idUS to celebrate innovation and design

As part of 200Columbus The Bicentennial, staff of planning NEXT helped to organize idUS – an 11-day celebration of innovation and design.

Planned for September 28-October 8, 2012, idUS (eye-DEE-us), which stands for innovation and design in Columbus, is part of the future-looking portion of the year-long commemoration that aims to create a community that is more inspired, proud and engaged in their progress and the increasing vitality of Columbus.

“In discussions about the third part of the year, it became obvious that Columbus is a place with incredible innovative and creative people and organizations,” said Principal Jamie Greene, Program Manager of 200Columbus.

idUS will introduce unique programs such an immersive weekend-long exhibition party called idUS Space and a series of interactive workshops called Collaboration Laboratories (CoLabs for short). It will also tie together a robust week of existing events such as EcoSummit and TEDx.

“These collaborators, including TEDxColumbus, Innovate Columbus, CCAD, The Wexner Center, Design Week, MORPC’s Summit on Sustainability, The Columbus Idea Foundry, EcoSummit and the new film festival FFOCOL, are all active contributors to the overall construction of idUS and will contribute in various ways to the content of both the idUS Space and the CoLabs,” said Shannon Morrison, Creative Director for idUS, and Creative Director at IM Creative.

Much of the programming and collaboration revolves around the “Creative Class”, a term defined by economist Richard Florida that describes the socioeconomic class of people who’s primary job is to be creative or innovative. That can include architects, designers, artists, musicians, scientists, engineers and beyond.

“idUS will portray the broad creativity that exists in the community, but it seems clear that the Creative Class will be central to our content and participation,” said Greene. “In addition, we are working hard to have major idUS programming in East Franklinton as the Creative District Plan there will be promoted during idUS.”