NEWSROOM

November Event Welcomes World’s Creative Thinkers, Doers

OKLAHOMA CITY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010 – As one of a dozen Districts of Creativity, Creative Oklahoma will host a global event to explore how creativity drives commerce, culture and education.  The 2010 Creativity World Forum will be held in Oklahoma City on November 15-17 and will feature an extraordinary lineup of over 65 speakers and presenters including some of the world’s most respected thinkers on creativity.

Creative Oklahoma is the nonprofit organization that represents Oklahoma as one of the world’s 12 Districts of Creativity, and is the host of the Forum. The State of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation are presenting sponsors of the two-day 2010 Creativity World Forum, the first ever hosted in North America.

A few of the featured  speakers include Daniel Pink, New York Times best-selling author; Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world’s leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment; David Pogue, New York Times personal technology columnist and author; Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS Shoes Inc.; Erik Logan, President of Harpo Productions; Pranav Mistry, inventor of SixthSense, a wearable gestural interface; Andrew Zolli, innovation expert, Z+ Partners and Pop!Tech; Robert Tercek, prolific creator of interactive content, Founder/President of People Jam and Scott Noppe-Brandon, Executive Director of Lincoln Center Institute.  Oklahoma will also contribute to the line-up with Lt. Governor, Jari Askins, Mayor Mick Cornett, Olympians Bart Conner and Nadi Comeneci, Peter Delaney, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of OGE Energy Corp, George Kaiser, Chairman, BOK Financial Corp., Aubrey McClendon, CEO, Chesapeake Energy, John Richels, CEO, Devon Energy, Tom Ward, Chairman & CEO, SandRidge Energy and many more.

“This is a great opportunity for Oklahoma to shine like never before,” said Ken Fergeson, President of the Board of Creative Oklahoma.  “What a great opportunity to showcase all the great things we are doing to grow a culture of creativity and innovation in our state.”

The conference will take place in multiple venues across Oklahoma City and will offer both pre and post-conference tours to different points of interest across the state.  The Cox Convention Center will host a Creativity Showcase and will be home to most of the programs, speakers, seminars and branch-out interactive sessions.  (Artspace) at Untitled and Automobile Alley will host the inaugural Creativity World Biennale, showcasing art from many of the Districts of Creativity from around the world.  All venues will have a rich diversity of tribal cultures woven through, shining a unique spotlight on our Native American culture through numerous events, art exhibits and performances.

The worldwide Districts of Creativity include: Baden–Württemberg (Germany), Catalonia (Spain), Flanders (Belgium), Karnataka (India), Lombardia (Italy), Oklahoma, (USA), Nord–Pas de Calais (France), Qingdao (P.R. China), Rhône–Alpes (France), Scotland (United Kingdom), Shanghai (P.R. China) and Tampere (Finland).

“People all over the world are talking about Oklahoma, and to me that’s a testament to the culture being created here,” said Susan McCalmont, of the Kirkpatrick Foundation and one of Creative Oklahoma’s founders and board members.  “This Forum brings together entrepreneurs, knowledge workers, educators, cultural leaders and policy makers from across the globe and provides opportunities for learning and sharing creative ideas to help propel us to the next level.

Oklahoma residents are encouraged by October 15, with a $100 discount off the $475 full conference registration.  Day passes and student passes are also available.

To register for the 2010 Creativity World Forum, go to www.stateofcreativity.com

About Creative Oklahoma, Inc.

Formed in 2006, Creative Oklahoma (CO) is a statewide non-profit organization that promotes and catalyzes creative idea generation in individuals and institutions. The goal is to transform the state of Oklahoma through initiatives which lead to a more entrepreneurial and vibrant economy along with a better quality of life for its citizens. Through this organization, Oklahoma has become a “District of Creativity”, which is an international network of delegates. It consists of 12 regions of the world that have been working together in the field of creative innovation policies since 2004. Oklahoma City was selected to host the Districts of Creativity’s annual Creativity World Forum at the Cox Convention Center on November 16 & 17. For more information, visit www.stateofcreativity.com.