The PINC 2016 Lineup

The founder of Room to Read. A legendary pioneer in autism and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. A creator whose concoctions would make Willy Wonka blush.

They are all part of the annual PINC gathering in Sarasota.

The People, Ideas, Nature and Creativity conference is scheduled for Dec. 8, with 16 international speakers of “singular accomplishment in widely varied fields” at the Sarasota Opera House.

“This year PINC.Sarasota brings in some of the most exciting and inspiring speakers we’ve had in our community,” director Anand Pallegar said.

They include Room to Read founder John Wood; Temple Grandin, an animal science professor who invented the “hug box” and whose life as an autism spokeswoman was dramatized in a movie starring Claire Danes; and David Edwards, who creates futuristic food-related novelties such as inhalable chocolate.

PINC co-founders Peter and Nelleke van Lindonk drew their inspiration from the Technology, Entertainment, Design — or TED — conferences that celebrate a spectrum of ideas through storytelling. They hosted the first PINC event in the small Dutch town of Zeist in 1999.

PINC jumped the pond to Sarasota in 2014, thanks to the van Lindonks’ frequent visits and family ties to the area.

Each speaker presents a 20-minute talk meant to inspire, astound or educate the audience, with topics ranging from cartography to neuroscience.

Details

The event is Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tickets are $425 and includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, unique snacks

Tickets are available at PINCsarasota.com

For more information, go to pincconferences.org

The Ringling College of Art and Design is PINC.Sarasota’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Tableside Restaurant Group.

“PINC represents the same ideals of Ringling College: Innovation, Inspiration, and Creativity,” Ringling president Larry Thompson said.