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THAT’S A WRAP

FWD50 is an annual gathering of the world’s leading public sector innovators. Since 2017, government executives have met to answer one vital question: How do we use technology to make society better for all.

In 2020, we tackled a second one: How do we use it to bring us together.

By the numbers

6 days of workshops across 5 channels

Thousands of participants from 29 countries and 79 regions

239 speakers from government, academia, and technology

Unmatched content, genuine interactions, and surprising virtual experiences

WHAT PEOPLE SAID

“Once again, FWD50 sets a new standard.”

“This was one of the best-run conferences I have ever attended or spoken at.”

“It’s my first year attending FWD50. I am kicking myself for not attending in the past.”

“Every single session that I attended was mind blowing.”

“I came into this conference not knowing what to expect. I was BLOWN AWAY. What an amazing lineup.”

“As expected, FWD50 is leading the way in building virtual events that bring the world together in ways that weren’t possible in 2019.”

“While I miss the face to face aspect, this is as good as it gets for a digital conference.”

“It just keeps getting better every year!”

“Some of the most inspiring and fascinating speakers, all on a platform that was easy to use.”

“Very impressive speakers, content and use of technology to facilitate a remarkable virtual conference. Depth, breath and diversity were outstanding.”

“The tools more than proved that digital conferences can be just as engaging!”

Speakers

The 2020 faculty featured the world’s leading public servants, tech innovators, and academics. Attendees have access to dozens of recorded keynotes, workshops, and breakouts.

Vinton G. Cerf

Vice President & Chief Internet Evangelist
Google Cloud

The Honourable Joyce Murray

Minister of Digital Government
Canada

DJ Patil

Chief Technology Officer, Devoted Health
Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

Ann-Marie Cavanagh

Deputy Government Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Digital Public Service
Department of Internal Affairs (NZ)

Beth Simone Noveck

Director
The GovLab

Ronaldo Lemos

Lawyer, Chief Scientific Officer, Institute for Technology & Society of Rio de Janeiro
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Columbia University

Gina Lucarelli

Team Leader
United Nations Development Programme Accelerator Lab Network

Tim O'Reilly

Founder, CEO, & Chairman
O'Reilly Media

Nick Chedli Carter

Managing Director
Resilient Democracy

Amanda Renteria

Chief Executive Officer
Code for America

Siim Sikkut

Government CIO of Estonia
Deputy Secretary General for IT and Telecom in Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications

Pia Andrews

Pia Andrews

Open and digital government expert

Our Partners

Some of the world’s leading tech companies help us put on FWD50, including: