The Nikola Tesla Association at the Commemorative Conference "Why Tesla Matters" held in New York on 5th – 7th January, 2013 - Events - The Nikola Tesla association | Genius for the future

Ms Dragica Mihajlović, president of the Association Nikola Tesla – Genius for the Future, addressed the 1st International Commemorative Conference, which took place on 5th-7th January, 2013 in the New Yorker Hotel in New York, and received award for the Association's endeavors in promoting Nikola Tesla's legacy in Croatia.

The conference, held under title "Why Tesla Matters", was organized by the Tesla Science Foundation to commemorate the 70th anniversary of death of this genius. The conference gathered some of the world's most prominent minds: scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in the field of alternative energy, artists, writers, filmmakers and many other admirers of Nikola Tesla.

The Conference was attended, among others, by dignitaries from the UN and UNESCO, representatives of the New Yorker Hotel, Tesla Motors, as well as by individuals, like Matt Inman, who is well known by his fund-raising initiative which in only one week raised enough funds to save the museum on Long Island.

The conference audience was addressed by Ms Dragica Mihajlović, the president of the Zagreb-based Association Nikola Tesla – Genius for the Future, who presented the work of the Association and the endeavors that Croatia is making in promoting Nikola Tesla and his inventions.

In New York, Dragica Mihajlović also discussed the cooperation of the Croatian organizations and associations with the international institutions and with prominent individuals. In general, it was agreed to establish a cooperation with the New Yorker Hotel, which is planning to open a museum dedicated to Tesla; with Matt Inman, who announced his visit to Zagreb at the occasion of celebrating Tesla's birthday; with Jane Alcorn, director of Long Island Tesla Museum; with the producers of the film "The vision of Nikola Tesla" and the renowned film director Joseph Sikorski. She also spoke with Ms Nena Komarica from the Croatian Tourist Office in New York about promoting, in the United States, Croatia as Nikola Tesla's homeland.

The Association Nikola Tesla – Genius for the Future has been active for five years in making as widely known as possible the fact that Croatia is Tesla's homeland and in promoting Tesla's work and legacy in the Croatian society. Thanks to the Association's activity, every year the anniversary of birth of Nikola Tesla is commemorated in Zagreb, the international exhibitions and conferences dedicated to Nikola Tesla are held in Zagreb, and innovators and gifted students are awarded for their achievements. Further, an initiative was launched to proclaim the day of his birth as the Day of Nikola Tesla in Croatia. Another Association's initiative is to build Tesla Park in Zagreb and to establish Nikola Tesla Institute.

For their activity in promoting Nikola Tesla in the world the Association's president Ms Dragica Mihajlović received award at the New York Conference.

"I feel very proud and pleased to be able to present our work at this magnificent conference which gathered so many distinguished participants and representatives of various institutions from so many countries. I am happy to get this opportunity to promote our country that many still do not identify as the birth country of Nikola Tesla. But we are successfully working on making this fact known. I am looking forward to the cooperation between our Association and other organizations from other countries, which will, I am sure, result in many excellent projects ", Dragica Mihajlović said.