301/656-8274

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INNOVATION, STRATEGY FOCUS OF ANNUAL FUTURIST CONFERENCE

BETHESDA, MD — What the heck are we getting ourselves into?

"Bigger," "better," and "more" are among the watchwords for technology, says futurist Joel Barker, forecasting a future featuring pet robots, hypersonic planes, and waterless toilets. Understanding and taking advantage of these baffling developments will be essential to managing the rapid pace of tomorrow’s technological onslaught.

Barker will kick off WorldFuture 2005, the annual conference of the World Future Society, in Chicago July 29-31. WorldFuture 2005 is an international gathering of forward-thinkers, trend-trackers, and visionaries coming together for intense discussion about the world’s future.

Joining Barker at the opening plenary session will be Ken Dychtwald, founding president and CEO of Age Wave, who will explore how enhanced longevity will transform every aspect of life, from work and family to intergenerational politics and financial planning.

Before the end of the WorldFuture 2005, more than 100 sessions will challenge futurists from more than 20 countries to understand signals of change, identify significant trends, imagine the unimaginable, and develop thei creativity, competence, and confidence.

Special events include:

Digital Technology and Social Change: Author M. Rex Miller and University of Illinois professor Clifford Christians describe global, radical social changes and offer a new tool for understanding these changes and visualizing where they may lead us in the emerging Digital Age.

Space-Based Communities: What Will They Look Like? This is an overview of what it will be like to live in space, including the art, culture, and politics we’ll experience in our new neighborhoods.

The conference will close with dynamic business futurist Edie Weiner, president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., who will show how the next stage of economic development is emerging "virtually"--with virtual companies and virtual cities providing the economic and social milieu of virtual communities. Within a few years, she believes, 80% of the world population will have access to cyberspace and will spend a large portion of their time interacting with others through this medium.

"WorldFuture 2005 promises to not only give you a view of many possible futures, but also help you create the best possible future for yourself and your family, organization, community—and the world," says Timothy Mack, president of the World Future Society.

For more information and updates, check the conference homepage on World Future Society’s Web site, at www.wfs.org/2005main.htm.

The World Future Society is the largest and oldest organization in the world devoted to studying the future. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the Society publishes the bimonthly FUTURIST magazine.

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EDITORS: For more information contact the World Future Society at 301/656-8274; fax 301/951-0394. For press credentials to attend WorldFuture 2005, e-mail sechard@wfs.org or call 301/656-8274 (toll-free 800/989-8274). Conference updates, schedules, and a complete list of presenters and topics are available online at www.wfs.org.