Join Be Social Change on Tuesday, September 22nd for a panel discussion on theFuture of The Sharing Economyas we explore the trends and challenges of the collaborative consumption.

From cars and music to accommodations and staffing, it’s never been easier for anyone with an excess capacity of goods and services to maximize their resources through collaborative consumption. Commonly referred to as The Sharing Economy, these transactions minimize waste and environmental impact, save costs, cut down barriers to entry, and increase productivity in a mutual give-and-receive exchange.

Expected to grow from $15 billion to $335 billion in revenue from 2013 to 2025, The Sharing Economy is positioned to disrupt traditional renting sectors like automotive and hotels. This potential for growth has attracted entrepreneurs and corporations alike, but how does it trickle down and increase opportunities and returns for individuals at every level of the exchange? And when are words like “community” and “sharing” disguising purely profit-driven transactions, a strategy coined as ‘WeWashing’?

With thought leaders from across the sector, this panel discussion will delve into the opportunities and challenges that come with collective collaboration. We’ll highlight the distinction between the Access Economy - where consumers are primarily interested in low costs and convenience - and an authentic Sharing Economy, rooted in trust and the strengthening of communities, and explore when, how, and if The Sharing Economy can be a source of empowerment.

{Drinks and snacks will be provided}

Join the conversation on Twitter:

@BeSocialChange | @MarcosSalazar | @whatifglobal | @Airbnbnyc | @melalicious | @Meetup | @obeniflah | @leesean | @foossa_com | @MadeinLES | @lickfai | @SailoBoats | @delphb14

SCHEDULE:

6:30-7:00pm Doors open, Check-in

7:00-8:30pm Program, Panel Discussion, Q&A

8:30-9:00pm Closing & Networking

FEATURED PANELISTS:

• Melissa O’Young, Head of NY Community, Airbnb

• Odile Beniflah, International & Partnerships, Meetup

• Lee-Sean Huang, Co-Founder / Creative Director, Foossa

• Eric Ho, Founder, miLES

• Delphine Braas, Cofounder, Marketing & Business Development, Sailo

• Marcos Salazar (moderator), Co-Founder & Executive Director, Be Social Change

PANELIST BIOS

Melissa O’Young, Head of NY Community, Airbnb

Melissa O’Young is the Head of New York Community for Airbnb, responsible for building community in one of Airbnb’s biggest markets. Prior to Airbnb, Melissa built community for Virgin Unite, the nonprofit arm to the Virgin Group and Sir Richard Branson’s foundation.

Melissa is passionate about the sharing economy — she completed her thesis on collaborative consumption in 2011, played an advisory role to the UK Government on the concept in 2012, and is the founder of Let’s Collaborate!, an organization that connects and promotes the sharing economy community in NYC.

Follow Melissa on Twitter: @melalicious & @Airbnbnyc

Odile Beniflah, Head of International, Meetup

Odile is the organizer of the NYC Sharing Economy Meetup. For years, she has been an active promoter of sharing services in the many countries where she lived. Today she works for Meetup as Head of International. Odile is passionate about the use of technology as a way towards a more human, sustainable future. She loves to get to know her local community and tries to create positive change in every place she lives.

Follow Odile on Twitter:@obeniflah & @Meetup

Lee-Sean Huang, Co-Founder / Creative Director, Foossa

Lee-Sean Huang is the cofounder and creative director of Foossa, a community-centered design consultancy. He is also a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts, Design for Social Innovation. As a designer, strategist, and storyteller, he collaborates with communities and organizations across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia to solve social innovation challenges. He is the author of a recent article, "#WeWashing When “Sharing” is Renting and “Community” is a Commodity."

Follow Lee-Sean on on Twitter: @leesean &@foossa_com

Eric Ho, Founder, miLES

Eric is the founder of miLES, a civic startup that open storefronts to possibilities by activating urban neighborhoods for pop-up entrepreneurship. Started as an online collaboration, Eric has been leading the development of miLES into an innovative practice operating between real estate, design and social entrepreneurship. miLES has been creatively using storefront spaces for a wide range of uses and time-frame to lower the entry barrier for entrepreneurs, creatives and community to use commercial real estate. Eric has been invited to speak at various panels and events including Harvard Innovation Lab, Municipal Art Society Summit, Awesome Summit, Columbia University Studio X and TEDxDumbo. He is on the judge committee for Harvard University’s annual Dean’s Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge. His work has been published in various media including the New York Times, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Good Magazine and PSFK. miLES is currently a partner with Square behind #squarepopups around different cities in the US.

Follow Eric on Twitter: @lickfai and @madeinLES

Delphine Braas, Cofounder, Marketing & Business Development, Sailo

Delphine is the cofounder of Sailo, an online marketplace for boat and yacht rentals, where she heads up marketing and business development. Before joining Sailo, she worked at Nestle in various marketing, business development and sales roles. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is passionate about marketplaces and collaborative consumption.

Follow Delphine on Twitter: @SailoBoats & @delphb14

MODERATOR:

Marcos Salazar, Co-Founder + Executive Director, Be Social Change

Marcos Salazar is a social entrepreneur, career + life coach, consultant, speaker, andcommunity builder. His passion is working with professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives to help them pursue work they are passionate about, build authentic personal brands, become financially successful, and create lives that make the world a better place. He does this through 1-on-1 coaching, nonprofit and businesses consulting, and on a larger scale as Co-founder + Executive Director of Be Social Change where he’s built the largest social impact community and professional development hub in New York City. Marcos earned a B.A. in Psychology from Amherst College as well as a Masters in Organizational Management and an Executive Leadership Coaching certificate from The George Washington University. Marcos is a board member of the Young Professionals Nonprofit Network and an American Express Leadership Academy Fellow. You can learn more about him at www.MarcosSalazar.com.

Follow Marcos on Twitter: @marcossalazar & @BeSocialChange

EVENT PARTNERS:

For nearly 20 years, ?What If! Innovation Partners (@whatifglobal) has partnered with organizations hungry for growth. We invent new products, brands, services, and business models, and we help our partners build their in-house innovation capabilities. Our style is provocative and passionate. Our mission is lasting impact.

EVENT SPONSORS:

Airbnb (@airbnb) is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 33,000 cities and 192 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.

Learn more at runa.org

Learn more at kopali.net

Learn more at edwardandsons.com

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Refund Policy: Refunds can be issued in full up to 48 hours prior to the start of the class by contacting Be Social Change.