Subscribe to this blog 
OTA Sessions: Let’s make it a rural thing
February 4th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
“Chris” received a gold star for his comment on my last post. While referencing the social media presentation Lindsey and I gave to Miner County residents, Chris highlighted the OTA Sessions conference being held in Sioux Falls, SD on March 25th and 26th.
The conference looks so enticing that Lindsey and I rushed to sign up. It looks so valuable that I’m calling on other passionate supporters of rural communities to attend.
What is OTA?
What “OTA” stands for is a mystery. I think its secrecy is part of the organizer’s creative marketing strategy.
But the list of speakers leaves little doubt concerning the quality of the event. Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel, Julien Smith, Spike Jones, Jonathan Harris, and Scott Monty may not be well-known in the stuffy board rooms of corporate America, but they are rock stars in the social media and creativity worlds. Their participation alone is enough reason for me to highly recommend the conference.
But as the OTA Sessions website describes, a larger purpose serves as the conference’s backdrop:
”The OTA Sessions are a chance for all of us Midwesterners to shatter the perception that creativity and thought leadership live solely on the east and west coasts.”
In other words, conference organizers are calling on us to “deny the lie” that all the smart, creative people have left the Midwest.
Ah, yes. Brain Drain.
We’ve been talking a lot about that term lately. I’ve questioned the idea of banishing the term from our vocabulary because it negatively portrays the reality of rural population movements. We’ve also been talking about how we can transform small, rural communities so that fewer talented young people leave. (See this post titled “Can South Dakota’s small towns be cool“)
What about a rural Focus?
Although OTA is intended for all creative types in the Upper Midwest, I’d like to issue a special challenge that creative people in small, rural communities attend. It will be a great opportunity for us to learn from some of our nation’s thought leaders, as well as a chance for us to network and learn from each other.
As I stated earlier, Lindsey and I will be in attendance, both at the conference and at the networking event the evening before. If you chose to attend, I hope you will drop us a line and help us connect at the event.
This may be the most influential group to grace the stage of a conference in South Dakota. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Oh, heh. I almost forgot. Early registrants receive a discount AND 3 free books from the authors.
Tags: brain drain, OTA, people attraction, Sioux Falls SD, social media
Posted in Economic Development, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (
3 )
February 4th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Let’s do this. See you there.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Mike:
I can’t thank you enough for highlighting this effort. I was extremely excited to see that you have purchased tickets for the day and, just as importantly, are spreading the word!
I think this is great opportunity to spotlight not only the creativity currently happening in traditional creative endeavors (the arts, advertising, etc), but also in small business, non-profits, our communities and education throughout this region. I have followed the work that your organization has done over the past years and know that you embody the “work. play. do good.” mentality that I believe will provide a foundation for future success in this region.
We are still actively looking for partners, sponsors and attendees, so if you come across anyone that want to help lead this charge, send them my way!
I look forward to seeing you in March!
Warm regards,
Hugh Weber
OTA Sessions
February 4th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Hugh,
Thanks for organizing the event. I don’t think most people realize what a big deal it is to have the headliners you’ve lined up speak in SF. I’m hoping others interested in rural community development will attend because I think there’s a lot that we can learn from them.
PS - I hope you charged Joe B double for admission. He’s bound to wreak havoc :-).