PINC conference brings international innovators to Sarasota

Megan Hendricks | Tuesday, September 23, 2014

November 6 will bring innovative speakers, forward thinkers and creative visionaries to Sarasota for America’s first PINC Conference.

PINC, or people, ideas, nature, creativity, was started 16 years ago by Peter and Nelleke van Lindonk, publishers in the Netherlands. Peter attended one of the first TED events in Monterey and wanted to bring the concept to Europe. The event has been taking place in the Netherlands ever since.

The van Lindonks’ first discovered Sarasota when their son, Oliver, visited years ago and decided to make it home. Sarasota was chosen to host the first PINC in America, not only because of its focus on creativity but also the strong connection between arts and business, paving the way for people who want to look at things in a different way.

"This is a community that really enjoys culture," says Karen Fay, director of PINC USA and daughter-in-law of Peter and Nelleke van Lindonk. "It makes it a natural fit."

PINC Sarasota is unique in that it doesn’t focus on one particular topic, role or discipline. Rather, it’s about speakers telling their stories to inspire others and recharge their batteries from both a personal and professional perspective. International speakers will talk about everything from work being done to locate the Malaysian Airlines flight 370 to regrowing human limbs, to measuring a country’s worth in happiness instead of dollars.

"You’re going to walk out and say ‘this is unbelieveable what people are doing," says Fay.

Another thing that sets the conference apart is its attention to detail. The participant experience is not limited to the 20-minute blocks where they hear from speakers. In between sessions are breaks for networking and additional inspiration. For instance, guests are invited to bring a copy of a book that means a lot to them and leave on the table, leaving with a different book.

Event partners and sponsors include Ringling College of Art and Design, atLarge, Inc., Gulf Coast Community Foundation, The Francis and Florida Studio Theatre.

Read more articles by Megan Hendricks.

A Florida native and longtime Tampa Bay resident, Megan Hendricks graduated from the University of South Florida with a master's degree in business administration. She worked at the USF College of Business and has extensive community experience including the Tampa Bay Partnership's Talent Dividend Advisory Board, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Emerge Tampa Bay, Ekhos, and Bar Camp Tampa. She is a former board member and newsletter editor for Creative Tampa Bay. Megan enjoys telling the stories that make Tampa Bay a unique, diverse cultural experience.