July 26-28

July 2, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Tucker
Director of Communications
The World Future Society
301-656-8274
Ptucker@wfs.org

More than 1,000 Futurists to Converge on Washington D.C. for World Future Society Conference.

Bethesda, MD: Futurists from such organizations as UPS, NASA, George Washington University, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security, and from countries all over the world will converge on the Hilton Washington for the annual conference of the World Future Society, July 26-28.

Among the confirmed speakers, Bill Drayton, CEO, founder, and chairman, Ashoka: Innovations for the Public; Dennis M. Bushnell, chief scientist, NASA Langley Research Center; Dave Barnes, senior vice president and CIO of UPS; Marvin Cetron, president, Forecasting International, Inc; Leon S. Fuerth, former national security adviser to Vice President Al Gore; Jerry Allan, president, Criteria Architects, Inc; Maddy Dychtwald, executive vice president, co-founder, Age Wave; and AI expert Ben Goertzel among dozens of others. Complete list available at www.wfs.org.

The topics covered will include:
* Future[s] of Energetics;
* Trends in Education: Implications for the Future;
* Forecasting the Technology Revolution;
* The Coming Global Crisis of Maturity;
* The Future of Law Enforcement;
* Futuristic Investing in the Financial Markets: Where Are the Assets of; Tomorrow?
* The Future of Virtual Worlds;
* The End of the Written Word.

"I will never forget attending my first World Future Society annual conference," writes this year’s conference chairman, Nat Irvin II, on the Society’s Web site. "What I remember most was the sheer excitement of seeing hundreds of people from all over the world engaged in serious debates about the future. The Hilton bustled with scientists, economists, historians, philosophers, business people, academics, teachers, ordinary people debating and presenting new ideas about the social, political, economic, and technological trends and events for the next hundred years."

WorldFuture 2008 will take place from July 26-28 at the Hilton Washington, Washington, D.C. Interested individuals can download a conference program (http://www.wfs.org/MArch-April08/WF2008_preliminary.pdf ), read selected speaker interviews, or register online at www.wfs.org . Registration is $595 for Society members, $650 for non-members.

Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities.

The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006), and scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (2006).

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4.25.08

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOUNDER AND CEO MOLLY J. COYE, and FORMER chief medical officer of WEB MD KEVIN FINCKENSCHER to speak at WorldFuture 2008

Molly J. Coye, former New Jersey Health Commissioner, founder and CEO of the Health Technology Center, and Kevin M. Finckenscher, a chief medical officer at Perot Systems and former CMO of Web MD, will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society.

Their joint presentation will take place on Monday, July 28, from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., where they'll discuss emerging health care technologies and their global impact on society.

“Health care and health-care technology are changing at an amazing rate both in the U.S. and across the globe,” they assert. “Technology has altered the way health care is delivered, and the Internet and the media have been instrumental in making consumers more and more knowledgeable about health care.” Coye and Finckenscher will address the ways in which the Internet and the media are empowering consumers, and discuss new and changing technological developments that will help determine the future of health care.

4.23.08

Dave Barnes, UPS senior vice president and CIO, to speak at WorldFuture 2008 luncheon

Dave Barnes, the senior vice president and CIO of UPS, has confirmed that he will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society, on ways businesses can keep customers satisfied in tomorrow’s business climate.

In his speech, which will take place Monday, July 28, during a 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. luncheon, Barnes will tell business professionals how they can give their customers greater individual attention, a feat that he says is more important than ever.

“Fueled by the Internet, customers can choose what they want, when they want it, and from whomever they choose,” he says. “To succeed, businesses of all sizes must continually deliver this personalized customer experience–whether wooing a new customer or resolving a problem for a long-standing one.”

4.15.08

Enrique Peña Nieto, governor of the State of Mexico, to speak at Worldfuture 2008

Enrique Peña Nieto, the governor of the State of Mexico, has confirmed that he will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society, on the future of emerging economies.

"The future social, economic, and political stability of the world greatly depends on the harmonization of the levels of development between different countries and regions," says Nieto. "Emerging economies play an important role in this respect, as potential hubs of regional development that may, in turn, pull the peripheral regions into the dynamics of world economic development. However, to play this important role, developing economies have yet to transform some of their local institutions and consolidate others.... The presentation will aim to explore the many aspects involved in the creation of these necessary conditions for local, regional and, in turn, world development."

WorldFuture 2008 will take place from July 26-28 at the Hilton Washington, Washington, D.C. Also presenting at this year's conference:

*Bill Drayton, CEO, founder, and chairman, Ashoka: Innovations for the Public,

*Life-cycle expert Maddy Dychtwald,

* NASA chief scientist Dennis M. Bushnell,

*President of Criteria Architects, Inc. Jerry Allan,

* Molly J. Coye, founder and CEO, Health Technology Center; former commissioner of Health for the State of New Jersey; director, California Department of Health Services

* Kevin M. Fickenscher, executive vice president, International health care for Perot Systems; formerly chief medical officer at WebMD Corporation and many more.

Learn more.

About the World Future Society:
Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities.

The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006), and scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (2006).For information about WorldFuture 2008, contact the World Future Society at 1-301-656-8274 or e-mail Susan Echard, sechard@wfs.org, vice president for membership and conference operations.

