Foremost Forums This Month

Okay, everybody, let’s all sing along: “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, a Yankee Doodle , do or die, a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the fourth of July….” Thank you, thank you, George M. Cohan, for that stirring lyric. And thank you, too, all the organizers of the fabulous forums listed below, themselves about to be born in July!!

Foremost forums upcoming

• World Future Society Annual Conference (July 11 – 13; Orlando). Conference is described as "bringing together futurists from around the world to share ideas and vital information about the trends and events that will affect the world tomorrow." Representative topics include: Preventing threats and surviving growth; bringing scenarios to life; changes in human communication modes; and the data era. 2014 theme: "What If."

• Business Future of the Americas Conference (July 15 – 17; Panama City). Event aims to provide a forum for Latin American senior representatives in trade policy, politics, and business to examine corporate strategies and international trade opportunities. Representative topics include: The role of energy in unlocking sustainable growth; social and environmental sustainability as catalyzers of sustainable growth; and public and private governance as a key factor to unlock sustainable growth. The 2014 theme is "Unlocking Sustainable Growth in the Americas—Governance, Equity, Energy and Education."

• Multicultural Women's National Conference (July 16 – 17; New York). Conference focuses on "some of the most important issues in the workplace for multicultural women." Program themes focus on advancing women of varying cultural backgrounds in the workplace and include how to compete and collaborate at the senior executive level; developing mentoring and sponsoring relationships; and being an influencer with or without authority. 2014 theme: "Vision and Impact – What's Next."

• National Urban League Annual Conference (July 23 – 26; Cincinnati). Event aims to address "the most critical issues confronting African Americans and urban communities and to strategize about empowering solutions." Representative topics include: Building education partnerships – support, achievement and opportunity; pathways to success – changing the lives of imprisoned youth through jobs and justice; and essential health habits for living longer. The 2014 theme is "One Nation Underemployed – Bridges to Jobs and Justice."

Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month

• IESE Business School will begin developing the agenda for its Doing Good and Doing Well Conference (DGDW) taking place February 27 – 28, 2015 in Barcelona. Self-described as "Europe's leading student-run event on responsible business," conference has an emphasis on "major opportunities and challenges faced by responsible businesses and organizations;" how they can develop effective new strategies and business models; and the facilitation of partnerships between industry professionals and business school graduate students. Representative topics include: Social and economic development; energy and the environment; responsible finance; healthcare; sustainability; social entrepreneurship; and corporate social responsibility.

• Dow Jones and Company will begin agenda development for its Global Compliance Symposium being held April 20 – 21, 2015 in Washington, DC. Symposium focuses on improving risk and compliance processes within organizations by aiming "to provide unmatched expertise, practical strategies and must-have information on increasingly complex government regulations and corporate compliance issues." Representative topics include: Spreading the compliance message across a global company; managing the risks associated with third parties; handling whistle-blowers correctly; and working with complicated regulations.

• T2 Venture Creation will begin developing the agenda for its Global Innovation Summit scheduled for February 17 – 19, 2015 in San Jose. Forum, held as part of Global Innovation Week, focuses on "transforming whole industries by changing ways of thinking" and the concept that "ideas, solutions, and ventures could flourish anywhere, even in the most 'unlikely' places and challenge-riddled regions." Representative topics include: Tools to build innovation ecosystems; creating capital infrastructure; health solutions at the cutting edge; and education for all.

• Simmons College will begin agenda development for its Simmons Leadership Conference taking place April 2, 2015 in Boston. Conference is self-described as the "world's premier leadership event for women." The event's goal is to foster "an enduring tradition of dialogue and discovery among ever-growing audiences of business and professional women." Event addresses such topics as leveraging leadership opportunities; global healthcare; and responsible leadership.

• TBLI Group will begin solidifying the agenda for its TBLI Conference Europe being held October 28 – 29, 2014 in Amsterdam. Event aims to bring together asset owners and asset managers for education and networking around sustainable investment issues. Representative topics include: Integrated reporting in Europe; integrating ESG into portfolios; how hedging can be ESG-compatible; fund performance and structure; and low carbon investment.

• US Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center (CCC) will begin agenda solidification of its Corporate Citizenship Conference scheduled for September 8 – 10, 2014 in Washington, DC. Conference examines social and economic issues arising as a result of emerging market development and then examines the various strategic roles that businesses can play in the communities in which they operate. Sessions cover big picture approaches to global topics as well as hands-on/how-to sessions on what practical actions companies can take in more effectively managing their corporate presence in emerging market countries.