We recently returned from the best event I’ve attended- BIF-4. Its put on by the Business Innovation Factory- a non-profit based in Providence, RI. The objective of BIF is to create a “community of innovators collaborating to explore and test better ways to deliver value.”
The format of the event is perfect- invite a small group of people to hear stories from innovators from all types of industries. As the founder Saul Kaplan put it- invite people you’d want to have telling stories around your dinner table. They give the speakers an intimate setting- 300 people- and 15 minutes to tell their story.
And since the setting is intimate, you get to know the other speakers, the attendees, and the BIF team. The people I met were inspiring and the energy in the room was contagious. It was far and away the most intellectually awakening event. I hope in the future they continue to keep it intimate- that was the best part.
Highlights for me included speakers:
- Jason Fried Founder of 37 signals
- Deb Roy Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, MIT
- Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos.com
- Richard Satava, MD, FACS Professor of Surgery, University of Washington Medical Center and Senior Science Advisor, US Army Medical Research and Material Command.Frankly, we felt out of place to be included in the speaker list. And its probably apparent in our presentation. We stressed a lot over the story- more so than any other presentation we’ve given. I hope we were able to give people something to take with them.So here’s our story. If you have comments, bring them on…
