PUSH the Future Around the Corner

PUSH 2008 is around the corner, a conference dedicated to the trends in business, society and culture that shape our world. Held on June 15-17, 2008 in Minneapolis, the PUSH experience and profile lies somewhere between TED and the World Economic Forum, except that the content is more focused and the setting more intimate.

This year's theme is The Fertile Delta, a widening gap created by polarization in Economics, Politics, Religion, Technology. They aim to discuss why - as happens at the beginning of all new life - it's a necessary process for a world in transition. Why the "space between" an old world and one just emerging is a fertile delta for innovative business models and partnerships that serve this new reality.

It's a matter of creativity. Of courage. Of sober, real-world analysis. In other words, the stuff of leadership.

All of this will be explored through discussion and performance, in four half-day segments:

(Economics) The Myth of Flatness: How Booms, Busts and Bridges are Shifting Perspective and Opportunity

(Politics) Leaders in Reverse: Playing Short-Term Gains Against Long-Term Needs

(Religion) Social Shapers: Incendiary Devices and Helping Hands of the Faithful

(Technology) Solving for X: New Tools, Players and Solutions for What Inspires Us

Among the speakers at PUSH over the years, have been Prime Minister Mart Laar (Estonia), WTO Economic Minister, Zafar Iqbal Qadir (Pakistan), Grameen Phone founder, Iqbal Quadir, as well as NASA Scientist Loretta Hidalgo, iRobot co-founder, Helen Greiner, Howard Rheingold, and more.

Speakers for PUSH 2008 include Clyde Prestowitz (Economic Strategy Institute), Mark Seddon (Al-Jazeera, English), Jonathan Greenblatt (founder Ethos Water), Chandran Nair (Global Institute for Tomorrow, Beijing), Rich & Yvonne Dutra-St.John (Challenge Day), Katherine Marshall (Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs), Antoine Bigirimana (Rwandan-American entrepreneur, Founder, Thousand Hills Venture Fund), Nate Garvis (VP, Government Affairs, Target), JD Steele (recording artist), Eboo Patel (Founder & Director, Interfaith Youth Core), Beth Kolko (editor, Race and Cyberspace and Virtual Publics) Dan Wilson (Grammy Award-winning recording artist), and Jenni Wolfson (Acting Director, Witness.org and performer, Rash).

More from the ground in mid-June.