AFWERX FUSION Announces Final Line-Up of Internationally Acclaimed Keynote Speakers & Celebrity Guest Appearances

Registration Still Open for Three-Day Virtual Event AFWERXFusion.com July 28 - 30, 2020

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Jul 28, 2020, 15:51 ET

LAS VEGAS, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AFWERX FUSION, the U.S. Air Force's innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation within the Air Force, announces the final line-up of dynamic keynote speakers, panels and fireside chats for the AFWERX FUSION 2020 Base of the Future event July 28-30 with executives from Google, Duke University, MGM Resorts International, Friday Pulse, Totem Block, U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, iRobot, The Recording Academy and much more.

The event also features a host of special celebrity guest cameo appearances the likes of which include Jay Leno, Wayne Newton, ZZ Top and special co-hosts: actress and singer Krista Kleiner and Colonel John Flynn of the U.S. Air Force & MGM Resorts International.

Featured Speakers:

Hear from top Air Force leadership, entrepreneurs, innovators, and internationally renowned speakers from global brands as they highlight the exciting opportunities that lie in innovation, technology, and building the Base of the Future. For a complete list of speakers and programs visit afwerxfusion.com.

Simon Sinek, Bestselling Author & Speaker
Brian Sheth of Vista Equity Partners
Harvey Mason Jr. of The Recording Academy
Dr. Will Roper of the U.S. Air Force
Joshua Marcuse of Google
Helen Greiner of iRobot
Nic Marks of Friday Pulse
Dr. Mary "Missy" Cummings of Duke University
Kevin Hines of The Kevin & Margaret Hines Foundation
Brigadier General Patrice A. Melançon of the U.S. Air Force
Colonel Nathan Diller of AFWERX, U.S. Air Force
Colonel DeDe Halfhill of the Department of Defense
Captain Michael Kanaan of the U.S. Air Force

Featured Discussions:

Day 1 Theme: Base Security and Defense Panel: Defending Installations from Next Generation Threats
Panel: Robust & Ready: Designing Resilient Installations and Communities
Fireside Chat: Resilient Businesses: A Conversation with Tech Investor Brian N. Sheth

Day 2 Theme: Leveraging Technology & Reverse Engineering
Panel: Keeping Our Technological Edge: How to Innovate Effectively
Fireside Chat: Construction Scale 3D Printing for Expeditionary Bases
Fireside Chat: Innovating Technology to Create the Sport of the Future

Day 3 Theme: Culture of Innovation and Wellbeing
Panel: Accelerating Serendipity: The Value of Investing in Culture, Ecosystems and Innovation
Panel: Spark Cells: Igniting Innovation within the Air Force
Panel: Holistic Well-being: It's Time to Look at the Whole Person
Fireside Chat: Seats at the Table: A Business and Moral Imperative
Fireside Chat: Playing the Infinite Game: Lessons in Leadership with Simon Sinek

Concurrently, the event also features a showcase of more than 350 teams from the public and private sector participating in the AFWERX Fusion Base of the Future Challenges to display their innovative solutions to Air Force leadership and key military decision-makers and operators.

The Showcase:

Base of the Future is the theme of this year's virtual event, inspired by Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which was decimated by Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, in 2018. For decades, Tyndall had been home to many generations of Airmen and their families. In the storm's aftermath, nearly 500 buildings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Thousands of Airmen and their families were displaced and forced to leave a part of their lives behind. Fortunately, Congress approved a $3 billion military construction rebuild program, sparking hope that Tyndall
would re-emerge stronger than ever before.

AFWERX FUSION 2020 will feature speaker programming and a virtual trade show centered around solutions and topics related to building the Base of the Future. Reaching far beyond Tyndall AFB, the event will showcase the best technologies and solutions to design the Base of the Future. The aspirational initiative seeks to create a robust installation that will become a universal symbol of innovation and excellence that can scale across the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense.

To accelerate this work, AFWERX, in association with Tyndall Air Force Base stakeholders and other Department of Defense entities, launched six open challenges to attract solutions to help bring the Base of the Future to life by innovating in the following critical areas:

Base Security
Installation Resilience
Leveraging Technology for Operational Effectiveness
Enabling Technologies for Reverse Engineering and Additive / Agile Manufacturing
Culture of Innovation
Empowering Airman and Family Well-being

Teams have been selected to present their innovative solutions as part of a digital interactive showcase to attendees and private pitches to U.S. Government evaluators. The goal is to select the best solutions and guide them through future contracting, funding and prototyping to further develop their concept into real-word implementation to benefit the Air Force, our warfighters, the Department of Defense and allied partners worldwide.

To learn more about the Base of the Future Challenges click here.

Media Contacts:

Tracy Skenandore

[email protected]

Direct: 702-217-0414

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Related Links

AFWERX Fusion website

SOURCE AFWERX FUSION