Bright Ideas Supernova Conference Explodes Ways of Thinking about Technology
For seven years, Wharton Assistant Professor Kevin Werbach’s Supernova Conference has been a conversation starter and idea generator for the Network Age. On June 16-18, conference participants will meet in San Francisco for “Supernova 2008: Challenges for the Network Age,” with the aim of anticipating what’s ahead in technology tools and practice.
Produced in partnership with the Wharton School, Supernova features thought leaders from established industries, cutting-edge innovators, and noted scholars. This year’s conference includes seven Wharton faculty who bring broad-ranging expertise in technology. (See below for a list of faculty and links to their web pages.)
Conference participants and attendees warm up for the event through extensive pre-conference discussion in the “Conversation Hub” of the Supernova website. The dialogue, happening through multiple channels, includes: an “Open Flow” teleconference kick-starting conversations about openness in technologies and business practices for that conference track; videocast updates from Werbach; and a blog reporting on conversationswith conference speakers. In a recent post, Supernova blogger Christopher Carfi wrapped up a conversation with Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, who plans to talk about “what happens when group action actually occurs.”
The Supernova community is also engaged in the hunt for “the next great mobile ideas.” Supernova teamed up with TechCrunch to create the “Mobile Connections” module, through which anyone can submit “game-changing innovations that provide a glimpse of the wireless future.” Ideas that make the cut will be showcased at the conference.
Werbach is always looking for ways to improve the format of the conference, virtual and real, to help stimulate creativity. This year, he’s shifted conference logistics to include more “challenge sessions” and two days, rather than one, at the Wharton West facility in San Francisco.
As he writes on the website, “So, following our most successful event ever, we’ve challenged ourselves to re-invent Supernova. We’ve kept all the intelligence, networking, and fun, and added more interactive sessions at Wharton West, more ‘out of the box’ speakers, more open forums, and more social media to complement the physical event.”
Check out the weblog page of the Supernova website for links to the Supernova 2008 Sevenload Channel, Supernova “Tweets,” and conference photos.
