Each year is unique, but every year is exciting! You feel the energy. You sense…
At Imagine Solutions, we like food for thought. That can be figuratively, in the form of listening to those who are the very best at what they do talk about their accomplishments and the tangible ways in which they’ve changed the world. This is the sort of intellectual nourishment we get from attending our thought leader Conference and Seminars. This is the sustenance we rely on, trusting there are smart people creating real results.
Food for thought can also be literal; it may be said that the Imagine Solutions team seldom meets without there being a meal involved. There’s a local restaurant where we are regulars, and where they don’t seem to mind that our little squad takes up a table for sometimes a couple hours at a time. Full mugs of coffee, and overflowing minds, with a side of learning and inspiration. Today’s agenda: What differentiates us? What is the story of Imagine Solutions? What are the numbers and achievements that define our 10-year history?
Let’s start with the basics. Our 2020 Imagine Solutions Conference on February 24, 2020 will mark a decade of Imagine Solutions leading the way on big ideas in Southwest Florida. Over the course of a single day, 20 world-renowned thought leaders take the stage to regale an audience of approximately 650 with stories of their innovations and breakthroughs. Newer to Imagine Solutions’ programmatic offerings, but no less impactful, are the 3 Seminars we are hosting during the 2019-2020 season. Deep dives on a single topic of current importance, including an extended question and answer session with the audience, the Imagine Solutions Seminars capture the same caliber of thought on display at our full-day conference in a concentrated format.
To fully appreciate what we do, it’s helpful to know a little bit about who we are. Imagine Solutions was founded by a group of 22 families with ties to Southwest Florida who wanted to establish a preeminent thought leader event locally. Those connections to the region are central to our mission and organizational values. In 2019 alone, we underwrote 133 scholarships for leaders of Southwest Florida nonprofits to attend the Imagine Solutions Conference, amounting to $43,890 in donated value. Since 2015, we have underwritten a total of $251,060 in scholarships. Additionally, we provide full scholarships each year for recipients of the Golden Apple teaching awards to attend the Conference, tallying $46,800 to date.
We could achieve none of these goals without monumental support. Our 100 Voices represent a group of committed community members who have all attended the Imagine Solutions Conference at least twice, and are enthusiastic ambassadors for the organization. Representing the peerless community of business leaders throughout Southwest Florida, a group of 74 current and former top-level CEOs comprise a networking group affiliated with Imagine Solutions, through which information and ideas can be shared and connections made. As a trusted convener, we introduced a Leaders Luncheon series, enabling the heads of key Collier and Lee County institutions to meet on topics of critical need.
The legacy of Imagine Solutions, set to continue growing, is one grounded in a balanced need for local involvement and global awareness. Where will 2020 take us? Come along to see!