Brain Trust: 15th Annual IdeaFestival Blossoms, Branches Out

By TODD ZEIGLERCopy Editor

The thing about ideas is, they go somewhere.

IdeaFestival is an idea that came about in Louisville in 2000. Since then, it has gone around the world to bring in leading thinkers in every conceivable field to present their views, philosophies, actions and, yes, ideas about where the world is headed.

For its 15th year, the festival is going in even newer directions.

Among those, its going out to eat. And its going to the movies.

As part of its efforts to enhance the experience year after year, IdeaFestival (IF) 2014 will branch out with Ideas Night Out, a series of small informal dinners at restaurants all over Louisville. Each dinner will feature an IF 2014 presenter in an intimate atmosphere, where the conversation begun in their presentation can continue and, perhaps, go somewhere else.

Lets say one of the speakers that we have coming this year is Joshua Green, who wrote a book called Moral Tribes, which is really interesting, said IdeaFestival founder Kris Kimel. Somebody says You know, Id like to have dinner with him. The dinners will be no more than about 14 people at a restaurant, so you can sign up and basically go have dinner with Joshua Green and just talk to him and other people at the table about whatever you want to talk about. Thats something we havent done before that were trying this year. So far, the process has been really positive, so we will see what happens.

Kris Kimel.

For a small additional ticket fee, you could discuss how our perception of time could make time travel possible with BBC reporter Claudia Hammond. Or probe even deeper into the possibilities of extraterrestrial life with science writer Lee Billings. How about discussing the rapidly changing economy with former diplomat Peter Van Buren over dessert?

Its one of several innovations introduced this year by Kimel and his team, with the goal of pushing the festival forward and keeping the experience fresh.

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Brain Trust: 15th Annual IdeaFestival Blossoms, Branches Out