[8 January 2008]
Singapore Management University hosts the first international creativity conference in Asia

Singapore, 8 January 2008 – The Singapore Management University (SMU) is proud to host the American Creativity Association's (ACA) annual International Creativity Conference. Held for the first time in Asia, the 2008 Conference is themed Creativity Across Cultures, and will be chaired by Dr. Kirpal Singh, Associate Professor of Creative Thinking and English Literature at SMU, who is also the first non-American elected to the ACA's prestigious Board of Directors.

For five days (25-29 February 2008), delegates will discuss the challenges and opportunities in applying creativity and seeking creative solutions across the cultures associated in four broad areas: government and quasi- government, education, business and commerce, and arts and culture. The Conference includes plenary sessions with provocative presentations by 9 internationally acclaimed keynote speakers and over 80 breakout sessions with presenters from 30 countries, offering new ideas and analyses, and reflecting the latest thinking in the arena of creativity.

Over 200 practitioners and experts from around the globe are expected to attend this conference. They will enjoy the chance to network with one another, and also hear from the following keynote speakers:

Tony Buzan -- World-famous creator of Mindmapping, author of over 70 books on creativity, thinking, learning, & memory. He will deliver the Opening Keynote about Creativity & Memory - a little-explored area but where the latest research and findings are providing new and exciting insights into the nature of a person's mental excursions into creativity.

Amanda Ellis -- Lead gender specialist for the World Bank Group Gender Action Plan and author of Women's Business, Women's Wealth. She will expand on her analyses on the role gender plays in creativity.

Bernhardt Trout, Ph.D. -- MIT chemical engineering professor, Director of the Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing. He will speak about the need for Creativity in University education, and offer provocative insights in the shaping of educational framework.

Pavan Choudary -- Noted Indian wisdom guru and author of The Rx Factor and When You Are Sinking, Become A Submarine

Anthony Le Storti -- Executive Consultant for IDEATECTS Inc., specialist in creativity, leadership, & human dynamics and leading problem solving, decision-making, innovation, & strategic thinking; author of When You're Asked to Do the Impossible

Herbert Hauptman, Ph.D. -- Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1985, world renowned mathematician in the analysis of complex structures, author of 170 publications, and recipient of many national and international awards. This living legend promises to share scintillating and valuable insights in his discussion on The Making Of A Genius.

Amber Edwards -- Documentary film creator and Emmy award winner for her film George Segal . She will discuss her latest recent film Words and Music by Jerry Herman which is making waves and receiving rave reviews.

Lim Lai Cheng -- Curricula planner and senior educational administrator, expert on how the digital age is redefining creativity in the classroom .

Jorgen vig Knudstorp, CEO of the LEGO Group, who will share very significant observations of the manner in which Creativity plays a role in mega businesses, in the Closing Keynote for the conference.

The highly prestigious ACA Annual International Conference attracts scholars and practitioners from across the globe. The 2008 Conference celebrates the Association's 20 th year and its achievements in its brief history. Awards will also be given out to individuals in Singapore and globally, in recognition of their achievements and inspiration to many others in the application of creativity in their work and daily lives.

“Holding the 20 th anniversary Conference in Singapore underscores the American Creativity Association's commitment to broaden its horizons and promote a global perspective. Toward these ends, the Association's Board deemed it appropriate that the first ever venue outside North America should be in Singapore and co-hosted with the Singapore Management University which has so clearly manifest the value of creative culture and where Dr. Kirpal is a faculty. Given the very creative approaches in which the SMU has taken in many aspects of tertiary educational practice, it is now generally recognized as playing a major role in setting the pace for tertiary education in Singapore ; and by extension for the region,” says ACA President William Wurtz.

“We are honoured to co-host this prestigious and exciting conference with the ACA. From the beginning, SMU was set up to provide our undergraduates a broad-based education that will produce creative and entrepreneurial leaders, capable of meeting the challenges of today's knowledge-based economy and complex business environment. We are one of the few universities in the world where fundamental emphasis is placed on Creative Thinking as a key component in our students' curricula, and perhaps the only one University in the world where Creative Thinking is a core module for all our students. In hosting the Conference here, we also hope to foster an exchange of ideas that will fuel and drive the creative spirit in the way we live, work and play in Singapore,” says Professor Howard Hunter, SMU President.

The Conference is c o-organised with the Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU, which promotes deeper understanding on the impact of cultural diversity on economic and social development, and businesses. Sponsors and supporters of the Conference are Hewlett Packard Singapore, University of Southern Maine, Ethos Books, Institute for Applied Creativity at Texas A&M University, National Library Board Singapore, Groundbreaking Press, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc, Drexel University, Adobe Systems Incorporated, and The International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) at Buffalo State University.

2008 International Creativity Conference

Creativity Across Cultures
25 – 29 February 2008
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore

Registration fee
ACA Member US$900
Non-Member US$1000

(for all keynotes and sessions, lunches and two tea breaks on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and the Grand Final Banquet. Free on Wednesday with special programmes available at own expense.)

To enjoy reduced ACA member fees, join ACA at www.amcreativityassoc.org.

To register or for more information
Email: aca2008singapore [at] smu.edu.sg ( )
Visit: http://amcreativityassoc.org/2008Conf-overview.html

About Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU

Named after Singapore's former president, Dr Wee Kim Wee, who is known for his efforts in fostering good relations in the Asia-Pacific region as a diplomat in Malaysia, Japan and Korea, the Wee Kim Wee Centre at SMU seeks to uphold his spirit by promoting international studies that contribute to greater understanding of cultural diversity. The Centre hosts and presents lectures, conferences and publications with a clear cross-cultural and management dimension and its impact on economic and social development, as well as businesses. It also establishes links and collaborative exchanges with other international institutions to engage SMU students, faculty and the community in wide-ranging dialogues on cross-cultural issues.

About American Creativity Association

For almost two decades, the American Creativity Association (ACA) has been a primary resource for learning and applying creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and ideation theory, tools, and techniques. ACA offers a global network of creative professionals in disciplines ranging from business and industry to education and the arts. Our collective expertise provides a wide range of problem-solving methods, from simple idea-capture techniques to complex problem-solving methodologies. Above all, ACA members enjoy and benefit from personal interaction with top experts in the fields of creativity and innovation worldwide. www.amcreativityassoc.org