We're less than 2 weeks away from the Creative Economy Summit!

Howdy, from the team at Pattern!

We’re less than 2 weeks away from the third annual Creative Economy Summit at Fishers Art Center on Oct. 13-14. We’re cooking up an impressive two days of programming and have a rockstar lineup of confirmed special guests and attendees across various industries.

Time is running out to secure your spot. We need YOU in the room to build a future for Indiana that invests and supports creatives!

The Future of Jobs Report x The Creative Economy

Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum released The Future of Jobs Report which gathered data and insights from 1K+ leading employers, 14M+ workers, and dozens of industries. The short of it? The job market is expected to change drastically by 2030 and skills like creative and analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, and curiosity will be in high-demand.

Read Polina’s take on how Indiana can proactively solve the state’s talent problem and better plan for the future creative workforce in her IBJ OpEd.

The Centerpiece Event You Don’t Want to Miss!

We can’t wait for our centerpiece event the morning of Tuesday, Oct 14: a fireside chat with Meow Wolf’s Vince Kadlubek and ArtPrize’s Catlin Whitington to discuss what it takes to grow and support a movement that changes the fabric of the community. Both Meow Wolf and ArtPrize are testaments to the power of creative placemaking and the sentiment, “If you build it, they will come.”

Vince Kadlubek is the Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Meow Wolf, an artist collective turned experiential art company. In its first year, Meow Wolf brought 400,000 visitors and $6.8 million in revenue to its home city of Sante Fe. Now, Meow Wolf employs thousands of creative professionals and has expanded to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, and Houston, with more locations and offerings in the works.

Catlin Whitington is the Executive Director of ArtPrize, an international art competition and cultural festival held annually in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2024, the 18 days of ArtPrize injected over $70M into the local economy. Catlin is a former Chair for the City of Austin Tourism Commission and a former Planning Manager for SXSW.

We can’t wait to learn key insights from these two visionary leaders on what it would take to make Indianapolis a nationally ranked city for arts and culture investment.

Confirmed Panelists & Speakers

• Catlin Whitington, Executive Director, ArtPrize

• Vince Kadlubek, Founder, Meow Wolf

• Adam Kenney, Chief Programs Officer, Bridgeway Capital

• Susan Batchelder, IU Kelley School of Business

• Chris Cobb, Bona Fide Live

• Jim Rawlinson, Indiana Economic Development Corp.

• Marlon Webb, KSM

• Alyssa Woolard, Director of Economic Development, Town of Plainfield

• Joshua Lapp, Co-Founder, Designing Local

• Jordan Adams, Artist Services Manager, Indiana Arts Commission

• Sara A. Peterson, Management Consultant, Sara Peterson Consulting

• Dax Norton, Town Manager, Town of Bargersville

• Howie Kaplan, Owner & Operator, the Howlin’ Wolf

• Ty Stratton, Owner, Wesley’s Project

• Sarah Jenkins, Hunden Partners

• Carrie Lambert, Executive Director, Indiana Tourism Association

• Richard Strick, Mayor, City of Huntington

• Kavita Mahoney, Vice President, Indy Arts Council

• Julie Heath, Executive Director, IU Innovates

Notable Registrants & Attending Organizations

We’re thrilled to have registered attendees from all corners of the state and hailing from industries like Economic Development, Arts & Culture, Higher Education, Tourism, Creative Entrepreneurship, and more! We can’t wait to welcome attendees from these notable organizations to our third annual Summit on Oct. 13-14 at Fishers Art Center:

• Duke Energy

• Town of Plainfield

• Frankfort Main Street, Inc

• Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute

• Greater Elkhart Chamber

• North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council

• Tipton County

• City of Frankfort

• Marshall County Economic Development Corporation

• South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership

• Visit Hendricks County

• Indiana Tourism Association

• Indy Chamber

• Indy Arts Council

• Indiana Arts Commission

• Indiana Economic Development Corp

• Indiana Chamber of Commerce

• Eiteljorg Museum

• Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site

• Indianapolis Opera

• Indianapolis Airport Authority

• Ball State University

• Butler University

• IU Indy

• IU Bloomington

• Creative Entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, and more!

2025 Creative Economy Summit Full Agenda ⤵️

Marketing & Promotion

We’d love your help spreading the word about the Creative Economy Summit. See below for resources and a toolkit to make it easy to promote the event:

• Summit Website Link – www.patternsummit.com 

• 2025 Media Kit – includes press release, social copy, graphics & more!

Thank you so much for your continued support of the work we are doing to push forward our state’s strategic development of arts, culture & creative sectors.