The excitement is building as we get closer to the 2017 CityWorks(X)po Florida on April 6-7! Get ready to hear from an incredible speaker lineup, connect with other attendees and enjoy high-energy evening events. The (X)po also gives us the opportunity to showcase all the cool things going on in Winter Haven.

If you haven’t registered yet, go to www.cityworksxpofl.com and click the registration link. You’ll join with attendees from communities of all sizes who will meet in Winter Haven for this place-making summit, idea exchange and festival-style conference.

With generous enthusiasm and support from CityWorks(X)po founder Ed Walker, Main Street Winter Haven, Inc. is partnering with the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, City of Winter Haven, Winter Haven Economic Development Council and Visit Central Florida to bring you CityWorks(X)po Florida.

Anita Strang, Executive Director of Main Street Winter Haven, Inc., is thrilled that the conference is back for another year. “Last year’s event was so inspiring,” says Strang. “We look forward another positive experience as we share more transformative ideas at this year’s conference.”

Here’s what you can expect at the 2017 CityWorks(X)po:

Wednesday, April 5
5:30–7:00 pm Check in early and enjoy beer & bites at Grove Roots Brewing Co.

Thursday, April 6
8:00 am     Registration & Morning Bites
9:00 am     Walter Parks
9:10 am     Welcome To Cityworks(X)Po Florida
9:15 am     Josh McManus ~ For More Than Profit
9:50 am     Kennedy Smith ~ Residential and New Trends
10:30 am   Johnette Isham & Catherine Ferrer ~ Develop with a Laser Focus on Millennials
11:00 am   Lunch
1:00 am     Reinaldo Borges ~ Sea Level Rise and Resiliency
1:40 pm     Adrian Jones ~ Defining Utopia
2:10 pm     Walter Parks ~ Special + Simple = Support
2:30 pm     Ryan Frazier ~ If Dreams Could Talk
2:40 pm     Steve Mouzon ~ Original Green and Walkability
3:20 pm     Ben Pila ~ Guitarist
3:30 pm     Andy Oguntola ~ Moving the Needle
3:50 pm     Neil Takemoto ~ Engaging the Local Community to Attract Significant Investment for Downtown Revitalization
4:30 pm     Casmore Shaw ~ My Brother’s Keeper
5:30 pm     Main Street Winter Haven’s Downtown Craft Beer Crawl (map also highlights Winter Haven’s murals and outdoor sculptures).

Friday, April 7
8 :00 am    Registration & Morning Bites
9:00 am     Welcome
9:10 am     Anthony Lyons ~ Gainesville Creative Series
9:50 am     Dr. Dean Bushey ~ Autonomous Vehicles
10:30 am   Rick Baker ~ Good Government
11:00 am   Lunch
1:00 pm     Saba Ghole ~ Beyond Making
1:40 pm     Sharon West McCormick ~ Cultural Master Planning for Cities
2:10 pm     John Marsh ~ If I Could Do It All Again
2:40 pm     Bob Kealing ~ Cultural Tourism
3:10 pm     Nicole Travis ~ Lincoln Square Project
3:30 pm    Josh Bowers & Denise Parris ~ Outdoor Tourism & Trends
3:50 pm     Music + Art + Food ~ Robyn Wilson, Poor Porker, and Jane Waters-Thomas, Outerspace Gallery
4:10 pm     Jeff Donalson ~ No Vacancy
4:25 pm     Hiep Nguyen ~ How to Eat a Fiber Elephant
4:40 pm     Anita Strang ~ (X)po (X)tra
5:30 pm     Join us at Gram Parsons Derry Down for live music presented by Walter Parks and Swamp Cabbage; plenty of food and drink!

This diverse group of speakers and events is made possible thanks to the Partners mentioned above, as well as other (X)ponetial, Placemaking, Connector and Big Idea Partners. To see the complete Partner list, speaker bios and schedule details, go to www.cityworksxpofl.com.

Ideas. Energy. Connectivity. CityWorks(X)po Florida is all about connecting people, places, projects and big ideas. We look forward to sharing those big ideas and transforming our communities.