Fast Company Recommended Events February 2010

February

Week 1

mon, february 01
CHECK IN
Opening of the Trump Soho Hotel

In her book The Trump Card, Ivanka Trump notes that most twentysomethings must endure "the growing pains and lowly paper-pushing assignments that come with earning your stripes." Not she. At 28, Trump is set to open this New York hotel, for which she did everything from helping secure the site to picking furniture. (She tells us via email that she so loved the Fendi Casa chaise in each guest room "that I ordered one for my apartment.") Paper pushers, she knows she's lucky. "Did I have an edge getting started in business? No question," she writes in her book. "Get over it." -- JEFF CHU

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mon, february 01
PROTECT
National Condom Month

Unprotected sex can hurt your health -- and the economy. According to the CDC, the U.S. spends up to $20 billion each year treating sexually transmitted infections. That doesn't factor in STI-induced sick days: Each case of syphilis costs an estimated $112 in lost productivity. But as health groups will be shouting all month long, there's a simple way to save you and that money -- the condom. Our little/large (remove as applicable) latex friend is up to 95% effective at stopping HIV and slashes risk of STIs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. So cover up. -- THEUNIS BATES

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tue, february 02
PLAY
Designing for Children

"Investing in the Future" may sound like a personal-finance seminar, but at Toys "R" Us, it was one of the past year's top toy trends. Learning and exploration products delivered 4% of sales in the $21 billion sector. As that slice keeps growing, industry leaders will meet in Mumbai to discuss how to design products that help kids learn. (Those Legos? They foster architectural ability!) This pursuit is definitely not altruistic. "Parents are resisting the urge to splurge on themselves, but they're willing to make investments in their children's futures," says Bob Friedland of Toys "R" Us. Way to take the fun out of playtime. -- STEPHANIE SCHOMER

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tue, february 02
BOUNCE BACK
International Symposium on Geo-information for Disaster Management

To cope with a natural disaster, you'll probably want food, shelter, and clothing. But what you really need, according to University of Georgia geographer Marguerite Madden, is ... geomatics? "For a long time, it was hard to explain what I do," says Madden, who cochairs the Gi4DM meeting in Torino, Italy. "Now I say, 'You know those spatial images you see on Google Earth? Well, I make them possible.' " After recent natural disasters -- hurricanes, cyclones, quakes -- satellite images have been crucial in helping rescue workers navigate stricken areas. At this year's conference, says Madden, much of the focus will be on forming "emergency coalitions." That way, when disaster strikes, one country can harness the satellite power of many. -- DAN MACSAI

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fri, february 05
SMOTHER
World Nutella Day

Is licking chocolate-hazelnut spread out of a jar on your agenda today? Well, it should be -- and Sara Rosso wants you to chronicle the indulgent act online. In 2007, the smitten American digital strategist and food blogger, who lives in Milan, started World Nutella Day, on which fans all over the world eat and tell via Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook. The Italian treat, which is the No. 1 spread on the European table, already has more than 3 million Facebook fans, and Ferrero, its manufacturer, is no doubt grateful for the attention. This year's celebration comes as it makes a big U.S. push, with ad campaigns meant to help Nutella take a bigger bite of the nearly $5 billion sweet-spread market. -- LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM

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sat, february 06
COMPUTE
Teens in Tech Conference

Any parent seeking to make a kid feel inadequate need only point to 17-year-old Daniel Brusilovsky. The Californian is founder and CEO of Teens in Tech Networks (for young media producers), a TechCrunch writer, and a marketing manager for mobile-video startup Qik. The whiz kid, who's cochairing this San Francisco conference, says his generation has the power to lead technological innovation, citing Facebook as inspiration. Does he hope to be the next Mark Zuckerberg? "I'm the kind of person who doesn't look far ahead -- I live in the moment," he says, channeling his inner adult. "But if I wasn't doing what I loved, I wouldn't be doing it." And then he put down his iPhone to go network at a conference. In Rome. Where he was a featured panelist. Again, he's 17. -- SS

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sun, february 07
REFUEL
National Biodiesel Conference and Expo

So many things suffered in 2009 -- and you can add biodiesel to the list. Oil prices sank, taking biodiesel demand down with it; the EPA was late drafting its renewable-fuels standard, delaying federal mandates that were supposed to help biodiesel gain a foothold in the market; and the EU, the U.S. biodiesel industry's largest market, imposed tariffs on American biodiesel. And yet the tone at the 2010 National Biodiesel Conference in Grapevine, Texas, will be decidedly upbeat. That could, in part, be escapism -- the agenda includes a golf tournament and a Super Bowl party. But it could also represent healthy realism, as exemplified by our favorite session: "Texas Hold 'Em: High Stakes in the Biodiesel Business." -- ERICA WESTLY

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