Bright Sparks: Fuel Vancouver Conference

Steven and Jane Cox, architects of Pecha Kucha Vancouver, have initiated their next local iteration. The Future of Urbanity, the Environment, and Our Lifestyle places more weight on audience input and less on Sir Ken Robinson-esque drama. With venue booked but ticket sales still happening and event details unconfirmed, FUEL is all passion and risk. Expect a grassroots mashup of larger lectures, intimate workshops, and free-flowing mixers hopping through topics centred on food, design, technology, and sustainability. Crowd-sourced funding means keynote speakers like Zipcar founder Robin Chase were vetted by advance-ticket holders. “Our goal,” says Jane Cox, “is to really push the edges in terms of what events and conferences are like—to turn ideas into action.”    

For more information: Fuelvancouver.com

Update (May 6, 2014)

Speakers lineup:

Ada Wong (Hong Kong, China) is a convenor at Good Lab and Make a Difference (MaD) as well as the Hon Chief Executive at the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture

Alden E. Habacon is an accomplished diversity and inclusion strategist, public intellectual, consultant and speaker in the area of multiculturalism in Canada

Alex Gilliam (Pennsylvania, USA) is the founder of Public Workshop and co-founder of the Department of Making + Doing. @publicworkshop

Andrew Wagner (New York, USA) of Dwell, American Craft and ReadyMade magazines is a writer, editor, creative director and strategist. twitter: @wagsissticks

Cheryl Dahle (Illinois, USA) works in the intersection of business and social change as the Founder of Future of Fish

Darrell Kopke (British Columbia, Canada) of institute B, is a writer, instigator, daddy and practitioner of ruthless compassion for entrepreneurs. twitter: @darrellkopke

Duane Elverum (British Columbia, Canada) is Co-Director and Co-Founder CityStudio Vancouver.

Eesmyal Santos-Brault is a serial social entrepreneur. Twitter: @eesmyal

Fiona Rayher is Co-Director and Co-Founder Gen Why Media.

Geoff Mulgan (England, UK) is Chief Executive of Nesta.

Ian Pierpoint is the founder and Chief Ideas Officer of The Sound.

Janet Moore is Co-Director and Co-Founder CityStudio Vancouver.

Jessie Adcock is Chief Digital Officer City of Vancouver.

Joel Solomon is Chair of Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest social venture capital firm, with $98m assets under management.

Kierstin De West is Founder and CEO of Ci. (conscientious innovation ltd).

Manie Eager is President and CEO of Idaeon, an strategic business innovation.

Michael Tippett (British Columbia, Canada) is an entrepreneur and Director of New Products at HootSuite.

Michelle Osry (British Columbia, Canada) is a partner at Deloitte and a key contributor to Deloitte’s national innovation council.

Robin Chase (Massachusetts, USA) of Zipcar, Buzzcar, Veniam’ Works is a transportation entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and knitter. twitter: @robinchase

Sarah Goodman is the Founder and CEO of Treetop Strategy.

Vanessa Richards creates arts partnerships and projects cultivating participation, collaboration and the civic imagination.