Executive Cohort
Past participants have included executives from:
Meet the smart people building smart cities
Facilitated sessions allow cohort members to get to know each other and each other’s work on a deep level while creating space for important discussions on the future of cities, technology, and society.
Connect with Peers
Ten executives meet virtually once a week for six weeks to share knowledge and build lasting alliances.
Present Your Work
Following an onboarding process, cohort members are paired together by the cohort facilitator and featured in a fireside chat (one per session) discussing topics of mutual or complimentary expertise.
Discuss the Future
“The pandemic has short-wired our traditions of interaction and connection. Conferences canceled, in-person meetings moved online. Most convening organizations have simply turned their events into digital conferences, but that format strips the experience of the serendipitous, authentic social interactions that happen at in-person events. The hallway conversations. The elevator rides. The networking receptions.
The loss of these social collisions is catastrophic. For individuals, the lack of exposure to intelligent and industrious colleagues slows inspiration and innovation, and at the organizational level it impedes business development, partnership building, and the maintenance of important partner relationships.
Through curated invitation lists and small, facilitated group discussions, Meeting of the Minds Executive Cohorts offer a better model for urban practitioners to build their network and cultivate partnerships in this pandemic era.”
“With the suspension of conferences and in-person events, and the important social collisions they engender, savvy and tenacious individuals have turned to digital breakout rooms, chat rooms, virtual happy hours, webinars, Zoom meetings, even apps and services that provide random interaction, in the hopes of finding meaningful networking.
But irregular, informal digital networking formats, without the undergirding of curation, facilitation, or time, tend to lead to transactional and impermanent connections.
The Meeting of the Minds Executive Cohorts are a rare opportunity to connect deeply and regularly with colleagues and peers working on the transformation of the world’s urban spaces.“
Discussion Topics
GOVERNANCE
Urban policy, justice, services
MOBILITY
TECHNOLOGY
Innovation, connectivity, data
ENVIRONMENT
Climate change, natural disasters
SOCIETY
Healthy communities, social equity, education
ECONOMY
Public-private partnerships, jobs, economic inclusion
INFRASTRUCTURE
Street design, smart buildings, urban planning
RESOURCES
Energy, water, food systems
Sample Schedule
Session #1 of each Cohort lasts 90 minutes, sessions #2-6 last 60 minutes each. Cohort participants are expected to attend all sessions.
Session #1: Introductions / 90 minutes
Session #2: Fireside chat #1 / 60 minutes
Session #3: Fireside chat #2 / 60 minutes
Session #4: Fireside chat #3 / 60 minutes
Session #5: Fireside chat #4 / 60 minutes
Sessions #6: Fireside chat #5 / 60 minutes
Participation Fees
Designed to cost about the same as a pre-pandemic conference, participation fees for the Executive Cohort are on a sliding scale based on sector.
Private sector: $2,000
Start-ups and philanthropy: $1,000
Non-profit and academic participants: $500
Public sector leaders: Suggested donation of $250
Participant Application
Participation in the Executive Cohort program is by invitation only. To express your interest in joining a Cohort, please fill out an application.