Compute Midwest Debuts in Kansas City Nov. 8-11

It's much more than a typical conference.  It's more like a conference + hackathon + speakathon + party + networking event all crammed into 4 days.  That's what Compute Midwest is all about, and it's debuting in Kansas City on November 8-11, 2012.

Compute Midwest, organized by Kansas City IT Professionals (KCITP), is a 2-day convergence of tech centered around new people, new ideas and innovation in Kansas City.

What can you expect at Compute Midwest?

DAY 1: KICK-OFF PARTY

All entrepreneurs love a good party, don't they?  Compute Midwest is catering to the wild entrepreneur by throwing a kick-off party on November 8th from 6:00-9:00pm at The Cashew.  At the kick-off party, attendees will get the chance to network with other CM attendees and learn more about what the weekend will entail.

DAY 2:  IMAGINE THE FUTURE

Day 2 starts at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts where attendees can learn about what's next in technology straight from tech leaders, startup founders and visionaries.  Of course, as with many Kansas City events, there will be a lot of discussion about KC's Google Fiber.

DAYS 3 & 4:  CREATE THE FUTURE

It's hackathon time!  On November 10, Compute Midwest will host the first 24-hour app-building challenge ever on Google Fiber at the Google Fiber space in Kansas City.  There will be thousands of dollars worth of prizes...but the biggest prize of all may be getting the chance to develop a new app with the world's fastest gigabit fiber network.

Are you ready to network, learn, engage, and build with KC's growing tech scene? Purchase your ticket for Compute Midwest today.  To learn more about Compute Midwest, be sure to visit www.computemidwest.com or follow the event on Twitter at @ComputeMidwest.

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TEDxKC Returns to Kauffman Center Aug. 28

It's no big surprise that this season's TEDxKC event is already sold out.  The popular TEDx tour has been around for quite some time now, attracting tech geeks and startup enthusiasts like moths to a flame. Lucky for us, TEDx is returning to Kansas City tomorrow, August 28, at one of Kansas City's iconic buildings, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Too bad TEDxKC already sold out days ago. If you didn't purchase a ticket, you're going to miss out on some awesome speakers and performers including Samuel Arbesman (The Half-Life of Facts), Jeff Carter (Extreme Identity), Janine Shepherd (You Are Not Your Body), Max Strom (There is No App for Happiness), and many others (View a full list of presenters here!).

For those who have never had the privilege of attending TEDxKC, and were lucky enough to snag a ticket, here's what TEDx is all about: it's a program designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to simulate dialogue through experiences on a local level.  TEDxKC will bring a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder.

Miss the TEDxKC ticket train?  Don't worry!  TEDxKC will be back two more times this year on September 15th and December 1st.

Learn more about TEDxKC on August 28th.

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Ewing Marion Kauffman: From Entrepreneurship to All-Star Baseball

When many of us think of Kauffman, we imagine the Ewing M. Kauffman Foundation, a center for entrepreneurship, innovation, education and research.

Others think of the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, an architectural gem that has forever changed the Kansas City skyline.

But sports fans out there may not think of the Kauffman Foundation nor the Performing Arts Center. Instead, they think of the iconic Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.

But this summer, Kauffman Stadium is more than just Kansas City's beloved baseball diamond.  It's also the home of the 2012 All-Star Game.  The stadium has not hosted an All-Star Game since January 24, 1973, the first year the stadium was opened.  So how did Kauffman Stadium come so far?

First and foremost, it was the work of Ewing Marion Kauffman himself.

Kauffman was first, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur; second, a philanthropist; and third, a Major League Baseball owner.  As an entrepreneur, Kauffman was able to establish the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the mid-1960s, where he wanted to implement innovative, life-changing educational opportunities for young people.  Today, the Kauffman Foundation excels in advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.

But with his innovative mind, Kauffman also had the desire to see Kansas City, as a whole, succeed.  With this idea, Kauffman established the Kansas City Royals and brought major league baseball back to Kansas City.  The most innovative contribution that Kauffman may have provided for the Royals, however, was the initiative to build a unique stadium.  In 1973, Kauffman helped to open the Royals Stadium as a part of the Harry Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.  The stadium was aesthetically pleasing with water fountains beyond the outfield fence and a 10-story high scoreboard shaped like the Royals crest.  After Kauffman's passing in 1993, the facility was officially renamed Kauffman Stadium and is the only stadium in the American League named in honor of a person.

Entrepreneurship, philanthropy and baseball: three movements that Ewing Marion Kauffman represented each and every day.  If Kauffman were to look down on Kansas City today, what would he see?  We think he would see a city aiming to become America's Most Entrepreneurial City.  We think he would see a city representing American baseball by hosting the All-Star Game.  And we think he would see dedicated, passionate and collaborative community members who have made it all possible.


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Being Good in Business is the Most Fascinating Kind of Art

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” – Andy Warhol

One year ago, we opened our coworking doors in the Crossroads Art District. And in this past year, we have seen the Crossroads art and business communities grow into one powerful and energetic force. The truth of the matter is, an art and business blend could be the best combination that a community can experience. Take the Andy Warhol quote mentioned above: making money is art, working is art and doing good business is the best kind of art—therefore we are all artists, specializing in different artistic media.

We first noticed that we were located in an epicenter of business and art when we opened for our very first First Fridays event a little less than a year ago. As a neighbor to the recently-closed Arts Incubator, we saw the passion that Kansas City residents had for art and for business. With eclectic street artist, art enthusiast and local business owner involvement, we couldn’t help but be inspired to create our own First Friday event, Entrepreneur Corner, that attracts hundreds of visitors every month.

Some of the Think Big team at Entrepreneur Corner.

On September 16^th, 2011, we saw the grand opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. For months and months, we watched the new performing arts center, a true architectural gem, rise up when we would step out on the bizperc rooftop garden. This was one of the first testaments of art and business mixing together and we were prepared to see even more in the coming weeks.

A view of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
from the bizperc rooftop.

And finally, our own building is currently experiencing an artistic take-over. Kim Weinberger is currently opening her new art gallery on the first floor of 1800 Baltimore (where bizperc and the Think Big Partners team is located). Kim wanted to make a greater influence in the local art community and found that the answer was to relocate her thriving business to a larger and more accessible space in the Crossroads Arts District. What better place than 1800 Baltimore? The Weinberger Art Gallery is to open later this month.

Kim Weinberger moves her art gallery to 1800 Baltimore.

With this healthy blend of art and business, we cannot help but believe that we are located in the right place at the right time. Kansas City (and more specifically, the Crossroads District) is experiencing a strong urban core movement, a vibrant art scene and a flourishing business atmosphere. What more could we ask for from a KC location? We are experiencing an evolution of business—which after all, is the most fascinating kind of art.

Written by Allison Way
@AllisonThinkBig