NAPLES, Fla: Big thinking and big fun is promised for 500-plus guests attending the NaplesNEXT Ideas Festival from March 17-19, 2019 at the Naples Grande Beach Resort.
Former First Lady Laura Bush will be the Festival's closing keynote speaker. She will join leading innovators, cultural provocateurs and policy experts across a myriad of fields. Panels, roundtables and Q&A sessions will address subjects of global and national importance, and will integrate with culinary experiences directed by the James Beard Foundation.Thought provoking discussion leaders include:
Christine Brennan, sports columnist for USA Today and best-selling author of seven books; contributor to ABC News, PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio.
John Brennan, CIA Director (2013-2017), senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.
Eric Eikenberg, CEO, The Everglades Foundation.
Denis McDonough, White House chief of staff (2013-2017).
William Nelson, M.D., professor and director of oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University.
Reince Priebus, White House chief of staff (2017); chairman of Republican National Committee (2011-2017).
David Rubenstein, financier and philanthropist, co-founder of The Carlyle Group and chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institution.
Additional appearances include: Renowned celebrity chef Gregory Gourdet, a James Beard House-featured chef and Top Chef star; Tiffany Barriere, acclaimed James Beard House-featured mixologist; top sommeliers and leading Southwest Florida chefs.
A lavish opening reception, live entertainment, Bracket Genius interactive lunch to kick off March Madness, and a Mac Stone photography showcase are other elements of big fun.
The three-day experience is $3,000 per person.
For information, visit NaplesNEXT.com.
