When the first-ever conference focused on the Creative Economy was announced for October 24-25 in Fairfax County, Virginia, we got pretty excited…

Originality, innovation, inventiveness, imagination, artistic ability, resourcefulness–all are synonyms for creativity. But what does it mean to be creative and why is that attribute so important to businesses and communities alike?

…until we saw who we’ll be learning this from. So far, the lineup consists of three writers, an admiral in the Coast Guard, and two staffing/hiring experts. Because admirals in the Coast Guard are widely known for their artistic ability. And if anyone knows about imagination, it’s a headhunter.

As king of the Creative Class, Richard Florida will of course be there, and you can’t mess with NY Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman. But all in all, the lineup seems horribly ho-hum, dreadfully contrived and the polar opposite of anything remotely creative. Not to mention old, old, old and male, male, male.

Jen Bekman, go get ‘em.