Conference News: US Gets WIRED for Health; SXSW PanelPicker; Space Speak with The Economist

Hard Wired Health: WIRED is bringing their Health event to the US for the first time on 9 September. After 10+ years hosting the event in the UK, the franchise will cross the pond to Boston where it will “convene leaders and pioneers from science, medicine, business, and tech to explore the future of the ever-evolving health industry.” Who will be on the dais? Dr. George Church; Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel; CEO of Openwater Mary Lou Jepsen, Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan the CEO of AARP and more!

Details are in the Data: Ingenious Dataworks will host a new event in Las Vegas this October (27 -29). Put Data First Conference will cover AI but focus specifically on the role of data quality and data integrity in advancing the future of AI. Another way the conference plans to differentiate from the others covering this topic… content will be shared through roundtable discussions vs traditional presentations or panels. What will this look like? Attendees will break into groups of 6 – 10 to discuss a topic across one of the four tracks: Data, Analytics & AI; Legal; Risk & Compliance; and Security & Privacy.

Submission Opportunity: When SXSW celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, festival goers can expect a few changes, namely an event that is condensed by two days – 12-18 March – and takes places entirely outside of the Austin Convention Center, which is undergoing major renovation work. What’s not changing is the SXSW PanelPicker® process, which will officially remain open until 27 July. The community voting period then opens on 5 August and runs until the 24^th, allowing anyone to weigh in the content they would like to see onstage. Not sure what ideas resonate at the festival or how to navigate the PanelPicker? Check out SXSW’s best practices webinar, recorded last year but still relevant.

 Conference Manager Q&A: Helen Ponsford is Senior Programme Editor and Head of Trade, Technology, Industry Events Programming at The Economist Impact. She is preparing the 3rd annual Space Economy Summit 2025 for liftoff. We talked to Helen about her preparations for the launch on 5 – 6 November in Orlando.   

Speaker Strategies: You’ve previously hosted the event in Los Angeles and in Lisbon, Portugal. Why did you select Orlando for the 2025 event location?
For our 2025 edition, we’re proud to partner with the University of Central Florida, our official host. UCF is one of the leading space-grant universities in the US, with deep ties to NASA, commercial space, and research on Earth applications of space technology. Being in close proximity to Cape Canaveral and Space Florida also opens the door to critical conversations around launch infrastructure, policy, and investment. It’s a setting that reflects the interdisciplinary and impact-driven nature of the event.

Speaker Strategies: What about your next event excites you the most?
This year, we’re pushing the boundaries of what a space conference can be. We’re bringing together voices from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, logistics, AI, and finance, industries that are beginning to benefit from space data, manufacturing and communications. We’re also placing a bigger emphasis on ROI and real-world impact, asking the hard questions about how space can help solve Earth’s biggest challenges.

Speaker Strategies: Who else attends the conference outside of those in the space industry?
You’ll find Fortune 500 executives from sectors like energy, mining, telecoms, agriculture, and fast-moving consumer goods. They’re joined by investors, government officials, researchers, and tech pioneers, many of whom may not think of themselves as part of the space industry but are increasingly using space-enabled technologies in their operations. That’s part of the magic—creating new connections and unexpected collaborations.

Speaker Strategies: What do you love most about your job?
I love shaping conversations that matter. It’s a privilege to curate ideas and bring together people who are driving change across industries and borders. Seeing those conversations spark action, whether it’s a new partnership, a policy shift, or just a fresh perspective is incredibly rewarding.  

Coming Up Next Week: Reuters Momentum AI takes place 15-16 July at the Signia by Hilton in San Jose, drawing an audience of 500 invited enterprise executives to explore how AI can improve the way large companies operate and deliver products and services. GenAI Week Silicon Valley (13-17 July) was created by GPTDAO, a community for people building and exploring generative AI. Its organizers expect over 30k attendees across the week at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Bloomberg Green returns to Seattle 14-16 July to cover topics ranging from innovation and the climate economy to greener living and the green policy agenda. Created in 1987, SummerCon (11-12 July; Brooklyn) is one of the oldest hacker conventions, and the longest running such conference in America. And from 17-18 July in Bengaluru, Zinnov Confluence offers a “deep-dive into key aspects of Global Talent and Technology, and how do you make big bets while keeping human wisdom at the heart of decisions.”