In Case You Missed It! iKC: The Unconference Closing Party Recap

 

After the innovative unconference that is iKC, attendees headed over to the Alamo Drafthouse for the best part: the Closing Party by Google Fiber!

As everyone took their first sips of liquid courage and snacked on delicious appetizers, the Closing Party kicked off with the Open Mic Awards. Attendees awarded each other things like who travelled the farthest for iKC to who tweeted the most about the unconference. Winners walked away with great prizes like Chiefs tickets, bowling games, Boulevard Brewing Company swag and a Garmin watch.

After the prizes were handed out, collisions didn’t stop even though iKC was technically over. Closing Party attendees kept having meaningful conversations and interacting, just like they had been at the unconference. Party-goers snacked, sipped and continued to enjoy each other’s company, forging even more connections to create a better Kansas City.

Andrew Stanley, entrepreneur and founder of VolunteerMark, attended both iKC and the Closing Party – and he was not disappointed.

“The Closing Party was an awesome event,” Stanley said. “I had a really good time and met some really great people. I look forward to attending again next year.”

But the Closing Party wasn’t over yet! An unconference party isn’t made up of just delicious snacks, drinks and mingling. After party-goers had taken their fill, the Closing Party ended with a bang as we revealed the world premiere of the Tech Trek, a documentary made with and about Google Glass.

Thanks to support from Hallmark and Sprint, the Tech Trek took Closing Party attendees on a 30 minute journey from Kansas City to Silicon Valley and back to KC. The documentary took note of the good and bad of Google Glass, including commentary on the many reactions people had to the new technology. The Tech Trek made all of us think more about what the Glass technology means for not just the tech industry, but the implications for tech in Kansas City.

In a day filled with collisions and innovation on behalf of the great city we call home, we couldn’t think of a more perfect ending to the Closing Party for iKC2013: the Unconference.

iKC 2013: The Unconference Fosters Collisions

The decision to make iKC 2013 into an Unconference was done with one central goal in mind; to increase Kansas City's collision density. Over 250 attendees filed into H&R Block’s World Headquarters to tackle the issue head on by creating unlikely collisions in a conventional setting. 

What took place throughout the day can only be described as special & unique. After a brief welcome from Jason Houseworth, President of Global Digital and Product Management at H&R Block, the iKC 2013 Ambassadors, and Ed Wilson, Partner at Husch Blackwell, our own Herb Sih took to the stage along with event staff, Sarah Snyder and Christine Murray, to lead the live agenda creation. 

The Unconference format allowed attendees to put their day into their own hands simply by voicing their opinion on ideas for topic submissions. 

From there, attendees swarmed into the common area to vote on ideas and create the final agenda. 

The final product was an amalgamation of ideas and questions posed by iKC 2013 attendees. A conference agenda truly unlike anything else; created for the people, by the people. 

Attendees engaged in sessions that mattered most to them; resulting in mutually beneficial collisions and conversations for both individuals and the collective group. 

Thanks to #ikc2013 organizers, learned a ton and shared some knowledge too. Kudos! @iKC2013 @thinkbigKC @RyanWeberKC
— Corey Mohn (@coreymohn) October 3, 2013

The design of the Unconference format proved to be just as beneficial to fostering collisions as the sessions were. In fact, many conversations often extended past the end of a session and continued into the hallways. 

By the delayed end of session 4 it was clear that the goal of iKC 2013 was reached. Not only a high quantity of collisions took place, but collisions were extremely high quality as well. In proper Unconference fashion, the collisions continued on over to the closing party at the Alamo Drafthouse.

The Unconference was quite possibly the most valuable conference I've ever attended. Thanks @iKC2013! #ikc2013
— Mike Bosch (@mikesbosch) October 3, 2013

We are very proud of the success of iKC 2013 and want to thank our partners with The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce for the hard work and dedication they put into the unconference. We can't forget our gracious sponsors, and most importantly our team of volunteers, ambassadors, and UnMentors who made iKC 2013: The Unconference the valuable experience that it was.

iKC: The Unconference...No Agenda. No Panels. What Fun!

Written by Perry Puccetti, iKC Ambassador

Hot, emerging metropolitans with business activity focused on innovation and entrepreneurialism, such as Kansas City, are not overnight sensations. Rather, they are the result of years of investment in time, money and hard work. Here in Kansas City a vibrant and dynamic business ecosystem has been evolving for some time now; one that is sustainable and diverse, representing a unique synthesis of Silicon Valley innovation and Midwest values.

iKC: The Unconference is an open format conference focused on increasing “collision density” in the region. By creating “serendipitous collisions,” which organically introduce innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and connectors to each other to share ideas,great things will happen.

Here in Kansas City, we do not need to ask for anybody’s permission to be successful.

As a venue for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and creativity, iKC helps serve as part of a broader catalyst by helping to attract, support and sustain the types of resources, and talent, necessary for our healthy business ecosystem; a complex blend of industry, academia and capital investment.

