Theme

The theme of the 2013 IABS conference is “Social Innovations That Create a Better World.” Social innovation has been defined as “new ideas that resolve existing social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges for the benefit of people and planet. A true social innovation is systems-changing—it permanently alters the perceptions, behaviours and structures that previously gave rise to these challenges” (Centre for Social Innovation, 2012) . This theme was chosen to encourage participants to think about, highlight and discuss new and better approaches to addressing problems in business and society relationships.

Reviewers for the conference will assess the likely level of interest of the proposal’s topic to IABS members as a whole and the coherence of the proposal in terms of adding to knowledge in the broad range of business & society topics; thus proposals are not required to relate specifically to the conference theme. Proposals should be submitted to iabsconference@iabs.net by November 2, 2012.

Conference Environment

Portland, Oregon has been called “America’s most European city” (www.traveloregon.com) due to its emphasis on walking and mass transportation, rich cultural environment, diverse neighborhoods with plenty of coffee shops, restaurants and retail stores. It also offers gorgeous outdoor scenery, a wide range of outdoor activities, winery tours, and historical sites. Portland’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and the unique collaborative relationships among business and government organizations to establish the city as a leader in sustainability make Portland an excellent location for IABS. Attendees at the conference may want to combine a trip to Portland with visits to other easily accessible attractions such as Mount Hood National Forest; Mount Ranier National Park; Mount Saint Helens; Seattle, Washington and Olympic National Park; Vancouver or Victoria in British Columbia. Corporations headquartered in Portland include Jantzen, Keen, Fred Meyer, Kindercare Learning Centers, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Northwest Steel, McCormick & Schmick’s, Willamette Industries as well as newer firms such as AboutUs.org, Candy Ass Records, Second Story Interactive Studios, Voodoo Doughnut, Tazo Tea Company (now a division of Starbucks), TerraCycle (recumbent bicycles) and SurveyMonkey. Powell’s City of Books, touted as the largest independent bookstore with new and used books in the world, owned and operated by Michael Powell, takes up a full city block with its 68,000 square feet – and it’s a “must see” for anyone visiting Portland.

Location & Highlights

IABS 2013 will be held at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel, located along the Willamette riverfront, providing excellent views from most hotel rooms and an inviting walking or running environment. The Waterfront Marriott is a very new hotel that has earned both Green Seal Certification and the Energy Star label; the hotel employs a full-time recycling coordinator, composts much of its waste and continually looks for additional ways to minimize its environmental impact. Hotel accommodations for IABS participants will be $144 per night for a double room with free internet access. The conference sessions will be held in the meeting rooms at the Marriott; all meeting rooms will have wireless internet. Conference attendees can fly directly into Portland International Airport and take MAX Light Rail from the airport to the downtown hotel area. Bus service, subway,  taxi and rental cars may also be used.

Activities planned for Saturday afternoon include a 3-4 hour kayak trip to Ross Island or a tour of Portland-area wineries. Numerous options exist for anyone wanting to shop, browse local art galleries, wander through local parks or simply hang out at Powell’s Book Store.

http://www.travelportland.com/

http://traveloregon.com/cities-regions/greater-portland/

For more information or questions please contact:
     Conference Chair: Melissa Baucus
     Operations Manager:  Kim Rodela