A creativity-sparking innovator—known as the “patron saint of crazy ideas”—is the keynote speaker for the 2024 WQA Convention & Exposition. Kyle Scheele’s highly engaging presentation, “Becoming an Idea Factory: How to Turn Yourself (and Your Organization) into an Innovation Machine,” headlines the Keynote Session, set for 3 p.m. EST on March 5, the Convention’s opening day.
Scheele once built a 16-foot-tall cardboard Viking ship, filled it with the written regrets of 21,000 people, and set it on fire. He hosted the world’s first fake marathon, which drew more than 34,000 participants. Scheele’s projects have been featured in Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy and more, and he believes that these “crazy ideas” can produce wildly outsized outcomes, energizing and engaging people in the process.
“With a Convention theme of ‘Catalyst,’ we were inspired to find someone who could show us how to spark creativity and engagement in new ways, and Kyle certainly fits the bill,” said WQA Chief Executive Officer Pauli Undesser, MWS, CAE. “We can’t wait to see what kind of growth catalyst he’ll be for our convention attendees and their companies.”
Scheele’s videos have been viewed more than 250 million times, and he’s a popular speaker, known as someone who can make audiences laugh while pushing them to understand that creativity, just like any other business skill, can be learned. His keynote address is designed to:
- Inspire audience members to harness their own capacity for creativity and innovation
- Give practical tips for how to get more (and better) ideas out of teammates
- Help you avoid common idea-killers in your organization
In addition to Sheele’s talk, the Keynote Session features industry updates and outlooks and the WQA Leadership Awards. It’s one of the highlights of the WQA Convention & Exposition, set for March 5–7 in Orlando, Florida.
For 50 years, the WQA Convention and Exposition has been the signature event of the water treatment industry. Education sessions are offered on all three days, and the tradeshow floor is open March 6–7. Full details and registration information can be found at wqa.org/convention.
Source: Water Quality Association
