Five conferences convening, four planners planning …

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house … everyone was still talking about what a great time they had at these terrific December conferences!

Foremost forums upcoming

• Harvard Business School Entrepreneurship Conference (December 2; Boston). Event caters to actual and aspiring entrepreneurs by offering “insights into entrepreneurship from a variety of industry experts, venture capitalists and distinguished entrepreneurs.” The agenda addresses such topics as intelligence in market trends; starting a new venture; and building a business. Read more.

• CEO2CEO Leadership Summit (December 6, 2012; New York). Event examines the challenges of globalization and is considered a top executive networking event for chairs and CEOs of US companies. The program examines topics such as global competitiveness; business-to-business models; technological agility; and alliances and partnerships. Read more.

• Economist World in 2013 (December 6 and 8; New York). Annual program’s content emanates from the publication’s popular year-end double issue containing a collection of insightful essays on a range of “political predictions, economic outlooks, important trends in science, culture and lifestyle.” The organizers promise an event that “provides readers with a unique global perspective on the upcoming year.” Read more.

• Environmental, Social, and Governance USA (December 11; New York). Event gathers asset managers and investment advisors for “targeted, practical debate on pertinent themes of sustainable and responsible investment specific to the United States.” Representative topics include the intersection of sustainability reporting and corporate governance initiatives; reducing carbon in investment portfolios; and opportunities in green technology, water, and renewables. Read more.

• Yale CEO Leadership Summit/Winter (December 12 – 13; New York). Event brings “together top executive leaders to encourage leading scholars to share their perspectives, and promote further research in the field of leadership.” Representative topics include: planning for CEO succession; building top management teams; improving board governance; and examining the character of leadership. Read more.

Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month

• Sustainable Life Media has issued a call for proposals for its Sustainable Brands Conference US scheduled to be held June 3 – 6, 2013 in San Diego, with a proposal submission deadline of December 31, 2012. Event is self-described as “the preeminent event for discussing the rapid rise of sustainability as a driver for revenue growth and brand equity in the 21st Century.” Event aims to provide attendees from the areas of brand management, sustainability, and design with tools and strategies for sustainable brand building. Representative topics include new tools for visualizing complexity; creating shared value in the supply chain; and developing purposeful partnerships between brands and for-good organizations. Read more.

• TechConnect has issued a call for proposals for its Clean Technology Conference scheduled for May 12 -16, 2013 in Washington, DC, with a proposal submission deadline of January 16, 2013. Event is self-described as “a multi-disciplinary and multi-sector conference addressing advancements in traditional technologies, emerging technologies and clean business practices applied towards a more sustainable future,” with a mission to “bring together the entire Clean Technology ecosystem with the goal of accelerating the flow of technologies from development to implementation.” Event’s content is derived from technical research; IP and venture; company presentations; corporate needs; policy and investment; and sustainable industry. Read more.

• MIT will begin agenda planning for its Sustainability Summit taking place in April 2013. Event is self-described as bringing together “students, engineers, business leaders, academics, environmental activists, and public servants to look at the current successes, emerging solutions and new paradigms that can lead us to an environmentally and socially sustainable future.” Representative topics include challenges in scaling social enterprises; sustainability transformation of large organizations; and adoption of transportation alternatives. Read more.

• Conference Board Center for Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability will begin agenda development for its Citizenship and Sustainability Conference being held in June 2013, with dates still to be announced and the location likely to be Washington, DC, once again. Event focuses on best practices for “solving the world’s toughest problems” through corporate citizenship and sustainability programs. Representative topics include green jobs; public and private partnerships; global warming; and energy efficiency. Read more.