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!
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