Win a Ticket to ICT Unconference!

By now, you’ve heard all about the ICT Unconference and we’ve given you lots of great reasons to attend. The Unconference is the first event of its kind in Wichita, and you’ve probably noticed that this isn’t your typical conference.  As a matter of fact, we are turning to you, the Wichita entrepreneur community, to ask for ideas and topics to cover as sessions during the Unconference on April 22.  That’s right – you submit an idea through the idea scale platform and it may become an entire session topic during ICT!

We have received some very interesting submissions so far:

Building the Wichita Community by growing the youth
How Do I Build a Team for My New Business
Hiring vs. Contracting
I'm Ready to Launch - Where Do I Find the Funding?
How to tell your startup story effectively
How do we get more people from out of town to try the Midwest? 

We are still looking for more great ideas from you!

Submit your idea to ICT Unconference now through April 11, and you will be entered to win a ticket to ICT (up to a $139.00 value!).  So what are you waiting for?  Submit your topic idea to ICT Unconference and enter for you chance to join us at the event on April 22.

SUBMIT HERE!

Be sure to follow @ICTUnconference on Twitter for more updates!

3Q4: Steve Radley, ICT Unconference Sponsor/Mentor

Welcome to the second in our “3Q4” series, where we ask three questions of Ambassadors and Mentors of ICT Unconference. If you missed our first 3Q4 Kenton Hansen, go check it out now. We’re excited to introduce you to Steve Radley, an ICT Sponsor and Ambassador.

A resident of Wichita, Steve began his career in the private sector as the 28th employee of a business startup technology company, Brite Voice Systems in Wichita. The company grew from $6 million to more than $175 million during the nine years Steve worked for Brite. Since then, Steve has co-owned two businesses including a manufactured housing dealership that was sold to the largest manufacturer in the country, Champion Enterprises. Currently, Steve Radley is the President and CEO of the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship DBA NetWork Kansas. Since the launch in March of 2006, NetWork Kansas has created a resource partner network of more than five hundred (500) partners and launched multiple loan programs and a venture fund that have provided loans and investments of more than $13 million to 350 plus businesses with total capital deployed exceeding $168 million. As you can see, Radley is champion of entrepreneurship and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Unconference.

Steve’s 3Qs

Q1. Why do you think Wichita is a great candidate to host an Unconference like this? What does this conference mean to Wichita?

A conversation has started in Wichita about how to create an environment more conducive to entrepreneurs. The Wichita Metro Chamber has included it in their strategic plan, Wichita State is actively engaged, and entrepreneurs in Wichita are becoming more connected. The Unconference will help continue to build this important foundation.

Q2. What gets you most excited about this conference? Any predictions?

I'm excited about meeting entrepreneurs I've never met and strengthening the relationships with partners we already have. My prediction is that I will learn from both and others will have the same experience.

Q3. Why should entrepreneurs attend? What's your advice for those on the fence about coming?

Simple, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. In one day, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to learn from people who have been where they are at, get connected to potential resources that can help, and in the end, mitigate the risk of their venture.

Bonus! Here's a recent post from Steve on cultivating an entrepreneurial culture.

Meet Steve Radley and all of our Unconference ambassadors at ICT Unconference on April 22. Get your tickets today!

A special “thank you” to NetWork Kansas, Quantum Expositions International and Intrust Bank. Without your support, ICT Unconference would not be possible.

10 Reasons to Attend the ICT Unconference

The ICT Unconference is quickly approaching. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, or maybe you’re on the fence about whether to attend, we thought we’d put together 10 reasons to attend the ICT Unconference.

1. Freedom to pick the tough topics. 

Unlike a lot of pre-planned conferences, you don’t get a lot of say in the topics the speakers choose, which means they tell you what they want to tell you, not what you want to hear. The Unconference is YOUR chance to ask these professionals questions you wished you knew the answers to. Don’t be shy! Chances are if you have the question, others do too.

2. You can be more relaxed and have fun. 

Feel encouraged to be creative with the session topics you suggest. Because the Unconference format and tone are set by attendees, why not make if fun? If the session is light and full of laughter and enjoyment, odds are, people will be more relaxed and you may get more out of it.

3. It will inspire you

Unless you sit in the parking lot, you won’t be able to avoid new ideas. The format itself lends to brainstorming and creatively solving problems, so our hope is that a few of these ideas will inspire you to do more and be more in your own business.

4. You will make better, deeper connections

Something magical happens when people get together and get honest – barriers come down, problems get solved and relationships grow. If business to you has felt more like going it alone, and you’re looking for something different, you are in for a real treat.

5. It will give you space to think about your business

Sometimes working day in and day out on the work of your company, doesn’t give you time or space to work on your business. The Unconference provides space to reflect on your past year, the decisions you’ve made, and the choices in front of you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see things with a fresh eye.

6. You will view your business through the lens of other types of businesses

Hear ideas and challenges outside of your own industry and you’re sure to hear the applications within yours. Things that work for a different business, may just work for yours and help you differentiate.

7. Opportunity for partnerships

Meeting people from your entrepreneurial community not only inspires but it creates an opportunity to build potential business partnerships and other collaborative connections.

8. You will learn from others’ experiences

Wise people learn from the mistakes of others so they do not repeat them. When people share and open up about their own challenges and how they solved them, this is information gold. Lock it in and learn from it.