Also check out WFS and WorldFuture 08 on Facebook


July 26-28, 2008 • Hilton Washington • Washington, D.C. Preconference Courses: July 25 Professional Members' Forum: July 29, 2008
July 2, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Patrick Tucker Director of Communications The World Future Society 301-656-8274 Ptucker@wfs.org More than 1,000 Futurists to Converge on Washington D.C. for World Future Society Conference. Bethesda, MD: Futurists from such organizations as UPS, NASA, George Washington University, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security, and from countries all over the world will converge on the Hilton Washington for the annual conference of the World Future Society, July 26-28. Among the confirmed speakers, Bill Drayton, CEO, founder, and chairman, Ashoka: Innovations for the Public; Dennis M. Bushnell, chief scientist, NASA Langley Research Center; Dave Barnes, senior vice president and CIO of UPS; Marvin Cetron, president, Forecasting International, Inc; Leon S. Fuerth, former national security adviser to Vice President Al Gore; Jerry Allan, president, Criteria Architects, Inc; Maddy Dychtwald, executive vice president, co-founder, Age Wave; and AI expert Ben Goertzel among dozens of others. Complete list available at www.wfs.org. The topics covered will include: * Future[s] of Energetics; * Trends in Education: Implications for the Future; * Forecasting the Technology Revolution; * The Coming Global Crisis of Maturity; * The Future of Law Enforcement; * Futuristic Investing in the Financial Markets: Where Are the Assets of; Tomorrow? * The Future of Virtual Worlds; * The End of the Written Word. "I will never forget attending my first World Future Society annual conference," writes this year’s conference chairman, Nat Irvin II, on the Society’s Web site. "What I remember most was the sheer excitement of seeing hundreds of people from all over the world engaged in serious debates about the future. The Hilton bustled with scientists, economists, historians, philosophers, business people, academics, teachers, ordinary people debating and presenting new ideas about the social, political, economic, and technological trends and events for the next hundred years." WorldFuture 2008 will take place from July 26-28 at the Hilton Washington, Washington, D.C. Interested individuals can download a conference program (http://www.wfs.org/MArch-April08/WF2008_preliminary.pdf ), read selected speaker interviews, or register online at www.wfs.org . Registration is $595 for Society members, $650 for non-members. Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities. The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006), and scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (2006). previous 4.25.08 HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOUNDER AND CEO MOLLY J. COYE, and FORMER chief medical officer of WEB MD KEVIN FINCKENSCHER to speak at WorldFuture 2008 Molly J. Coye, former New Jersey Health Commissioner, founder and CEO of the Health Technology Center, and Kevin M. Finckenscher, a chief medical officer at Perot Systems and former CMO of Web MD, will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society. Their joint presentation will take place on Monday, July 28, from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., where they'll discuss emerging health care technologies and their global impact on society. “Health care and health-care technology are changing at an amazing rate both in the U.S. and across the globe,” they assert. “Technology has altered the way health care is delivered, and the Internet and the media have been instrumental in making consumers more and more knowledgeable about health care.” Coye and Finckenscher will address the ways in which the Internet and the media are empowering consumers, and discuss new and changing technological developments that will help determine the future of health care. 4.23.08 Dave Barnes, UPS senior vice president and CIO, to speak at WorldFuture 2008 luncheon Dave Barnes, the senior vice president and CIO of UPS, has confirmed that he will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society, on ways businesses can keep customers satisfied in tomorrow’s business climate. In his speech, which will take place Monday, July 28, during a 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. luncheon, Barnes will tell business professionals how they can give their customers greater individual attention, a feat that he says is more important than ever. “Fueled by the Internet, customers can choose what they want, when they want it, and from whomever they choose,” he says. “To succeed, businesses of all sizes must continually deliver this personalized customer experience–whether wooing a new customer or resolving a problem for a long-standing one.” 4.15.08 Enrique Peña Nieto, governor of the State of Mexico, to speak at Worldfuture 2008 Enrique Peña Nieto, the governor of the State of Mexico, has confirmed that he will speak at WorldFuture 2008, the annual conference of the World Future Society, on the future of emerging economies. "The future social, economic, and political stability of the world greatly depends on the harmonization of the levels of development between different countries and regions," says Nieto. "Emerging economies play an important role in this respect, as potential hubs of regional development that may, in turn, pull the peripheral regions into the dynamics of world economic development. However, to play this important role, developing economies have yet to transform some of their local institutions and consolidate others.... The presentation will aim to explore the many aspects involved in the creation of these necessary conditions for local, regional and, in turn, world development." WorldFuture 2008 will take place from July 26-28 at the Hilton Washington, Washington, D.C. Also presenting at this year's conference: *Bill Drayton, CEO, founder, and chairman, Ashoka: Innovations for the Public, Life-cycle expert Maddy Dychtwald, NASA chief scientist Dennis M. Bushnell, President of Criteria Architects, Inc. Jerry Allan,* * Molly J. Coye, founder and CEO, Health Technology Center; former commissioner of Health for the State of New Jersey; director, California Department of Health Services * Kevin M. Fickenscher, executive vice president, International health care for Perot Systems; formerly chief medical officer at WebMD Corporation and many more. Learn more. About the World Future Society: Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities. The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006), and scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (2006).For information about WorldFuture 2008, contact the World Future Society at 1-301-656-8274 or e-mail Susan Echard, sechard@wfs.org, vice president for membership and conference operations. Also check out WFS and WorldFuture 08 on Facebook