Unless you came to the event last year, we are fairly certain that this will be the most active, hands-on conference you’ve ever taken part in.

Over the course of a day and a half, we are going to be making a HUGE MESS! But not just for the sake of being messy. It’s the look of fast and furious innovation. At the end of that period, you and your teammates will have developed a concept that is so well thought out and researched that it could conceivably be built or developed by CMG.

In fact, one of last year’s concepts eventually evolved into the iPhone application known as “Koala.” Check it out on the app store.

The conference will once again be facilitated by IDEO, the world-renowned design and innovation consultancy. We’ll provide you with a more detailed agenda as the event approaches. For now, keep these key dates and times in mind.

Tuesday, Oct. 15: Arrival, hotel check-in, and 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception and dinner at the Ocean Gateway Center.

Wednesday, Oct. 16: Full-day summit activities and dinner on your own. (We’ll provide some restaurant and bar recommendations).

Thursday, Oct. 17: Conference wraps after a team competition and awards are announced at 1:30 p.m. Please book a return flight no earlier than 3:30 p.m.

By the way: Please don’t rent a car. We are staying in three different hotels. They are all in downtown Portland, all very close to each other and all within walking distance of the dinner and meeting venues. (And parking in downtown Portland is limited and pricey.)

We will be providing shuttle transportation to the meetings and dinner just in case the weather is bad or you just don’t feel like walking.

If you have any questions or concerns about the event, please contact Tim Lott, VP for Disruptive Innovation, at tim.lott@coxinc.com or 512.970.2608.

See you in October!