Creating connections and communities for leaders in the life sciences and technology
Founded in 2000, Future Forward Events LLC delivers curated programs that bring together leaders in the life sciences and technology industries. Our programs are developed to create high level connections, share leadership insights and deliver impactful business strategies for our participants. Each program is developed with input from influential industry advisors who define the topics and speakers that are most relevant to the industry each year.Our communities are intentionally limited to not more than 200 participants to maximize personal interaction and networking. Participants are invited based on input from the board of advisors for each program.
Convergence Forum
Launched in 2004, the Convergence Forum brings together high-level healthcare players to discuss and debate the most pressing topics of interest to the industry - topics like forging strong corporate partnerships; attracting funding from private and public sources; building successful research organizations; streamlining product development and approval; understanding the coming convergence of biology, software, and medical devices; and staying ahead of regulatory and reimbursement status quo. Speakers have included CEOs and senior executives from Sanofi Genzyme, Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Shire, Novartis, and ABIOMED, as well as academic researchers from Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and the Broad Institute. More information…
Chatham Conference
Launched in 2000, this annual invitation-only gathering of entrepreneurs, executives and investors, ran on Nantucket Island for most of the first 25 years as The Nantucket Conference. The program moved to Chatham on Cape Cod in 2025 as the rebranded Chatham Conference. With a distinct East Coast emphasis, speakers have included founders, CEOs and investors of iRobot, Shutterstock, Zipcar, Etsy, TripAdvisor, Misfit, Indiegogo, Oracle, Google, 3Com, Craigslist, Staples, Akamai, and LogMeIn. More information…
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Future Forward Events has also produced programs both nationally and internationally including Future Forward which brought together technology innovators in the early 2000’s.
Shayne Gilbert
Shayne Gilbert has been fueling the entrepreneurial community since starting Silverweave in 1994. Through Future Forward Events, Shayne develops exclusive programs for life sciences and high technology leaders. Shayne also founded Campseekers, a corporate wellness benefit that solves the school break challenge for working parents, subsequently selling the network to Bright Horizons in 2019. She has also served as the Executive Director of non-profit Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, expanding her reach internationally. Her insights have been recognized in economic reports and industry publications. She is the author of 90 Days to Launch (Wiley).
Scott Kirsner
Scott Kirsner is the co-founder and editor of Innovation Leader, a site that focuses on innovation inside large companies. He also writes the weekly "Innovation Economy" column for the Boston Globe. Scott is the author of the books Fans, Friends & Followers and Inventing the Movies, a technological history of Hollywood, and was editor of The Convergence Guide: Life Sciences in New England. Scott's writing has also appeared in the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, BusinessWeek, the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Newsweek, among other publications. Scott is a frequent moderator and event host, having spoken or led sessions at the Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest, several TEDx gatherings, the Consumer Electronics Show, the MIT R&D Conference, the Connected Healthcare Symposium, Authors@Google, the Churchill Club, the NAB Futures Summit, and the Toronto Film Festival. Scott is a graduate of Boston University's College of Communications and the New World School of the Arts, in Miami.
Alyssa Stern
Alyssa Stern has been executing events for over 25 years. She has managed dozens of events ranging in size from small groups to hundreds of attendees taking place in locations such as restaurants, hotels, upscale resorts and unique properties. She is an expert in running logistics, coordinating attendee participation and streamlining relationships with venues and other third party vendors. She oversees budget management and execution to make sure that programs are delivered efficiently and meet key goals. She manages the day to day operations of Future Forward Events including the annual delivery of the Nantucket Conference and the Convergence Forum. Alyssa received both her undergraduate degree and Masters in Business Administration from Boston University.