Archive for the ‘Origin of the "unGeeked"’ Category
unGEEKing it!
What’s more fun than a barrel of monkey’s? A room full of geeks talking about how to use and get the most out of social networking, that’s what. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend all three days of the unGEEKED elite Retreat in Milwaukee on May 13th-15th, 2010 at the University Club of Milwaukee. The retreat was put on by incomparable CD Vann (@thatwoman_is) and the fine folks at ungeekedelite.com.
All I can say is what a blast! Speaking at the event were some of the best and brightest minds in all of social media, so it’s now wonder the retreat is touted as the SXSW of the Midwest. We heard from the likes of: Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan), Jason Falls (@jasonfalls), Sally Hogshead (@sallyhogshead), Joe Sorge (of @AJBombers, fame) and tons of other folks, the presentations were great, and there were opportunities a plenty to get your geek on and hang out people from all over Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and even as far away as Canada who were as excited abut social networking as you were.
“unGeeked e’lite was, in my mind, the under-the-radar hit of 2010. It was one of those events that, because it was new, few people were familiar with, but as soon as the speaker lineup was announced, folks perked up. During the event, I even saw a tweet that said something like, ‘I don’t know what UnGeeked is, but I wish I was there.’”
“Cd Vann sat out with the goal of bringing the world of social media and a wealth of learning to Milwaukee. She didn’t just hit a home run with unGeeked e’lite, she hit a grand slam. From the magnitude of national speakers, to the mix of topics, to the regional case studies and panel discussions and the 20-on-1 sessions with the keynote presenters, people who came to this conference got more out of it than they would have at similar national and regional conferences around the country. Everything about unGeeked was first-class, but with Cd behind it, we all knew that would be the case.” via Jason Falls, Founder Social Media Explorer
I’ve been in the Digital Agency biz for just over 14 years now, and some people call me an expert (when I pay them enough). So, I have to beat back my ego a bit when I admit that I’m a Scott Stratten () fanboy. Put simply; I wish I could communicate the concepts and relevance of Social Media to my clients as eloquently and as passionately as Scott does.
After seeing Scott speak at a few Social Media conferences in Toronto I decided to follow him to an event in Milwaukee a few months ago; that event was the very first unGeeked e’lite event. Without any exaggeration those three days at unGeeked blew my mind. It was unlike any conference I had been to.
Olivier Blanchard () talks about what makes unGeeked elite so different and foreshadows the first unGeeked e’lite retreat held in Milwaukee.
“The format is very different… I really, really liked the engagement…” ~ Olivier Blanchard