PALO ALTO, Calif. – HP today announced it is hosting a webcast discussion with Richard Florida, economist and best-selling author of "The Rise of the Creative Class," as part of the company's "Input/Output" web interview series.

The interactive discussion, which allows listeners to actively engage in the conversation through Twitter, will explore the "Creative Class" and how members' contributions can benefit today's businesses and, in turn, revitalize the economy. Florida formally defines the "Creative Class" as "people who work in design, education, arts, music and entertainment and whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology and/or creative content."

In this webcast, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 14, Florida will delve into the "Creative Class" and how members are affecting the way businesses think through new and innovative ideas and how companies can effectively utilize their talents.

Join the discussion:
·  What: Live webcast discussion
·  Where: HP Input/Output webcast
·  Who: Richard Florida, economist and best-selling author
·  When: Dec. 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Questions can be submitted prior to the webcast via the @io_mod Twitter handle with the #hpio hashtag.

This webcast is the third in the Input/Output series, the second Input/Output webcast featured George Halvorson, chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente, and is currently available via archive on the HP Input/Output website.

With more than 2 million Twitter impressions and 5,000+ video streams to date, HP's Input/Output sessions bring together the foremost thinkers in economics, management, technology, culture and more to discuss the impact of the "new normal" on business. Input/Output houses major discussions – generating a conversation and flow of ideas that will lead to even bigger ideas.