An audience of over 100 real estate developers, architects, investors, public officials, startup companies, artists, creatives, self-employed professionals, and social entrepreneurs are expected to come together next Thursday, January 24th at 6pm at Remedy Coffee on 125 W. Jackson Ave to discuss the past, present, and future of creative mixed use spaces in the greater Knoxville region.

By design, creative mixed-use spaces can save tenants time, reduce costs, create work opportunities, and help them feel more connected to their community while also increasing surrounding property values and deliver a strong ROI for real estate investors.

Current confirmed speakers and topics will include:

Nathan Fray, a drummer at United Pursuit Band, will share a recent story of how The Banks House 2.0 recently raised $109,960 three months ago on Indiegogo, an online fundraising platform, to build a community space for worship, creativity, community-building, and entrepreneurship in Knoxville.

Sean Alsobrooks, pastor at Knox Life Church and owner of Remedy Coffee, will present his findings from interviewing creatives throughout the Knoxville region about what they’d like to see in a creative coworking and community spaces around downtown Knoxville.

Col. Bill Rutley will present the story of how the Gossick Leadership Center at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, TN has been utilized for group facilitation and consensus building for complex public-private partnerships — as well as his initiative to explore the possibility of launching a similar facility and program in Knoxville.

Michael Carroll, serial entrepreneur at MK Technologies, will present an update about the new downtown Entrepreneurial Center in Market Square and its plans for the future.

Kelle Jolly, a Knoxville-based singer and artist, will present an affordable cooperative housing project for local artists that is currently in development.

Victor Agreda, Editor-in-Chief at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), will present his findings on creative mall and community venues for the local retail entrepreneurs — and what is needed to make the vision a reality in Knoxville.

Shawn Carson, Director at Tech2020, will present a collaborative initiative to create a mixed-use business accelerator for digital media startups unlike any other in the world.

Alex Lavidge, a social entrepreneur currently working in business development with Variable Technologies LLC, will discuss some key findings about best practices for mixed-use spaces after consulting with Cornerstone Foundation of Knoxville on the Greater Knoxville Community Research 2012 initiative.

Leo Knight, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Entrepreneurs of Knoxville, will be presenting a renovated mixed-use coworking space open to the public in Sequoyah Hills.

Each presentation will be under five minutes and may include slides. Networking and refreshments will follow afterwards.

This event is open to the public.

RSVPs and donations of $5 are requested at the door or through Eventbrite at creativespaces.eventbrite.com.

Proceeds will go to benefit Knoxville Overground (KO), a volunteer-powered and community-building organization that has helped facilitate over 200 events for startups, self-employed professionals, social entrepreneurs, and the creative class since 2008.

For more information, you can download the press release here or read the article published on teknovation.biz on January 9th.