By Kyle McCabe | April 1, 2010
Last week I went to Sioux Falls to attend the first ever OTA Sessions, and I’m glad. It was a great event with plenty of interesting speakers, attendees, and ideas.
The organizers of OTA Sessions sought to demonstrate the creativity present here in the Midwest, and to develop more of the same through presentations from regional and national names, and conversations among some of our local best and brightest.
That all makes sense to me now, but I had a hard time explaining it to people in the weeks leading up to the event. In the end, as far as I am aware, I was the only person who made the trip from western South Dakota.
That’s a bummer, because we in the west need to be attending events like this. To be frank, marketers and business owners in this area are well behind in terms of new ideas and technology, and they are often the first to admit it.
The east and west coasts don’t have a corner on creativity, but let’s be honest: that’s where many leading-edge ideas are grown. Events like OTA Sessions expose us to these new ideas so we can take them and make them our own for the benefit of our customers, businesses, and the community at large.
We’re all dealing with a new marketplace; it continues to change, with or without our consent. The “consumer” is now a person, thinking and speaking, able to see us for who we are rather than what we say we are. If we cling to old ways of doing things, we fall behind. It’s that simple.
So don’t get comfortable. Try a new idea or three. Take a risk!
And watch for next year.
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About the authorAs Content Development/SEM Director for RSA, Kyle spends most of his time thinking of ways to get a company-sanctioned afternoon nap. He's an amateur photographer, social communication junkie, gamer, musician, blogger, and all-around web geek. He enjoys reading, writing, and breaking bricks. You can find him on LinkedIn, Flickr, and Twitter.
4 people are conversing about "OTA Sessions: Creativity in the Midwest"
From Mike | April 1, 2010 at 7:48 pm:
Kyle,
I understand what you mean when you say you felt inadequate at describing why people should attend OTA Sessions. I had a similar difficulty. And that’s why I interviewed Jonathan and other OTA presenters. (You can check out the ReImagine Rural blog for other video interviews.)
Luckily, you were not alone from Rapid City. If you are interested in meeting other creative types in Rapid, stop by the TIE offices and say hello to Ryan Phillips (who edited the video you embedded) and Julia Monczunski. I also know Eric Abrahamson of Vantage Point Historical Services attended.
I guess the moral of the story is that maybe we all need to be a little better connected. And I hope to meet you next year.
From Tracy Mailloux | April 1, 2010 at 9:48 pm:
Kyle,
Ryan Phillips at the TIE Office is a great guy. Haven't had a chance to visit or work with him in years unfortunately. If you do touch bases with him, let him know I say, “Hi!”
Tracy
From Kyle McCabe | April 2, 2010 at 8:08 am:
Thanks for dropping by, Mike. Great to hear other westerners made it out. I think you're right about being better connected – that's what this OTS stuff is all about, isn't it?
From Kyle McCabe | April 2, 2010 at 8:10 am:
Hey Tracy, nice to hear from you! I'll definitely have to drop your name if I get a chance to meet Ryan. ;)