PROVIDENCE – What do an astronaut, a three-time Super Bowl winner and the president and CEO of BakerRipley in Houston all have in common?
The three of them, along with more than 500 others, will descend on Providence from around the globe next week to attend the Business Innovation Factory’s annual summit of innovators.
“It’s BIF on its best day,” said an excited Saul Kaplan, BIF founder and chief catalyst, who announced Friday the annual meeting was sold out.
“We’re fully subscribed and folks are coming in from around the country and world,” he added.
Indeed, BIF2017, as its called, is an annual meeting that Inc. Magazine has named among the Top 10 Most Innovative Conferences in 2016. The summit, scheduled for Sept. 13-14, brings self-described “innovation junkies” together at Trinity Rep Theater to hear from 32 people – or “storytellers” – in a Ted Talks-like atmosphere.
“The storyteller lineup – and I know I’m bias – is always folks that I know I can learn from, so I suspect others can as well,” Kaplan said.
The summit has been going on for more than a decade, and regularly sells out. It draws speakers from throughout the world.
This year’s storytellers include Candy Coleman, an astronaut who famously took several flutes with her to the International Space Station, and played one live from orbit on National Public Radio in 2011.
Joe Andruzzi, a former New England Patriots offensive guard, ended his football career in 2007 after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Burkitt’s lymphoma. Now, cancer-free, he helps other cancer patients and their families meet the challenges associated with fighting the disease.
In wake of Hurricane Harvey, Angela Blanchard, president and CEO of Houston-based BakerRipley, is slated to discuss her post-disaster recovery work.
“I’ve spoken with her directly and it’s really incredible,” Kaplan said. “What’s happened, and what is now just getting started.”
The full suite of storytellers also includes some familiar Rhode Island faces. Teny Gross of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago formerly worked at the Study of Practice and Nonviolence in Providence. He built the nonprofit from a few unpaid nonviolence trainers to a $1.2 million agency with a 28-member team before leaving for Chicago in 2016.
Likewise, Walt Mossberg, a Warwick native and cofounder of Re/code, will take the stage to discuss the rise of technology. Mossberg, who has hosted the BIF summit before, started his career in 1970 and wrote the “Personal Technology “ column for the Wall Street Journal from 1991 to 2013.
“We love to have some Rhode Islanders in the mix, and obviously many Rhode Islanders are attending,” Kaplan said.
For those interested in participating, but were unable to get a ticket, the event is live streamed through BIF’s website here.
“There’s lots of ways to engage in the conversation, even if you’re not in the room,” Kaplan said.
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
