Network with fellow honorees during a breakfast at Fast Company's headquarters.

Join Talea Beer Co. for a behind-the-scenes look at one of its breweries. Talea is revolutionizing craft beer through a female-focused brick-and-mortar strategy. As a woman-founded and operated brewery in NYC, Talea connects with a broad group of previously under-targeted customers through playful packaging, tasty beers, and award-winning, hospitality-focused taprooms. Fast Track participants will learn about Talea's past six years of growth, including breaking into major retailers like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, reaching new audiences through of-the-moment collaborations, and opening five taprooms across NYC. After a fireside chat with Talea's cofounders, guests will break into groups to taste through a portfolio of Talea beers and go on a brewery tour of Talea's production facility.

Join Salt & Straw ice cream for a momentous morning. Founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, Salt & Straw’s ice cream is more than just a nostalgic treat: It offers an opportunity to build community among like-minded culinary artisans, tell compelling stories about the world around us, and make bold flavor choices. In addition to the core menu, Salt & Straw is known for its monthly rotating flavors, each built around an original theme—whether it’s spotlighting local farmers and artisans, honoring cultural traditions, or exploring big ideas through unexpected ingredients.

Fast Track participants will receive a guided tasting of the brand’s classic flavors like Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons and Double Fold Vanilla, as well as wildly inventive originals like Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper. Following the tasting, guests will listen to and engage with Salt & Straw cofounder Kim Malek during a moderated Q&A session. 

Join Mother Design for an exploration of the branding challenges in saturated, hyper-designed markets—where good design is the baseline, not the differentiator. Unpack what happens when the visual playing field is level, and discover why originality, a rebellious brand perspective, cultural relevance, and brand soul matter more than ever. Through the lens of carbonated beverages, Mother Design will uncover the strategies that break through the noise and make people care.

Kick off the Innovation Festival in true New York style at the brand-new Tecovas flagship store in SoHo. Guests will enjoy complimentary drinks featuring Death & Co cocktails, in-store boot branding (including a Fast Company logo option), a custom hat bar, on-site shoe shines, and a 10% discount on purchases. Executives from Tecovas and WVN will walk attendees through how AI and spatial intelligence are powering the next generation of modern retail.

Join Ciarán McGuigan, founder and CEO of the Malin, alongside a Fast Company editor and forward-thinking leaders from both emerging startups and established brands, for a candid conversation on designing a return to office that people actually want. Together, they’ll explore how hospitality and workplace community can transform the office from an obligation into a magnet—and why that matters more than ever in today’s evolving work landscape.

Join James Beard Award nominee chef Nasim Alikhani at her warm and welcoming Sofreh Cafe for an evening filled with delicious traditional Persian dishes and spreads, signature cocktails, and a conversation on the importance of placing culture at the core of her business. From the café’s architecture and cozy aesthetic to taking inspiration from Persian homes and the meaning of the restaurant’s name itself—Sofreh has come to refer to "gathering" and "sharing"—hear how Alikhani has infused her heritage into every aspect of her restaurant, and why she believes this approach will continue to feed the business's bottom line.

For leaders, there is threat in chaos. And the world right now—it’s feeling pretty chaotic. It feels safer to retreat, hide, camouflage, and remain silent to feel a sense of stability. But acting out of fear is a bad business strategy. Join CEO Joey Camire, chief strategy officer Chris Konya, partner of strategy Aaron Powers, and chief design officer Michael Ian Kaye in this session as they discuss the impact of fear on businesses today—their teams, products, policies, messaging, and marketing. Learn how they’re advising clients and the consulting industry to navigate the chaos through quiet acts of hope, courage, and resistance—and how you can apply their learnings to your own work too. The session concludes with a Q&A, open conversation, and networking with the Sylvain team. Refreshments will be provided.

Join Engine, the platform reshaping how groups and businesses book travel, for an afternoon of conversation, creativity, and connection at one of the city's favorite creative spaces: art café Happy Medium.

Attendees will start with a fireside chat featuring Sammi Cohen, host of the Social Currency podcast, and Elia Wallen, founder and CEO of Engine, to discuss how to build a billion-dollar business in an unsexy industry while staying grounded. After the conversation, guests will connect over light bites before diving into hands-on creative activities including painting, collaging, and more. This session is meant to reset attendees’ perspectives and spark new thinking. No pressure, no performance, just a chance to create something new and shift gears.

Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for Engine on the spot and get travel credits for future flights, hotels, and rental cars added directly to their account.

Every day there are literally millions of brand identities in the marketplace. And still, certain brands consistently stand out, rise above, and reshape our lives. This “brand magic” doesn’t happen by accident. There are ingenious strategies and actions that companies take to push their brands to the next level. 

This session will unite leaders from Disney, Verizon, CannonDesign, and more to break down the fundamental building blocks of brands and then share novel ideas about what it really means to push a brand leaps and bounds beyond its competitors. The session will inspire attendees to think more holistically about how a brand can reverberate in profound ways across the built world, the digital environment, and our lives. 

Following a presentation and discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to take part in a creative design session. Groups of participants will be given atypical brand clients and asked to conceive unique brand experiences. They’ll be able to think through how these unique brands can manifest themselves in the built and virtual worlds, in customer journeys, and more. 

