What to watch for in July

By Terry Catchpole, CEO of the executive visibility strategy consultancy of the same name. Visit http://www.catchpole.com

It’s summertime! And per the great philosopher George Gershwin, the livin’ is easy. Especially if you are stretching your brain cells at one of this month’s stellar events!

Foremost forums upcoming in July

• Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival (July 5-11; Aspen), co-hosted by the Atlantic magazine, is designed to address trends in politics, culture, science, theology, and academia, with a mission to focus on “restorative reflection on the meaning of the good life, leadership, and sound public policy based on nonpartisan principles and timeless ideas.” Festival theme: Ideas in Action.

• The TED Global program (July 12-16; Oxford) is a UK-located variation on the venerable US-based TED Conferences, and is self-described as “like TED, but with an even stronger focus on really big world-changing ideas.” The focus is on “dreams from the intersecting worlds of science, business, globalization, invention, and creativity.” Theme is And Now the Good News. Read more at: http://conferences.ted.com/

• Working Mother Media’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women National Conference (July 27-28; New York) looks at ways and means to advance women of varied cultural backgrounds in the workplace. Topics include how to compete and collaborate at the senior executive level; developing mentoring and sponsoring relationships; and being an influencer with or without authority. Conference theme is Ambition-Where Passion Meets Purpose.

Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month

• Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship will begin agenda development for its International Corporate Citizenship Conference (April 10-12; Minneapolis) this month. The conference is described as “the place where corporate professionals, academics and corporate citizenship leaders create dynamic, streaming conversation by sharing stories about their successes and missteps.” Event examines challenges, strategies and best practices for managing corporate citizenship in companies worldwide.

• Illinois Institute of Technology has issued a call for speaker proposals for its Business Innovation Conference (October 4-6; Wheaton) with a deadline of July 15. The conference is self-described as “a premier event bringing academia, government, and business together to explore and learn the science of innovation, and accelerate performance through innovation.” Event aims to help attendees “raise [their] understanding of the innovation process and tools to the next level; discover how to sustain profitable growth and innovate more efficiently; [and] learn to master innovation to become a continual thinker, capable of innovating on demand for mass customization.”

• University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business will begin solidifying the agenda for its Wharton Women in Business Conference (October 15; Philadelphia) in July. The event is self-described as “promoting the collaboration and mentoring of women in business and providing an opportunity for WWIB members to network with successful women from a spectrum of industries.” The conference focuses on issues facing women inside and outside of the workplace and addresses such topics as achieving balance in life choices; eliminating roadblocks to success; and effective negotiating techniques