Sloane, Micah and Tom all hit it on the head for me. Personally, I decided to come to TribeCon a long time ago, when it was just an idea, simply because I knew that Chris, Tiffany and everyone that would be involved would put together a great event, a shared experience, an energy and a joy that I could not miss. Yes, I’m on a panel, but my decision to come was made long before that.

In my opinion, conferences that are based around transferring information from speaker to attendee generally suck, and that’s why I usually don’t go to panels and seminars at conferences. I go for the people, to chill, engage and learn from people when they’re “off the stage”. The joy of unconferences is not the lack of planning, but that the environment removes the stage if the people are willing. I put my trust in Chris, Tiffany and the rest of the community to create a conference that would bring the “off the stage” vibe and realness to the stage itself, to combine the best of a conference and an unconference. That’s why I’m going to TribeCon.

When Chris asked me if I was interested in coming and speaking at TribeCon, much like you, I just said yes. Didnt know the dates, nor the format, or what the theme was. It was just enough that a person I trusted asked.

Not to give too much away from my talk (which I now need to do an amazing job on, thank you very much for the pressure!), but trust is what allows failure to build community.

One of the hallmarks of an awesome community is the trust built among its members in that the members of the community will do little to hurt the overall community. Trust builds responsibility; responsibility drives acceptance; acceptance drives action; and action drives community.

Being a part of the energy that births a vibrant/awesome community, is amazing. And for me, well worth cutting a NYC trip short, flying to NOLA, spending a few days there, before heading to Seattle, and then back to NYC (my poor dogs!). I hope I add to that energy as a participant and speaker at Tribecon that is equal to the energy provided by the attendees…

And if all else fails, I promise to say fuck a lot…

What’s more valuable…reading a book or meeting and talking with the author? What will teach you more? What will move you farther down the pathway you are walking?

Conferences, like TribeCon, let you meet the author versus just reading the book on places like YouTube, Twitter, etc. And in this case, literally, you get to meet one of the authors of Trust Agents — Julien Smith.

That’s why I’m going. To meet the authors of the thoughts I find compelling and educational every day. Bonus plan is that I get to do that and still kiss my kids goodnight without Google Video.

And of course, to thank you and Sloane for such kind words

@TomMartin

But I hear ya. And I appreciate the honest dialogue on here.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by neworleanstech: Editorial: Is TribeCon A Winner? http://bit.ly/2iBEH6...

In my opinion, i would have been more apt to attend if it weren’t nestled inside Voodoo fest. Having to choose between learn/listen and party-like-a-rock star is not something I want do during one of the biggest music fests that I have access to. Hopefully it will be a success and spill over to an individual event so it can receive the attention it deserves.

Probably most helpful if you haven’t had the time to do every meetup & ad hoc gathering. That it’s *not* an unconference is a feature here, not a bug. It’s programmed, baby. Good stuff well worth your time. With plenty of space for us to do group improv out of the spotlight.

For me, this conference (like the connection planning conf. Trumpet did) is an instance of what we need to do a whole lot more of: connect what can be in an insular community to other scenes.

Honestly all of the speakers (like myself) are in it because we believe in the vision of Chris and Tiffany and we believe in building community and using New Orleans as a platform on which to speak about how to do it.

I’ve had to justify the cost too – the cost of getting down to New Orleans and the cost of being there for TribeCon/Voodoo. This is not a decision to take lightly.

Just this past week I was at Blog World Expo and had the opportunity to catch up with Tom Martin and had him do an interview for a new project, What Gives, that I was there to evangelize. His messaging was so clear and concise, I was blown away. I met Micah Baldwin who is, if possible, more spectacular in person than online. He’s no BS and he’ll give it to you straight.

The others speakers are experts or rising stars in their field. I think the big difference between this conference and the meetups is that it’s good to have structure, to bring us all together, and not only see the panels, but have the opportunity to interact with people who are out there hustling for projects they believe in.

As my final point for why I’m excited to be there, and why people reading this should attend, is that usually at conference I don’t attend a lot of panels. Looking at the agenda, this will be the first time in a long time that I’ll be front and center too. I want to hear what everyone has to say.

See everyone next week in New Orleans. I’m anxious to have my feet back on Louisiana soul.