I have a big announcement to make: I’m re-launching my Gel conference this October, after a hiatus of 10 years. It’s time to get our community together, in person – and you’re invited to be a part of it.

We’ll be meeting on Friday-Saturday, Oct 2-3, 2026 in Accord, New York – about two hours north of New York City, near New Paltz. Our venue is Skate Time, a revitalized retro roller skating rink that will host speaker talks, catered lunch, and – of course! – a Friday night roller-skating party with a live band. You should be there.

I’m so excited to bring back this event, spotlighting hopeful projects and inspiring people. At a moment when we’re facing so many challenges – from oppressive tech monopolies, rising authoritarianism, pervasive surveillance, threats from AI, etc. – we need to get together, off our screens, to chart a better path forward.

Gel will serve as an oasis – a gathering place and community for people who want to create something better in the world. I hope you’ll join us: early-bird tickets are now on sale.

I’m also excited to unveil our new Gel video archive with hundreds of past Gel talks organized by year. There are real gems, like the time New Yorker cartoonists Matt Diffee, Drew Dernavich, and Zach Kanin showed off rejected ideas – and drew a new cartoon live on-stage – at Gel 2011. (There’s a ton more to spotlight in the video archive, but I’ll save that for a future note.)

For now, I want to encourage you to sign up for Gel 2026. Here’s what we have in store:

• When: Friday-Saturday, October 2-3, 2026
• Where: Skate Time in Accord, NY, just outside New Paltz
• Details: Location, Speakers, Schedule
• Join us: Register

We have several speakers already confirmed:

• Rocío Salceda, founder of Repair Cafe El Barrio

• Janet Vertesi, founder of the Opt Out Project

• Bjorn Quenemoen, Stephanie Bauman, and Jamie O’Shea, the leaders of BjornQorn – sun-popped vegan popcorn with a community focus

• Micah, Worker Trustee (Co-ED), Good Work Institute

• Eric Gullickson, president of Mohonk Mountain House

• K Greene, co-founder of Hudson Valley Seed Company

• Meredith Kooi, co-director of Wave Farm

• yours truly, as host

• . . . and we’re working on confirming more speakers.

And we have in-person experiences: on Friday afternoon, each attendee will be assigned one excursion in the area. Organizations confirmed so far:

• Ravenwood, where farming and food intersect with art and design

• Mohonk Mountain House, the mountaintop sanctuary and resort

• Lite Brite Neon, the artist collective that has created hundreds of neon works of art

• Good Work Institute, a worker self-directed nonprofit organization supporting people and initiatives committed to Good Work

This might be the most important event I’ve ever put together. Surveillance-and-AI tech platforms, run by oligarchs with unchecked power, are threatening us in multiple ways. But we can push back – by coming together, in person, to share ideas and inspiration. That’s our opportunity in October.

I hope you’ll join me at Gel 2026. Sign up now to get the early-bird discount.

It’s time to Gel!

-mark

Mark Hurst, founder, Creative Good and the Gel conference
Email: mark@creativegood.com
Podcast/radio show: techtonic.fm
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