I’ve been Inverged!
A few weeks ago I attended the first annual Inverge Interactive Convergence Conference (IICC) here in Portland. Usually a skeptic of local conferences and networking events, I was reluctant to accept my invitation to attend the two-day interactive extravaganza. It wasn’t until after researching the scheduled speakers that the excitement set in. After all, it takes something truly special to pull me away from my home-ten-blocks-from-home, the Modern Media Building.
All that being said, my expectations were met and exceeded by Inverge 2007 and relevant knowledge was gained from each of the conference’s guest speakers. Of the eight or nine speakers, with backgrounds primarily rooted in marketing and advertising, there were four whose lessons I found particularly interesting. So, in no particular order, here are just a few Inverge 2007 moments worth mentioning:
Dr. Joshua Green of MIT’s Convergence Culture Consortium kicked off the conference with enough energy and insight to ignite a large new media fire on stage. Green’s approach of conveying the collision of old media with new was refreshing in the sense where he taught by example. In explaining the concept of bridging the gap between grassroots creativity and mainstream media, Green used the following:
- Trailer for a PG version of “300″
Later that day came Chris Van Dyke, who’s not just the offspring of Dick, but the President and CEO of Nau, the lifestyle clothing company that’s rethinking the way in which consumers shop. Nau is utilizing technology to minimize its ecological footprint while simultaneously creating a stellar shopping experience. Sure their price points are steep, but they’ve substantiated this with unparalleled design and quality. Nau is like Patagonia on steroids with Mother Teresa as the CEO.
Inverge’s second day boasted a number of great speakers, from MTV’s Jeff Yapp to Interpublic’s new media guru Lori Schwartz. But, arguably the most entertaining was Wieden + Kennedy’s Director of Global Digital Strategy Renny Gleeson. All product placement aside, Gleeson’s presentation provided a realistic outlook of how the web is evolving, and what W+K is doing to pioneer the ways in which brands can be built in the post-modern digital world.In summary, I’ll definitely be spreading the word about next year’s edition of Inverge as I believe it’s a great opportunity for Portland to stand out on the map of creativity. Like most first-time events, Inverge’s attendance was low; however, I’m confident the majority of attendees will spread the word and next year’s event will be even bigger and better.
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