"The one take-away I got from attending the World Congress was that I have seen a huge growth of people seriously considering these issues with people's best interests at heart. Being part of the conversations at the World Congress and sharing our knowledge and experiences is going to accelerate the development of good solutions."
- Catherine Adams Lee, Work Environments Design Specialist
The second Annual World Congress on the Future of Work was held April 26th - 28th, 2005 in historic Philadelphia, hosted by the General Services Administration. The 2005 World Congress focused on the theme of Making It Real - From Vision to Action. During their World Cafe conversations the Delegates honed in on issues surrounding such hot topics as collaborative technologies, alternative working arrangements, transforming corporate cultures, managing emergent and next-generation workers, the business case for distributed work, and trends in workplace design.
This incomparable executive forum brought together 80+ director to C-level decision-makers in the fields of HR, IT, corporate real estate and operations/facilities management from the world's leading organizations, all joining together to build a community of interest, develop principles and guidelines for success, and co-produce a valuable toolkit for "making it real" in their own organizations.
The World Congress on The Future of Work confonted the rapidly changing nature of work. Knowledge work, creativity, and collaborative relationships are essential to competitive success. To survive in the future, companies must create working environments that attract, retain, and motivate their employees, foster creativity and productivity, and enable work to be conducted whenever and wherever necessary on a global basis.
The World Congress on the Future of Work is not a traditional conference. It is an interactive executive forum, comprising an extended, meaningful, living network of conversations and the sharing of ideas and theories about the future of work among leaders and visionaries. It presents Deleagates with a rare and unique opportunity reflect on the foundational aspects of work that they often don't have time to consider: i.e. the true purpose, meaning, and value of work.
The World Congress conversations each year are facilitated through the World Cafe approach, high-level keynote conversations and interviews, and focused "Town Hall" breakout sessions. And the World Congress is not just limited to a few days onsite at the physical conference. The event began as a virtual experience in February 2005, providing an opportunity for learning, sharing, and community-building more than three months prior to the event via a wide array of communication vehicles, including the World Congress website, the Future of Work Agenda eNewsletter, delegates-only teleconferences, the Future of Work weblog, and more. And the April event will be followed up with a Delegates-only teleconference and other continuing conversational activities.
The Independence Visitor Center
The 2005 World Congress on the Future of Work was held at The Independence Visitor Center, located on America's Most Historic Square Mile, across from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Independence National Historical Park.
Some of the historic Philadelphia residents who lived on the same block as the Independence Visitor Center during the American Revolution include: Dr.Caspar Wistar, the renowned anatomist and intellectual; Robert Morris, signer of the Declaration of Independence and financier; Philip Marin Freneau, poet of the revolution and friend of Benjamin Franklin; and Haym Saloman, financier of the revolution.
The Independence Visitor Center
6th & Market Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106
http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/
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