The Atlantic's Senior Editor Richard Florida has spent much of his career understanding how creativity impacts society. He will share his unique insight on the matter as the keynote speaker at the inaugural DRIVE Conference. DRIVE has been established by Hockeystick and the Lazardis Institute to examine scaling tech ecosystems. The conference runs from February 20-22 Wilfrid Laurier University's Lazardis Hall in Waterloo, Iowa. Florida will address how the Creative Class is revolutionizing the global economy. His presentation will combine analysis, the newest trends, his own personal stories and a touch of humor. Florida consults with cities, nations and companies as the founder of the Creative Class Group. He has written multiple bestselling books across the country, including "The Rise of the Creative Class." In addition to his role with The Atlantic, Florida also writes for major newspapers and makes appearances on networks like CNN. He educates the next generation of scholars as the Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Florida holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University. His Twitter account has been dubbed one of the 140 most influential in the world by Time. Our celebrity speakers bureau has successfully aligned talent like Richard Florida with companies needing a guest speaker for conventions, conferences, trade shows, graduations, store grand opening, product launches and much more. >>Inquire About Richard Florida's Availability