This year I was offered an amazing opportunity to speak at the TTI/Vanguard: NextGens TechnologiesConference in Miami, Florida at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. TTI/Vanguard is a unique forum for senior-level executives that links strategic technology planning to business success. Their conferences are about discovering technological possibilities for the 21st century. Five times annually, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and academicians come together to envision the future’s future technologically. In highly interactive sessions, led by a world-class Advisory Board—John Perry Barlow, Maria Bezaitis, Gordon Bell, Peter Cochrane, Deborah Estrin, Eric Haseltine, Michael Hawley, Alan Kay, Leonard Kleinrock, Douglas Lenat, Robert Lucky, Nicholas Negroponte, and David Reed—and today’s most influential thought leaders, debate is stimulated, and breakthrough ideas flourish.

Being around such innovative individuals was intimidating, to say the least. Having to give a presentation on the art of caricature to a group like this was even more nerve-racking. However, the presentation went off without a hitch and many attendees complimented me on my performance. In addition to speaking and networking, I also drew at one of their events on the last evening of the conference. Guests lined up to be drawn by one of the speakers which was a unique opportunity for them as well as myself!