Bill Gates on Energy at TED

For a person who produces conferences for a living (Hello Me!) the annual TED conference is the Superbowl of the conference industry. If you are not familar with TED here is a description lifted from their website:

Each year, the world's leading thinkers and doers gather in for an event many describe as the highlight of their year. Attendees have called it "The ultimate brain spa," "Davos for optimists" and "A four-day journey into the future, in the company of those creating it."

Less than two weeks ago Bill Gates gave a very thought provoking speech on energy at the 2010 TED conference. The people at TED have since uploaded video of Mr. Gate's speech that some are calling the "Most Important Climate Speech of the Year". Watch the speech below to come to your own conclusion. Anybody know how I could convince Bill Gates to come on board the 2010 Sustainable Operations Summit?

Brick City's Cory Booker Set To Inspire Campus Summit!

It's been a busy week here in the production department at CraigMichaels! Following the announcement that President Clinton will be joining us at the Sustainable Operations Summit, we are thrilled to inform you that Newark Mayor Cory Booker will be the Opening Keynote Speaker at the 2010 Campus Development & Campus Technology Summits.

If the name Cory Booker is foreign to you now...I promise it won't be for long! As the Mayor of Newark, NJ since 2006; Booker has been leading the troubled city in a direction that many thought would have been impossible. He has greatly reduced crime, convinced businesses to once again return to the Newark area and, most importantly, inspired the city's people to achieve and expect more from life.

Mayor Booker brings his passion for social change to the podium. Sharing stories informed by real life, he demonstrates the need for everyone to take responsibility in helping this nation live up to its promise. Cory Booker is destined to become a BIG player in national politics, so having him at our summit is a real privilege.

Below is a somewhat recent interview with Mayor Booker where he discusses Sundance Channel's reality mini-series 'Brick City' which follows his herculean efforts in Newark.

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President Bill Clinton at SOS 2010!

It's been a little while since I updated this blog. Been working on a few things...like shoveling snow, working out the logistics for our Sports & Entertainment Facilities Forum...and confirming BILL CLINTON to speak at the 2010 Sustainable Operations Summit!

That's right! President Bill Clinton will be closing out the summit which is taking place May 16-18th at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, TX. We at CraigMichaels are beyond excited and are now counting the days (94 to be exact!) to the start of the summit.

Since we launched the Sustainable Operations Summit in 2006 we have been fortunate to have welcomed some of the world's most engaging thought leaders. President Clinton not only continues this tradition but once again solidifies this summit as one of the most respected environmental conferences today. Previous speakers at the summit have included: Al Gore, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., David Suzuki, Paul Hawken, Ray Anderson, Amory Lovins, Dan Esty, and Andrew Winston to name but a few.