Second annual "Engage St. Pete" aims to draw 500 community leaders, civic activists, and aspiring influencers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 7, 2015) -- The purpose of now annual Engage St. Pete, sponsored by ASI, is to “introduce ambitious, civically interested, and fresh-thinking professionals with the individuals and organizations that make things happen in St. Petersburg,” said Engage St. Pete co-founder Tobin Robeck.

In its first incarnation last year, the event drew top-tier community leadership including a keynote address by Mayor Rick Kriseman, and varying discussions of opportunities and challenges facing St. Pete. This year’s event, to be held at the Museum of Fine Arts to accommodate growing demand, is themed “For the Love of St. Pete,” and headlined by author, TEDTalk speaker, and St. Pete native / downtown resident Peter Kageyama.

WHAT: An event to facilitate connections and action among professionals and community leaders.

WHO: Engage St. Pete is driven and hosted by the St. Petersburg Sunset Rotary Foundation (of which Robeck is president) and the St. Pete Chamber Young Professionals (SPYP), and is supported by many other professional volunteers, including a multitude of other local young professional groups and business supporters. “Engage” is targeted predominantly to emerging, forward thinking, progress-minded professionals interested in the future of the City of St. Pete.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg 33701

PROGRAM: Cocktail hour, meeting-and-greeting, complimentary food and drinks.

Keynote address: Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places and Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places. A community development consultant and grassroots engagement strategist, he speaks across the globe about bottom-up community development and individuals who are making change happen.

Forty-minute breakout sessions (attendees can attend two of the following):

• Arts: The Arts you LIVE
• Waterfront: The Promise
• Development: Cities have growth spurts too
• Transportation: Planes, Trains, and Ubers
• For the Love of St. Pete: Action to Better the Burg

Breakout panelists include St. Pete residents, entrepreneurs, innovators, civic doers, corporate disruptors, and general thought-leaders across a range of fields and industries.

COST: Pre-registration $10, Register at EngageStPete.com; or $15 at the door.

SPONSORS: ASI is the title sponsor for the second consecutive year; All Children’s Hospital and RE/MAX Metro Tampa Bay are presenting sponsors. Sponsors and in-kind donors also include: Uber; Frey, Masterson & Associates; P.J. Callaghan Construction; North Shore Wealth Management; 22 Squared; FKQ; and Landis Communication. Some sponsorship opportunities still available – contact Tobin Robeck.

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