News Source: Winter Park Institute
Integration expands opportunities for conversation and connection in Central Florida
WINTER PARK, Fla., Nov. 9, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Winter Park Institute (WPI) today announces the integration of the Winter Park Ideas Festival (WPIF) as its third signature program, joining Experiences and Pages for the Ages in the WPI portfolio. The integration brings the Festival’s vision for belonging into WPI’s expanding calendar of ideas and conversation, preserving its distinctive identity while creating new opportunities for community connection.
Image caption: Board of Trustees photo of Winter Park Institute and leaders of Winter Park Ideas Festival.
“The Winter Park Ideas Festival is a natural extension of the Winter Park Institute’s mission to bring compelling ideas and extraordinary voices into meaningful conversation,” said Lawrence Lyman, chair of the WPI Board of Trustees. “We are grateful to the Chamber and the leaders who developed this vision. By bringing the Festival into the Institute, we are expanding the ways people can engage with ideas, connect with one another, and strengthen the cultural and intellectual life of Central Florida.”
The Festival was incubated by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce through its affiliated Winter Park Improvement Foundation, where the Winter Park Ideas Foundation was formed to develop it as a strategy for strengthening community connection. Its central theme is belonging: how people connect to one another and the places they call home. Conceived in response to social isolation and declining civic engagement, the Festival explores how fields including arts, food, education, wellness and culture can build stronger communities.
“Loneliness has been named a public health epidemic, and its costs are felt not only in our health but in our workplaces, our civic life and our economy. The Festival answers that by bringing leading thinkers, students and young professionals, and neighbors together around ideas that lead to action,” said Carroll Hanley-Goggin, chair of the Winter Park Ideas Foundation. “By drawing those thinkers to Winter Park and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and venues, it strengthens both our civic and economic life. Joining Winter Park Institute gives the Festival the reach and resources to grow, and our founding board looks forward to continuing that work as part of WPI.”
The Festival adds a complementary dimension to WPI’s programming:
- Experiences bring globally recognized voices to Central Florida through the Inspire, Reflect and Impact model, connecting keynotes with smaller conversations and local nonprofit partnerships.
- Pages for the Ages brings students and older adults together through recurring book and media discussions that build understanding across generations.
- Winter Park Ideas Festival brings multiple voices and disciplines together in a concentrated crescendo of ideas and conversation around a shared theme, inspiring participants to carry new perspectives and connections into their communities.
Together, these programs offer distinct but connected ways to engage throughout the year, strengthening WPI’s role as a convener of ideas, people and community partners.
“The most rewarding conversations often happen with someone whose life looks different from our own,” said Lindsay Kist, executive director of Winter Park Institute. “My hope is that people come for an idea that interests them and leave with a connection they never expected.”
Future Festival programming, timing and opportunities for involvement will be announced as planning progresses.
ABOUT WINTER PARK INSTITUTE
Founded at Rollins College in 2007, Winter Park Institute is an independent nonprofit that engages global thought leaders in meaningful conversation that impacts our world. Its programs create opportunities to explore new perspectives, build connections and translate ideas into local impact. Learn more at https://winterparkinstitute.org/.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lindsay Kist, Executive Director
Winter Park Institute
LKist@WinterParkInstitute.org
Michelle Alban
Lima Charlie Communications
limacharliepr@gmail.com
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Caption: Board of Trustees photo of Winter Park Institute and leaders of Winter Park Ideas Festival.
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