The organization that has brought the Midwest knockout
events such as Big Omaha and the Silicon Prairie News Awards is back and bigger
than ever in the city of Des Moines, Iowa.
The team at Silicon Prairie
News is returning to the humble city of Des Moines from October 9-11, 2012
to bring the entrepreneurial community its second annual Thinc Iowa conference.
This year it’s bigger.
It’s better. And more
importantly, it’s longer.
“Last year, I think the conference went by too fast!” said
Brittany Mascio, event coordinator for Silicon Prairie News. “This year, we are extending Thinc Iowa to 2
days in order to put people together, longer.
We want to enhance the conference and leave a lasting impression on
these entrepreneurs.”
This year, the Thinc Iowa event will feature 15 speakers
(including Steve Case, CEO of AOL), three can’t-miss parties and two full days
of startup inspiration, entrepreneurial
presentations and introductions to new, innovative concepts.
“Our focus is on entrepreneurship and innovation,” says
Geoff Wood, COO of Silicon Prairie News.
“But we will be featuring both old companies and new startups. I’m excited to listen to Gentry Underwood of
Orchestra because I’ve heard him speak online before. I can’t wait to see him live. I’m also excited for Neal Sales-Griffin of
The Starter League. But I think I am
most excited for the things that we don’t plan for during conferences like this—they
are always the most interesting.”
Thinc Iowa is expecting around 350 attendees this year, a
slight increase from last year’s 300.
Thinc Iowa will take place for the second year in a row at the Temple
for Performing Arts. Parties will take
place at Wooly’s, Exile Brewing Company, Americana and West End Architectural
Salvage. All events will be taking place
in Des Moines, Iowa.
“All three cities that we focus on—Omaha, Des Moines and
Kansas City—we want to see grow,” says Wood.
“A big part of this conference is for people to come in from outside and
see what’s here. We have attendees from
20 different cities. We want them to
become our ambassadors.”
“Des Moines is a place that was very open to the idea of the
conference,” agrees Mascio. “We believe
it is a great area to highlight. We
really want to bring the demand of Big Omaha to the city of Des Moines.”
Thinc Iowa will take place from October 9-11, 2012. To purchase tickets for Thinc Iowa, visit http://2012thinciowatickets.eventbrite.com/.
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