What's Going On at SIS12?

(3BL Media) May 16, 2012 - The upcoming invitation-only 2012 Social Innovation Summit, scheduled for May 30^th -31^st in New York City, promises to be an incredibly engaging event that will bring together top leaders from across the corporate, investment, government, and non-profit sectors. Together, attendees will engage in conversations on social challenges, analyze innovative approaches and build lasting partnerships that will enable them and their organizations to affect positive social change.

With so much collaboration and thought-provoking discussion going on, it might be difficult to know where to begin – so while the conference itself will explore “What’s Next?” in the world of Social Innovation, this blog post will walk you through “What’s Going On?” during this one-of-a-kind event.

An intimate VIP pre-conference will kick off on Wednesday, May 30^th, at JP Morgan, and include interactive workshops varying in focus from social media to innovation, and close with a networking and cocktail reception where attendees will join cross-themed discussion groups to reflect and build on their earlier workshop experiences. The agenda includes sessions discussing:

• The Business Case for Shared Value & Social Innovation, which boasts a panel of top-notch business leaders such as Kay Koplovitz from Liz Claiborne Inc., and Jason Saul from Mission Measurement
• The Power of Storytelling: Narratives for Impact, another impressive panel which includes Eileen Sweeney from Motorola and Francine LeFrak from Same Sky

The second day of the conference will be hosted at the United Nations and begin with a welcome address by the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Sigrid Kaag. The agenda includes thought-provoking sessions and dynamic speakers including:

• Celebrity philanthropist Alicia Keys
• Tiki Barber, former NFL Pro Bowl Running Back & NBC Broadcaster

• Jeff Swartz, former CEO & President of Timberland
• John Abele, founder of Boston Scientific Corporation
• Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director of Global Community Affairs at Microsoft

The Summit will foster conversations that are essential to affecting positive social change throughout the world. Topics include:

• The Private Sector's Role in Fostering Excellence in Education, which will include Peter Bloom from General Atlantic and Robert J. Torres from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Fireside Chat, with Craig Venter of the J. Craig Venter Institute
• Corporate Partnerships for Good: The Humanitarian Cloud, paneled by Doug Smith of VMware and Dan Matte from F5 Networks

While both days are by invitation-only, we encourage you to track the Social Innovation Summit conversation on social media by following @socinnovation and checking out #sis12 on Twitter. You can also interact with us on Facebook and Linkedin!