9. Recharge your creative tank

Sometimes work can feel like…well, work. If you’ve been missing out on the fun and fulfillment of being an entrepreneur, maybe you’re in need of a recharge. There’s nothing like being in a room of like-minded people to get your engines revved up again. Join us and refill.

10. Get 1-on-1 mentorship with some of Wichita’s most respected entrepreneurs and business leaders
 

Are you an entrepreneur looking for feedback or mentorship? We’ve lined up some of city’s most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders for 1-on-1 Mentor sessions.


Sound intriguing? Get your ICT Unconference tickets now!
Unconference sessions are being submitted now. Submit yours!
Sign up for the Mentor Program with local business executives.

ICT Unconference is grateful to our sponsors, including Martin Pringle Law Firm.

3Q4: Kenton Hansen, ICT Unconference Ambassador

Welcome to the first in our “3Q4” series. In this blog series, we’ll be asking three questions of Ambassadors and Mentors of ICT Unconference. Everyone in this series is a champion of entrepreneurship and innovation in Wichita, Kan., including our first guest, Kenton Hansen.

Wichita native Kenton Hansen is the founder of Wichita’s first creative coworking space, the Labor Party. The space brings together many of Wichita’s entrepreneurs and innovators like startups, designers, developers and writers. Hansen also has his hands in several startup and tech companies, both as an advisor and as a member of the team. As you can see, Hansen is a perfect Ambassador to the unconference that is all about bringing Wichita’s entrepreneurs, investors and innovators together.

Q1. What does the ICT Unconference mean to Wichita?

It means that the people in Wichita are ready to talk about how to make our city a better place. It means that while we may live in the "biggest small town," there are some who are ready to try something new and untested.

Q2. Any predictions about how the Unconference will be received or how companies will be impacted?

I've had a lot of people contact me once they knew that I was involved, asking if they should attend. I have said, in every case, yes. I think people will meet new investors, new mentors and new entrepreneurs. I think people will learn about ideas, solutions, problems, and possibilities they didn't know existed in Wichita.

Q3. What kinds of interactions are you hoping to experience or see during the Unconference?

I am most excited for the chance to understand a new point of view. I survey the environment and draw conclusions, but I think there are enough people with unique experiences that I will walk away with a completely new perspective.

Meet Kenton Hansen and all of our unconference Ambassadors at ICT Unconference on April 22. Get your tickets today!

What to Expect at ICT Unconference

ICT Unconference will be the first event of its kind to hit the Wichita area in April, but it’s not the first to create collisions in the Midwest. Last October, iKC: The Unconference brought people from all walks of entrepreneurial life to Kansas City. The unconference format shook things up and helped innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors create lasting connections. Here’s what iKC attendees had to say about their unconference experience and what advice they have for those attending the Wichita ICT Unconference.

The amount and quality of #collisiondensitykc @iKC2013 was awesome! Fireworks in my head, still. Thank you @thinkbigKC @kcchamber #KC

— Bek (@noda3k) October 4, 2013

The Unconference Experience

iKC attendee and CEO of LightBridge, DJ Good, called the unconference experience “unique, worthwhile and exciting.” When comparing the unconference format to other conferences, Good said, “It’s hard to explain the difference and the dynamics of an unconference. It cannot be adequately described with words. You have to attend an unconference to fully understand one.”

For many iKC attendees, it was the interactive component of the unconference that made the experience really stand out.

“The biggest advantage to the unconference format was that attendees were able to tailor the experience to fit their unique challenges and interests,” said Catalina Campos, marketing and communications strategist for Surmount Studios.

“I liked that it wasn’t just one person on a stage sharing their experience to the participants,” said Rigo Neri, co-founder and chief product officer of Instin, “but instead it was every participant sharing their own experience.”

In comparison to other conferences, Neri said “it’s a more open and comfortable experience than other conferences. [The unconference format] encourages the networking aspect by having sessions that are a full-length Q&A instead of just five minutes in the end.”

The Unconference was quite possibly the most valuable conference I've ever attended. Thanks @iKC2013! #ikc2013

— Mike Bosch (@mikesbosch) October 3, 2013

More Bang for Your Buck

At an unconference, the content is not determined by some mysterious committee. The agenda is determined by attendees, giving unconference participants the chance to determine how valuable the experience will be.

As Good puts it, “If you get the right audience, you can most certainly get more information and value [than a regular conference], all while participating.”

Unconference attendees are more likely to get the information they are looking for, since they are the ones ultimately designing the agenda.

“I felt that the panel of participants and the leadership in each [session] were top-notch,” Campos said. “I got a lot of valuable information and contacts from the unconference.”

Advice for Unconference First-Timers

Although it’s hard to prepare for the unexpected, iKC attendees had a few words of advice for unconference newbies.

“If you don’t like the [session] you’re in, don’t be ashamed to leave and join another one,” Campos said. “It's much better for you to be surrounded with the people and topics you're interested in than to stay in a room that won't be constructive to you or your business.”

Good reminds unconference rookies to “keep an open mind at an unconference as everything is unplanned.”

Ultimately, the unconference experience is what you make it, so Neri advises unconference attendees “to not be shy, to ask questions and to share your own experience.”

Can’t wait for your own unconference experience? Get your tickets to ICT Unconference today!