New York NY (June 3, 2014) - The Intelligent Community Forum will hold its annual Summit this week in New York City and will name the 2014 Intelligent Community of Year. The three-day event is an international gathering of mayors, chief administrative officers, chief information officers and economic development officers from cities, states and regions around the world that are designated as Intelligent Communities by the Intelligent Community Forum.

Main Speakers at the Summit include:

• Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of DataWind, Ltd, will speak at the Awards Dinner on the evening of Thursday, June 5 and accept the 2014 Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year Award.
• Ryan Holladay, TED Talks Alumnus and BLUEBRAIN Partner, will deliver the annual Revolutionary Community address during the opening of the Plenary on Thursday, June 5.

As cities big and small, rural and urban struggle to adapt to a global economy being reshaped by innovation and communications technologies, this year’s theme, explained in a white paper released by the Intelligent Community Forum, is “Community as Canvas” and the economic importance and social value of culture in all its forms. “Participants at the Summit will discuss new ideas and methods that have been proven to work and help communities to survive and thrive amid the shift to a broadband-based economy,” says Louis Zacharilla one of the co-founders of the Intelligent Community Forum.

Summit attendees will also have the opportunity to get the first look at the new book, Brain Gain written by the three co-founders of the Intelligent Community Forum. Brain Gain is the third in a series of books and will be published later this month. It is a survival guide to how innovative cities create job growth in an age of disruption.

Produced in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, the event brings the world's most dynamic communities together to discuss their journeys to becoming one of the world’s Top7 Intelligent Communities. Several of the communities will also make cultural presentations during the Plenary, giving attendees a glimpse into some unique and fascinating cultures.

On the evening of June 5, the Intelligent Community Forum will announce the world’s 2014 Intelligent Community of the Year. Video of the announcement will be available on the Intelligent Community Forum’s Web site later on the night of June 5.

Other speakers include:

• Mayor Rod Shaigec, Parkland County, Alberta, Canada
• Mayor Annette Main, Whanganui, New Zealand
• Joep Brouwers, Vice Director, Brainport Development, Eindhoven
• Dan Babineau, Chief Information Officer, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
• Representatives from each of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2014

Key Events:

• The Intelligent Community of the Year Awards Dinner – June 5, 6:30pm at Guastavino's in Manhattan.
• Urban Challenges, Urban Promise Master Class - June 4, 9:00am-5:00pm, at the law offices of Paul Hastings located at 75 East 55th Street in Manhattan.
• Development Imperatives for Rural Communities Master Class - June 4,9:00am-5:00pm, at the Center for Urban Science + Progress at the Polytechnic Institute located at 1 MetroTech Center, on the 19th Floor, in Brooklyn.
• The Plenary - June 5, 9:00am-5:00pm, at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, 6 MetroTech Center
• The Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2013 Reception – June 4, 7:00pm-9:00pm, at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, 1 East 42nd Street.

About Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help communities build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts events, publishes newsletters and books and produces its high-profile international awards program. Over more than a decade, the Intelligent Community Forum has become an international movement that attracts the attention of global leaders, thinkers, and media observers. The Intelligent Community Foundation consists of 126 cities and regions that have been designated as Intelligent Communities and which participate in an ongoing global dialogue to strengthen local economies. For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org

Intelligent Community Forum Media Contacts
Matthew Owen
Communications Director
Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: 001-646-291-6166 (x105) or 001 212-249-0624
Email: [email protected]

Paul Brent
Senior Communications Strategist
market2world communications inc.
Phone: 001-613-256-3939
Email: [email protected]