Keynotes

Revealing New Pathways

Adventures in the Near East offer human-powered experiences in wild nature as well as a chance for spiritual contemplation and connection. In this opening plenary session, new pathways through this ancient territory reveal themselves through the eyes of three winning storytellers who have recently experienced adventure travel in Jordan. See this exciting world through their eyes and be inspired to capture the business opportunities in the Marketplace.

Near East Innovators Breaking New Ground

This session showcases exemplary leaders and innovators from the Near East including an Egyptian entrepreneur mentoring small businesses to success and a mountain climber from the United Arab Emirates who has built a thriving adventure travel company. Hear inspiring stories and unique perspectives about what is waiting to be revealed when we forge meaningful connections with local people. Their stories bring us closer to understanding the Near East, and encourage us to continue the work of seeking out and connecting with local resources in our work and personal travels.

Shift Your Perspective: Learning from The Traveling Creative Class

Michael Youngblood is the co-founder of Unsettled, a company that takes remote workers on coworking retreats around the world. Providing everything the remote worker needs to live and work abroad, Unsettled is most notably a community-driven experience where everyone lives and works together as they travel. Michael will introduce us to a multi-billion dollar industry transforming the way the creative class lives and travels today. He says, “by observing and listening to trends on the fringe of industries that seem to be at odds with each other — such as work structures and travel in this case — we are able to identify new ideas and gain understanding.” Michael will share his academic and personal insights for how we can be more open to creative possibilities along with the resulting benefits from shifting our perspectives: new markets, new partnerships, and new opportunities.

Looking Ahead: Networks of Trust Can Scale Our Impact

We close AdventureNEXT Near East with a talk from Tim Martin, who will share his perspective and suggestions on how we might best move forward with the relationships and impressions we have created over the past few days. In his far-ranging career as a Canadian diplomat, he has experienced the fundamental power and importance of interpersonal understanding, recognizing that at the root of dramatic change lies a network of trusting partners that cross political borders. The impact of our work as participants in a trade event goes beyond business: the relationships formed are the bridges to understanding that allow growth to occur.