Midwest Unconference Chicago

Five days ago I published the Midwest Unconference website. When I took the website to a live status, I was hoping to pull together a group of tech minded, marketing junkies. I was hoping to build a true collaborative gathering that, unlike conferences that charge an arm and a leg, would allow for world class networking and sharing of ideas… free of charge.

And five days later, I can already say that hope has brought about success. You see, in just five days I managed to book some of the finest minds of the online realm, and fill 30% of the meeting room capacity.

My goal was to have 50 registered by September 1st, 2008. As of the the time I write this post, we have 44 registered, and we’ve confirmed Shoemoney to keynote the event. Thanks to this I have no doubt we’ll fill the 120 capacity event room in Chicago this October.

So what is Midwest Unconference?
The event is a result of an idea I’ve kicked around for some time now. I’ve been to a lot of events that are run like Barcamps, Meetups, Tweetups, etc. These events can be pretty decent, but they’re always significantly of lower grade compared to a major convention.

Now, I’m not asserting Midwest Unconference is going to be anything near the size of some of the super conferences, but we should have the quality, look and feel of a paid conference. The only difference is that we’ll likely be attracting a different crowd because we’re hosting in the Midwest, and we’re pushing for a much more intimate setting.

Plus, Midwest Unconference is interacting with those who are attending the event. Half of the current agenda has been designed by those who have signed up to attend. All of the speakers are volunteers and everyone is welcomed to apply to speak.

This is the kind of event that I think we’ll start seeing a lot more of in the future. And I’m glad to be a part of the movement.

For more information on Midwest Unconference, including agenda, venue, hotel information, sponsorships, etc… see www.midwestunconference.com

See you in Chicago!
-Eric Odom