You could say it’s the speaker lineup and that they lead discussions instead of giving presentations. You could say it was the variety and depth of topics — or that the price for a 3 day conference was very reasonable. You could even say it was the quality of attendees and the small room so you met them all. Ungeeked Elite in Chicago was all of these things and they certainly made it one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. But what really made the difference (to me) is how everyone (conference organizers, speakers, attendees, and even previous attendees and attendees from other ungeeked events) formed a open, friendly, and helpful community.
Friendly & Open
Just about everyone at UnGeeked was interesting in meeting everyone else. Not just meeting, but talking to, learning more about, and actually building the start of an ongoing relationship. Building a network is more than just saying hi and exchanging business cards (although that was certainly done), it’s also about finding connections (and creating connections) that make that relationship meaningful going forward.
Helpful & Giving
Not only is the ungeeked community friendly and open, they’re also helpful and giving — willing to help you out, share what you do, and connect you to others who can also help. Finding a community that’s open and friendly is one thing, but it’s a true gem to find people who are willing to help each other out (and not just attendees).
Interesting & Valuable
The variety of people and backgrounds and skill sets at UnGeeked was really cool. Sometimes we get caught in an echo-chamber of the same people saying the same things and it’s nice to meet new people who have new things to contribute. It’salso rare to meet so many people in one place that are truly valuable to have in your network, because they are helpful, giving and interesting.
Well Worth Way More
I’ve been to the Web 2.0 Conference (and the Summit) in San Francisco, I’ve been to more regional conferences (and local events), but I have never been at one event that was valuable for more than the speakers or the topics or the one person with whom you connected. UnGeeked had all that, but also has built a community of people who care.
Were you at #ungeeked? What did you think?
(photo by kevindooley, on Flickr)