INDIANAPOLIS–American Mensa will meet in Indianapolis for the first time in July. The organization for geniuses and really smart people will bring 1,600 people from around the country to the state for six days, starting July 3. They’ll meet at the J.W. Marriott.
“We have our annual gathering in a different city each year. This is our first time in Indianapolis,” said Charles Brown, director of Marketing and Communications for American Mensa. “We try to move around the country partly to make it easier for our members because our members are all across the country.”
“It also allows us to explore some of the great cities and places where our local memberships and chapters are located,” said Brown.
Indiana has two Mensa chapters, with about 600 members. LINK: Mensa website
Audio titled CHARLES BROWN MENSA MEETING INTERVIEW by 93WIBC
Brown said the annual meeting will feature more than 200 programs, including exploration of topics ranging from deep water technology to Shakespeare to true crime, to the history of cookie cutters.
“It’s not your typical convention,” said Brown. “It’s really just a social get together in many ways.”
Brown said they tailor the annual meeting to the interests of Mensa members.
“We have a 24-hour games room and it’s games all day and games all night,” he said. “That gets at what are members are really interested in, in terms of intellectual curiosity and intellectual competitiveness.”
While the annual meeting is not open to the public, the Mensa Colloquium, on July 3, is.
“The Mensa Foundation, which is our charitable arm, we put on a whole separate event called Colloquium. This year Colloquium is at the same location,” said Brown. “This year we’re looking at manufacturing and we’re doing a sort of deep-dive symposium on manufacturing and how it’s evolving in the 21st century.”
The cost to attend Colloquium for non-members is $124.
Brown said you can also get tested to see if you qualify for Mensa.
“We’ll have two testing sessions at the annual gathering. So, if you’re interested, come on in and take the test. Even if you’re not interested in joining the organization and just see where you stand, it’s really fun.”
PHOTO: Chris Davis/Emmis
