Ciudad de las Ideas (conference)

Steven Pinker at Ciudad de las Ideas 2008: Cynosura

La Ciudad de las Ideas (CDI) is a conference created by Andrés Roemer, to empower citizens and present innovative ideas in science, technology, art, design, politics, education, culture, business, entertainment and other areas of knowledge. CDI created a 21-minute format to encourage debate. Daniel Dennett called it the "brain Olympics".

CDI speakers have included Nobel Prize winners Jerome Isaac Friedman, Mario J. Molina, Jody Williams, Daniel Kahneman and Paul Krugman; researchers Robert Sapolsky, Steven Pinker, Eduard Punset, Clotaire Rapaille, Tim Berners-Lee, David Buss, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Craig Venter and Randi Zuckerberg; and Oscar nominees Adame Pesapane (PES) and Oliver Stone.

Since 2008, up to 3,600 attendees have gathered every November in the center of Puebla.^[1][2]

The head and curator of CDI is Andrés Roemer, partner of the NGO Poder Civico A.C., together with Ricardo Salinas Pliego, President and CEO of Grupo Salinas. The thematic approach of the curator of the speakers is as follows: "Scholars/Policy and Makers" (leading academics and public policy makers), "Mex-I-Can" (talented Mexicans), "W-Under18" (children and young people), Debates, Art, Emotional, Technology, Artistic Interventions, and Entertainment.

The festival has been promoted in Azteca Trece and Proyecto 40 and on the event's website, social media, and through a science bookstore located at the festival site.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Since June 9, 2008, over 231 festival speakers have had their presentations published online. Fifty percent of the audience are between 16 and 25 years old.

History

2009: Re-evolution

Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett at Ciudad de las Ideas 2009. Re-evolution

From 2009 onwards, the University’s Cultural Complex of the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla became the International Brilliant Minds Festival’s official venue. La Ciudad de las Ideas celebrated the International Year of Astronomy with a "night of telescopes" and, from 2009 to 2012, innovative ideas in science and humanities were acknowledged with the Innovation for Humanity Prize and the Entrepreneur for Humanity Prize.

The winners of the Innovation for Humanity Prize in 2008 were Daniel Dennett and Steven Pinker, while the Entrepreneur for Humanity Prize acknowledged nearly 300 individuals.

2012: The Magic of If

Ciudad de las Ideas 2012. Magic of if

The fifth edition of the festival was titled "The Magic of If". This edition took place from the 8th to 10 November 2012 in the University Cultural Complex at the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla. It included a new section dedicated to Mexican talent, called "Mex-I-can" and, on the other hand, the time for speakers to present reduced from 21 to 12 minutes.

The winners of the Innovation for Humanity Prize in 2011 were Eduard Punset, Oliver Stone and Dambisa Moyo. For the 2012 edition, the Entrepreneur for Humanity Prize was transformed into a prize with great reach and significance, turning into an initiative that stimulates social entrepreneurship projects, called Gifted Citizen Prize.

Gifted Citizen Initiative

Comunidad Gifted Citizen en 2012

This initiative began at La Ciudad de las Ideas 2012. Submitted projects are evaluated by a committee and the conference Board of Directors.^[8] The projects can be scientific, technological, social, ecological or artistic in nature, as well as concerning development or human rights. The most outstanding project is awarded US$100,000. This prize is given in association with the Singularity University. Furthermore, the prize is backed up with the help of sponsors like Comex, Grupo Salinas, Aeroméxico, and the State of Puebla Government.

The GZ Prize was known as the "Entrepreneur for Humanity Prize" in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 conferences.

Speakers

The following is a list of people who have spoken at the Ciudad de las Ideas:^[14]

Ideasta

A term coined by Dr. Andrés Roemer which refers to the assistant of La Ciudad de las Ideas,^[15] one of the most important international festivals of bright minds held in Puebla City, Mexico, person who participates, encourages and otherwise interacts with the project that celebrates the most brilliant minds in the globe, but also formulates creative and revolutionary ideas about the world; a ‘converter of society in an inclusive prosperity’^[16] and the one who comes up with new ways of thinking in order to create more knowledge, novel paradigms, innovations and inventions in order to enhance its mind and open it multiple horizons, allowing it grow and development, because ideas:

“[…] are the engine of the economies around the world. Innovation allow humans to produce more and better, think of an iPod, on Facebook, on skyscrapers, or on spaceships that allow us to go into space. All this technology originated from ideas that gradually boosted other ideas. When we bring exceptional people to talk about concepts or exceptional theories, we are forced to expand our horizons. It makes us aware of problems, solutions, projects, technologies or studies that we had no idea existed. This can inspire a train of thoughts that could lead to other innovative ideas. This is the exponential growth of ideas.”^[17]

See also

• List of CDI speakers
• Eduard Punset
• TED (conference)
• The Third Culture

References