UBC brings visionary Richard Florida to Okanagan Sept. 10

Richard Florida

Richard Florida, one of the world’s leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation, will speak in Kelowna on Sept. 10. His talk is one of several fifth-anniversary celebrations for UBC’s Okanagan campus this fall, and is also the opening for this year’s Distinguished Speaker Series, presented by the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences.

Taking up the themes of his two most recent books, Who’s Your City? and The Great Reset, in his Kelowna presentation Florida will examine how the creative economy is making “where to live” the most important decision of your life, and how new ways of living and working will drive post-crash prosperity.

“Richard Florida’s message is one that will resonate with Okanagan communities, where the creative economy is so important and so firmly established,” says Cynthia Mathieson, Dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. “It is exciting to open this year’s Distinguished Speaker Series with a presenter with such a distinguished background as an academic researcher and public educator, and someone so many people have asked us to bring to our region. We’re looking forward to a compelling and thought-provoking evening on Sept. 10.”

Florida’s talk begins at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and Convention Centre, (1310 Water St., Kelowna). The one-hour lecture will be followed by a book-signing.

Florida’s ideas have been featured in major ad campaigns such as BMW, and are used globally to change the way regions, nations, and companies compete. He is founder of the Creative Class Group, an advisory services firm, charting new trends in business and community.

A regular correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and a regular columnist with the Globe and Mail newspaper, Florida has written numerous articles the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Harvard Business Review, the Boston Globe and the Financial Times.

In addition to his latest books, Who’s Your City? and The Great Reset, which explains how new ways of living and working will drive post-crash prosperity, Florida is author of the national and international best-selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, which received the Washington Monthly’s Political Book Award and was cited as a major breakthrough idea by the Harvard Business Review.

Florida was recently named European Ambassador for Creativity and Innovation. He is Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Previously, Florida held professorships at Carnegie Mellon University, was a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT, and was a visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution. Florida earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Seats for the Sept. 10 lecture are free but pre-registration is required by visiting the Distinguished Speaker Series website (www.ubc.ca/okanagan/speakers). Those without Internet access can call 250-807-9216 and leave a message including your name, how many seats you would like to reserve (maximum of five), and a  phone number for confirming seat registration.

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