Imagine Solutions Conference in Naples to focus on breakthrough science
Science will take center stage at the Imagine Solutions Conference in Naples this year.
Even more so than it did in 2022.
The line-up of speakers for the one-day event Monday at the Arthrex One Conference Center in North Naples includes major names in the science world:
Doris Taylor, who is credited with creating a “personalized" replacement heart
Jean Bennett, who has developed gene therapies for curing blindness
David Liu, who is an expert in gene editing
Paul Stamets, who is an industry leader in mushrooms and psychedelic drugs
Pat Brown, who is the founder of plant-based burger maker Impossible Foods
With break-through scientists like these on tap, the event will draw in nearly a dozen national science writers, from such well-known news organizations as The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and the Scientific American, said Randy Antik, the conference's founder and CEO.
That is an "absolute first for us and this community," he said.
Another first: A request to arrange cold storage for lab-made hearts that presenter Taylor, a molecular biologist and CEO of Organamet Bio, plans to show off at the conference.
"It's almost hard to imagine," Antik said.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hold a chilled, bagged demonstration heart, sure to be a highlight of the event, he said.
"That's pretty amazing," Antik said. "Right, right? People aren't used to seeing or doing things like that."
More like this:What to know about the Imagine Solutions Conference in Naples
And:Moderna co-founder among thought leaders this month at virtual Imagine Solutions Conference
The conference's theme this year is "Leadership. Innovation. Inspiration."
Marketers describe the 2023 theme as a "nod to the role that uncontainable curiosity plays in the minds of innovators and visionaries in bringing about change" and responding to community and world challenges.
In total, there will be 18 speakers, considered "thought leaders" in their various fields.
Other topics on the jam-packed agenda include education, civil discourse, energy, biodiversity and exploration.
"What I want is big ideas," Antik said. "From the best voices that are out there doing that."
As usual, the event will include visual and performing arts.
Most of the attendees are local residents, many of them seasonal, so the event doesn't have a big economic impact, Antik said.
But that could soon change, attracting visitors in a new way.
With the increased focus on science, the conference has the potential to make a name for Naples in scientific circles, drawing other industry meetings and events over time, giving a boost to the local tourism economy, Antik said.
"In the long-term it could be very impactful," he said. "Things like this take a while to seed."
The goal is to reach an influential audience who can learn and make a difference from what they learn at the conference through action and financial support.
The audience includes local education and nonprofit leaders, who are offered scholarships to help cover the ticket price.
"This is worth doing. It makes a difference," Antik said.
A limited number of tickets are still available for the nearing event, but they're going fast, with the anticipation of yet another sell-out crowd of 540.
After Hurricane Ian hit in late September, organizers feared attendance could be impacted this year, but after a lull in October and November, ticket sales "just took off again," Antik said.
The one-of-a-kind event launched in 2010. It's put on by the nonprofit Searching for Solutions Institute.
Imagine Solutions Conference
Date: March 6, 2023
When: 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Where: Arthrex One Conference Center, 1290 Innovation Drive, North Naples.
Cost: $700 per person, $355 for nonprofit leaders in Southwest Florida.
Information: imaginesolutionsconference.com
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Imagine Solutions event in Naples will focus on breakthrough science