Recent events such as the Forum at the Middle of the Map Festival, Big Kansas City, Tech Cocktail, iKC and many others convene companies of all sizes and sectors to exchange their ideas and spark inspiration. These events also exemplify Kansas City’s  evolving business ecosystem and unique approach to business. It is no longer sufficient for one company to lose at the expense of another; we believe that the exchange of ideas, creativity and innovation will lead the way to the future.

Here in Kansas City, we believe that business success is much more symbiotic; I win; you win; we win – we believe in the “New Reality” of “we, versus me.”

It does not matter what kind of business you are in, the size of your business, or where you are in your professional career. You can learn to be a better entrepreneur by attending iKC. Entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley have found that one of the keys to adapting to a constantly changing business environment is to stay flexible – the core focus of our region’s inaugural “unconference.”

As an Unconference, iKC has no agenda and no panels; rather the focus is on the interaction between attendees. Here are a few things that Silicon Valley does very well, that we should embrace:

1.

Trust and credibility. iKC is an opportunity to remove social barriers and turn a random discussion into a business opportunity. Be bold! The rate of innovation increases when success is mutual.

2.

We versus me. You cannot innovate alone. Have the humility to seek out long-term, win-win collaborations with others.

3.

Pay it forward.  This phrase says it all. Mentor, share your knowledge, extend your network, share your ideas; your reputation will be the better for it.

4.

Listen. Ask questions and learn from those around you. You cannot hear the next great opportunity knocking if you are doing all the talking.

5.

Start from a position of “yes!” Not all ideas will pan out; however, the fear of failure is the fear of innovation.  

iKC: The Unconference is less about inspiration and motivation and more about great ideas, taking action and ultimately, achieving the “New Reality KC.” As Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has said, “Create the opportunity for meaningful collisions, and then just watch as the best things unfold.”

Come collide with us!

Why Kansas City Needs High Collision Density (And How We Can Get It)

It’s no secret that certain cities across the United States are “the place to be,” especially for entrepreneurs. We all hear about the startup successes in Silicon Valley, Boulder, Austin and Silicon Alley. But have you ever wondered why these cities are experiencing a startup boom? According to recent research, it probably has something to do with a little thing called “collision density”. 

What is Collision Density?

Collision density can be defined as the level of collisions made between entrepreneurs, investors and connectors in a single area. The higher an area’s collision density is, the more quickly and efficiently innovative development can occur. Therefore, the more collision density a city has, the better.

Collision Density in Kansas City

While entrepreneurship hotbeds like Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, Boulder, and Austin have high rates of collision density, Kansas City’s is rather low. One of America’s most famous entrepreneurs, Philip Rosedale, has even noted that “collision density is 20 times less likely to occur in Kansas City than it is in San Francisco”. In our opinion, that is 20 times too many.

Kansas City’s lack of collision density doesn’t just hurt our local entrepreneurs. It can also negatively affect the KC economy. Without collision density, innovation is stopped in its tracks. Without collision density, people can’t meet and ideas can’t be acted upon. Without collision density, communities–and society, for that matter–can’t progress.

We aren’t the only ones bothered by KC’s lack of collision density. Some of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial leaders are also concerned. In a recent Silicon Prairie News article, leaders like Jo Anne Gabbert, president of JAG Portfolio services and Maria Meyers, CEO of U.S. SourceLink and KCSourceLink, bring awareness to the collision density problem.

In the article, Gabbert said, “What we think the future looks like is making sure [Kansas City’s assets like funding and community support] are all connected and interconnected in that ecosystem so it's very easy for an entrepreneur to navigate the Kansas City ecosystem. Yet somehow they're a bit fragmented or dysfunctional at times."

Myers adds that “One of the things that Kansas City's looking at is not so much that dearth of funding, but better organizing what's here."

But the future isn’t hopeless. According to Rosedale “it seems likely that [Omaha, Kansas City, and Des Moines] actually could have a vibrant/growing startup community, if only it could establish this high level of communication and proximity between a good number of its tech people.”

Increasing Kansas City’s Collision Density

So what can we do about Kansas City’s low collision density? We can start getting the entrepreneurs, innovators and investors together under one roof. Think Big Partners and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce hopes to bring these like-minded individuals together for iKC: the Unconference this October.

This unconference is like a regular conference, only better. It lacks a formalized structure so ideas and information can flow freely between innovators, entrepreneurs and investors. In this way, all of the great thinkers in Kansas City and the surrounding area are together, realizing they should be together more often. Thus, an increase in Kansas City’s collision density.

This year’s iKC will be held on October 3, 2013 at the H&R Block World Headquarters. Until then, you can submit ideas, apply for the 1-on-1 program and buy tickets to help us increase Kansas City’s collision density.


Want to improve Kansas City’s collision density before @iKC2013? Contact Think Big Partners to get started!