Scanning the Fringe is the topic of this year’s The 2018 Houston Foresight Spring Gathering on April 13-14. As futurists we are always scanning for signals of change. We are awash in information, so futurists need to demonstrate the value of working with trained professionals who can sort through the infoglut and deliver useful insight to clients. That said, it can be tricky to find the “weak signals” that may indicate long-term change. So we’re focusing this year’s meeting on how futurists find the fringe, the outer edges of change.
As usual, it’s a very interactive day with a wide range of activities. We’re kicking off by asking participants to each bring their own “most interesting scan hit” of the past year to share with the group. We’ve put together a fringe panel of experts who are probing the frontier of their disciplines. And we have a “tool time” module to share the latest software and gadgets for navigating the scanning terrain.
A special treat this year is that the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) is joining us as one of their regional meetings. APF Chair Jay Gary is leading a module as part of an APF “Power Hour.” Of course, we’ll surround the serious futures work with lots of fun and networking. This year includes bowling, so you may want to practice up! Andy is looking forward to everyone coming over to the house Saturday night, and hoping this will be the year that some actually goes in the pool at the pool party. — Andy Hines
