With plans to converge their two flagship conferences, Creative Alliance Milwaukee and The Greater Milwaukee Committee’s Innovation in Milwaukee (MiKE) will present a SXSW Interactive-esque event on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at more than 15 venues across the Third Ward and Walker’s Point.
The traveling conference, born from CAM’s Creative Milwaukee @ Work Summit and MiKE’s Flying Car, will be known as “Walk the Talk” with a theme along the lines of the “Intersection of Creativity and Innovation.”
The conference will urge attendees to move beyond conversation about community topics to necessary and impactful action. Anchoring the day will be keynote speeches by Milwaukee Public Museum president and chief executive officer Dennis Kois, who will explore creativity, and Andrew Williams, Ph.D., who will center on innovation. Williams is director of the Humanoid Engineering & Intelligent Robotics Lab at Marquette University.
The event will also wrap its arms around creativity and innovation by addressing business issues related to talent attraction and development, organizational process, company culture, the business of art, and creative placemaking.
Among those slated to speak are Cielo executives Sue Marks and Kristen Wright, who will give their insight on talent; DCI-Artform leaders Karin Peterson and mark Muhurin, who will discuss process; and Joey Feinstein, of Southwester Airlines, who will address company culture.
Along with keynote addresses and a lineup of presentations, the day will feature a set of “Super Colliders” – top community leaders who will guide “Move” sessions during the morning and afternoon. Those sessions will bring together small groups of attendees for personal conversations with the Super Colliders as groups migrate between different locations for presentations.
Conference Super Colliders include Joaquin Altoro of Town Bank; Pamela Anderson of Contemporary Pull; Anne Basting of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Time Slips; Fonde Bridges of Healthy Words Literary Kitchen; Christy Brown of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast; James Carlson of School Factory, Inc.; Dasha Kelly of Still Waters Collective; and Sara Meaney of BVK.
“Walk the Talk” will unfold at community venues like PK Ware; the Global Water Center; the Johnson Controls, Inc. Innovation Center; Cramer Krasselt; Catalano Square; Next Act; Hudson Business Lounge; and Surg on the Water. 88Nine Radio Milwaukee will serve as conference headquarters.
The event is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with registration beginning at 7:15 a.m. at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. in Milwaukee. Scholarships are available for attendees.
For more information on the conference, visit www.walkthetalkmke.com.
