerging technologies and business models that we should study, and the innovators who we should be connecting with. By aggregating and building on the input we get from hundreds of innovators around the world, we’ll create one of the world’s best knowledge sources and networks for understanding the near future and stimulating innovative entrepreneurship. Think of The Fifth Conference as your personal think tank: we’ll strive to answer your questions and connect you to the world’s most interesting innovators.  

Invitation

Today, in our ‘beta’ phase, we have approximately 100 members from four continents (most are people we have interviewed for our earlier innovation topics) and have compiled the first draft of our agenda.  In the months ahead we will be growing the membership in a reasonably focused manner to improve its representation both regionally and across various disciplines.  We are looking for innovators in all disciplines and sectors: innovative entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, scientists, authors, designers, artists, policy makers, etc. You know who you are.  If you’re interested or have more questions please send me an email at fb(at)thefifthconference.com with a little information about yourself (for example your LinkedIn profile). Note that we can't accept everyone; but we'll certainly assess every application carefully. I look forward to hearing from you!