Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) threw its third sponsor event Aug. 15 at Workspring’s swanky modern space, where we celebrated our partners who’ve left their fingerprints on one of our three pillars:  inspiration, connection and action.

About 60 people from CIW sponsor organizations like Nielsen, Table XI, General Electric (GE) and the University of Illinois snacked on beef sliders and mini tacos and sipped drinks while getting a behind-the-scenes breakdown of CIW’s start and the fabulous things to come this October.

“The first year was about establishing and proving that (CIW) is real, that this has definition and that this matters – that this could be a global product and it can have global meaning,” said Brad Keywell, CIW’s founder and co-chairman. “The second year was about proving that we can grow what we started and have the same quality underneath a bigger scale. This year, to me, is about activation. It’s about taking what we started and making it mean something in a really substantial way.”

Leah Marshall, CIW’s director of development, introduced the evening’s three featured speakers. First up was Caralynn Nowinski, the associate vice president for innovation and economic development at the University of Illinois, who represented the pillar of action.

Nowinski discussed her vision for ThinkChicago, a partnership between the city of Chicago, CIW and the university to give elite college students from across the country a taste of the Windy City and its vibrant tech startup scene with the goal of drawing them back after graduation.

This year the program introduced ThinkChicago Lollapalooza, which allowed students to experience the legendary music festival firsthand in addition to the program’s tours of acclaimed tech companies and its meetings with entrepreneurs. During CIW this fall, a new group of students will participate in labs, visit companies like Groupon and chat with legendary entrepreneurs like Dag Kittlaus, the founder of Siri.

When ThinkChicago began in 2011, it had 50 students. In year two the program grew to 100. This year, Nowinski was proud to announce that they’ve grown to 150 students, and almost 70 percent of the first-year participants are now in Chicago.

“We are thrilled with how this has grown and we hope it continues to grow,” Nowinski said. “And of course all of it will be the result of the great young talent that we hopefully get to keep here.”

One young talent at the event who already calls Chicago home is Gloria Rivas, an ambassador member of the CIW YOU(th) program that engages Chicago Public School students across the city with CIW events, programs and speakers.

Rivas represented CIW’s pillar of connection, as she has expanded her horizons and met mentors through our programming.

“What I like about CIW is that our ideas can be heard and be taken into consideration, ” the 18-year-old said. “CIW has given me many opportunities. I’ve met amazing role models that are maybe only two or three years older than I am. There are lots of people that I met that started a business during college or had careers I didn’t even know existed.”

This year CIW YOU(th) will engage about 450 high school students and connect them with adult role models, kicking off the year at the Museum of Science and Industry on Sept. 25. Rivas said the ambassador team has developed a networking game for the youth during CIW, which will require students to have meaningful conversations with adults – and earn wristbands in the process for each great discussion. The student with the most wristbands at the end of the day will win a prize.

Rivas will be attending Robert Morris University in the fall and said she plans on becoming a lawyer.

“Who knows, after CIW maybe my dreams will change, and the connections I have made here will help me achieve them,” she said.

Emma Coleman, 18, a member of Young Chicago Authors and winner of the Louder Than A Bomb Individual Finals represented the last CIW pillar: inspiration. She’ll be attending Stanford University in the fall and plans on majoring in symbolic systems, which focuses on computers, minds and the artificial systems that use symbols to communicate.

Coleman performed her most recent work, “A Fraction of Perfect,” which was inspired by eHarmony commercials telling viewers that being alone is wrong.

“You diamond plated perfection. You never fraction completeness,” Coleman read. “You are stronger than any rose there ever was, and you are not as alone as they would have you believe.”

Jessica Malkin, CIW’s executive director, gave some 2013 highlights, such as speakers like retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Iron Chef Cat Cora and activist Elizabeth Smart. She shared the 2013 Bluhm/Hefland Social Innovation Fellowship (BHSI) recipients as well and revealed some exclusive sponsor Labs, like a tour of The 606. It’s a trail that will connect the Logan Square, Humboldt park, Bucktown and Wicker Park neighborhoods and will be filled with outdoor classrooms, public art, coffee shops and Divvy bikes, as well as a preview of Maggie Daley Park, hosted by former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

“We went from year one – where we didn’t know how to share the labs with our partners – to year two – where a lot of you guys got to take advantage of the Labs – to year three, where we got really smart and started to create VIP labs so that you all have exclusive access to some of our best experiences throughout the week,” Malkin said.

And those ideas formed during the Labs and Talks in October don’t have to end with the event, thanks to Workspring.

Danielle Galmore, managing director of Workspring, said the innovative furniture brands Steelcase, Workspring and Turnstone will all be supporting CIW this year by outfitting areas for people to continue their conversations or knock out some work during the weeklong event. They will also provide co-working spaces in the Central Loop, the River North and at Merchandise Mart.

“If you’re working during the week and want to stop in and make some phone calls and have a meeting, the space is free and open to you and guests you wish to bring,” Galmore said.

Whether the support was in the form of space to work, donations or simply the positive vibes and emotional connection to the upcoming festivities, the electric buzz in the room was a sign of just how far CIW has come in the last couple years.

“Thank you for your generous support, you truly allow us to be the world’s most accessible, inclusive and action-oriented ideas festival in the world,” Marshall said.

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Written by: Sophia Coleman & Jia You

Photography by: Kathleen Virginia Photography