Opening General Session Sunday, July 29 10:00am – 11:30am 

WEC's Opening General Session will bring the notion of connectivity full circle. Forty years ago, MPI started on the foundation of connections and authentic relationships before technology was used as a tool for everyday communication. During the opening General Session, Jonah Lehrer will discuss the undeniable power of being connected to others and how that affects our creativity and innovative abilities. He will focus on the need for human interaction and how authentic relationships create the possibility for new ideas. The underlying message of the OGS is that together, we can achieve more than we imagine; together, we do change the world.

WEC's Opening General Session will get to the heart of where good ideas come from and will reinforce how connectivity is a vital part of how we innovate. In the meetings and events industry, it’s our relationships with others combined with our ‘good ideas’ that impact those we serve and leave a lasting impact on the events we plan and the industry we're a part of.  

Jonah Lehrer's participation at WEC is courtesy of The Lavin Agency

Closing General Session Tuesday, July 31  8:30am – 10:00am 

We’re part of many small networks and on Tuesday we will emphasize the diversity of our membership and attendees by turning our attention to tailored content. As meeting professionals, the relationships we foster and curate for others help create our value. By devoting time to develop the sectors of our membership, we strengthen the core of our industry. When we convene, we appreciate and celebrate our individual pieces of the puzzle. 

WEC"s Closing General Session will reinforce how people aren't merely social animals in the usual sense, for we don't just live in groups. We live in networks -- and we have done so ever since we emerged from the African savannah. Via intricately branching paths tracing out cascading family connections, friendship ties, and work relationships, we are interconnected to hundreds or even thousands of specific people, most of whom we do not know. We affect them and they affect us. 

We'll examine the biological, psychological, sociological, and mathematical rules that govern how we form these social networks, and the rules that govern how they shape our lives. We'll also shed light on how we might take advantage of an understanding of social networks to make the world a better place.

Nicholas Christakis is presented by The Harry Walker Agency, Inc.