The event will bring together Queenstown residents and international experts to mull over a range of topics in the resort throughout Labour Weekend.
MindJam is a joint venture between Queenstown's Catalyst Trust and the University of Otago's Division of Humanities.
Catalyst Trust chairwoman Cath Gilmour said they wanted "big variety" at this year's event.
"It's great to have a thinking event that's not just about business."
It will launch tonight with international bioethics specialist Dr Susan Lederer, who will cover issues from cloning to xenografting (tissue or organ transplants from a different species) through the lens of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
This year also marks 200 years since the Gothic classic was published.
As well as Frankenstein, other topics will include the new politics of farming, genetics, the future of work and artificial intelligence advances, and an in-depth look at Captain Cook.
The weekend of "disruptive conversations" was launched as part of Queenstown Jazz Festival 2017.
"It was such fun brain fodder, we're continuing even though the festival's taking a break this year," Ms Gilmour said.
She said there was not much opportunity to have in-depth discussions about a range of topics in Queenstown.
"Hopefully, we cover a lot of different things."
The discussions will be held at Yonder from tonight through to Sunday.
The full programme is available on Facebook and Eventbrite.