Kick off the start to Fast Company's 11th annual Innovation Festival with our opening night party.

The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) was the last puzzle piece of a massive redevelopment and revitalization effort within Lower Manhattan's World Trade Center complex. And since opening its doors in 2023, PAC NYC's mission has been clear: to provide an innovative space for artists to flourish as well as be a hub for community building. That ethos certainly extends to Metropolis, PAC NYC's signature restaurant from celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson that explores the vast culinary traditions of New York City through a modern lens. Join PAC NYC's executive director, Khady Kamara Nunez, for an illuminating conversation on how food, art, technology, and civic engagement intersect within an ever-evolving cultural landscape.

Union Square Hospitality Group attributes much of its success to its dedication to customer service, which should be a priority for any company. So how can you integrate more of a hospitality feel into your business operations? Join Patti Simpson, chief administrative officer and head of USHG's advisory firm, Hospitality Quotient, for an exclusive master class on how to have a customer-first mindset.

Disguise, the Engineering, Science, and Technology Emmy Award-winning technology platform and services company behind key location-based experiences at SoFi Stadium, Illuminarium, the Burj Khalifa, and the NBA All-Star game, is at the forefront when it comes to driving a new era of immersive wonder for fans and visitors. Join Disguise at its Chelsea office to get an expert take on what the future holds for the location-based experience industry—from data-driven graphics and gamification supercharging in-stadium fan experiences to cinematic immersion taking theme park rides to new heights, and projection mapping and real-time content elevating the storytelling potential of museums, installations, architecture, and more. Experience some of this technology firsthand with a number of interactive demos, and meet the Disguise team to learn how these cutting-edge immersive experiences can be brought to life.

With increasing concerns from consumers on data and privacy issues, tech brands must build trust against the “hacked and tracked” narratives. As they look to further integrate into the lives of their customers, tech needs to embrace trust as vital to purpose and experience, as well as a competitive advantage.
Explore the 10 key dimensions of purpose and experience critical to building trust with brand strategy company FutureBrand. Attendees will leave this session with a personalized score comparing themselves to the world’s leading brands and a blueprint to future-proof their own, inspiring confidence through their tech brand’s every interaction.

The famed restaurant group is continually innovating on its core value: "Changing the world through the power of food." Hear how Sam Bakhshandehpour, CEO of José Andrés Group, thinks about growing a successful brand around "doing good." Across the group's 15 different restaurant concepts, Bakhshandehpour challenges each team to do just this through initiatives such as teaming with food surplus recovery service Copia and creating menu items geared to utilize as much of the ingredient as possible to reduce food waste. Join us at the Bazaar by José Andrés inside the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad for an insightful evening and incredible cuisine.

Join the founders of bag brand Dagne Dover to learn more about how they differentiate innovation from product newness. This session will feature a conversation on how the founders pursue opportunities, approach financing, and evolve Dagne Dover’s brand, as well as how new ways of thinking guide the creation of systems, relationships, and human-centered solutions. Following the conversation, attendees will have the opportunity to shop at Dagne Dover’s flagship location with an exclusive Innovation Festival discount. 

Join Thursday Boots at its Flatiron headquarters for an overview of the details that distinguish quality footwear that is built to last. Presenters will cover materials, construction, and a quick history of shoemaking before demonstrating the easiest ways to care for your favorite pair of boots. Participants will get advice on everyday maintenance from expert cobblers and leave with a special gift.

Hypothetically, what if John Deere partnered with Manscaped to launch a new kind of “hedge” trimmer? Or if Scotch tape came together with Starface, the blemish-fighting sticker accessory, to make skincare accessible in a whole new kind of way?
One of the arguments against AI in the creative community is that it lacks serendipity. Not anymore. With the right frameworks and inputs, AI can bring form to one-of-a-kind partnerships that help brands break into new audiences, categories, and cultural contexts. At their NoMad clubhouse, the crew behind indie agency CBX will ideate unthinkable and yet undeniable brand mash-ups alongside attendees, short-listing two hypotheticals for design. During this exercise, every attendee will play a role, but they won’t find out what it is until we begin: (1) creator or (2) evaluator.

Founded by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, the Modern is a two-Michelin-starred, contemporary American restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, join the Modern’s executive chef, Tom Allan, in a fireside chat as he reflects on the restaurant’s legacy over the past two decades, sharing lessons on leadership, fostering team culture, and staying creative in today’s competitive restaurant landscape. Gain an inside look at how enduring excellence is built and sustained through innovation, collaboration, and vision. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A session, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour, and a few light bites to close out the experience.

Celebrate a week of innovative conversations and new connections during our closing night party. 

In Tagalog, naks is used as an exclamation of delight, surprise, or admiration—all descriptors that are apropos to the titular East Village restaurant. Naks, which is part of the Michelin-starred restaurant group Unapologetic Foods (Semma, Dhamaka, Adda), is a love letter to Filipino comfort food showcasing the bold and regionally diverse flavors from the country. Join Roni Mazumdar, CEO of Unapologetic Foods, as he explains the inspiration behind expanding the group's portfolio beyond Indian cuisine and how to find success in hypercompetitive industries like New York City's restaurant scene.