Epicurrence — What a Conference Should Be
The snow just kept falling on Day 1 of Epicurrence #4. The runs were hard but the snow was soft. It was only 11am and we were ready for a break. A group of us headed inside for a recharge. Of course, Marc ordered fries and we couldn’t resist. The eight of us gobbled them up while getting to know each other. We talked about growing teams, being a designer in a new city, collaboration opportunities between companies, and raising superstar kids. It was before noon and I had already made three new friends and had a lead on a business deal.
This day was in sharp contrast to a typical design conference experience. At most conferences, we sit in a dark auditorium silently listening to someone share a rehearsed speech while wondering if their slides will later be made available. When the presentations are over we hurry into our phones to check the latest tweets and work emails. Occasionally we engage in conversation with another attendee and ask, “What do you do?” And perhaps the conversation culminates in the exchange of business cards.
Epicurrence — an “event” rather than a “conference” — flips that all on its head. During the daylight hours, the group gets to know each other while sitting on a chairlift at the ski resort or on a surfboard waiting for the next wave. They share stories about life, work and all that’s in between. They create new memories together. At night after sharing a meal, the guests sit down to hear an unrehearsed, unguarded and slide-less talk from one of their newfound friends. Epicurrence turns the spectator sport of conferences into a group activity. The talks flow seamlessly from solo act to group conversation and back again.
There have been four of these events so far. Two at ski resorts in Tahoe, one in Park City, Utah, and one in Hawaii. Each one of them has been more valuable to me than all the other conferences I have been to combined. The value is in the relationships I’ve made, the inspiration and learning I garnered, and the giant heap of fun I had. After each one I have walked away with not one business card, but instead a dozen real friendships. My network has been made stronger not through linkedIN contacts, but through shared experiences and real relationships.
At Epicurrence I have heard people talk about their lessons learned growing and leading teams, their struggles being a female in a male world, their creative vulnerabilities, and their quest to be their best self. I have been inspired by people in a similar positions (leading creative teams for tech companies) and people who couldn’t be more radically different (those whose workday involves swimming with sharks). I did all this while enjoying the outdoors — life’s greatest source of inspiration — on the slopes and in the waves.
Dann Petty, the founder of Epicurrence, knows the value in bringing people together and it’s not so we can sit side-by-side in silence listening to something we could likely find on the internet. It’s about sharing experiences and really getting to know each other. Counter to most conferences where the valuable content is in the presentations delivered by the few speakers, at Epicurrence the content is threaded throughout every genuine interaction on stage, at the dinner table or on the mountain. It’s not speakers -vs- spectators as we’re all there to contribute. Dann pulls us together in an intimate setting and around challenging adventures. He helps break down the social barriers of awkward small talk and chirping phones by letting us act like humans. He’s offered us the ultimate ice breaker — shared experiences. And helps us lift our heads from our devices not wanting to miss a moment that won’t be found on SlideShare.
Dann is a true experience designer and I can only hope that what he’s built is the first step towards a new generation of conferences. While I crave the surf and ski part of Epicurrence, it doesn’t need to be around action sports. The simple idea is to bring people together and foster interaction. People are too busy, life moves too fast, and our time is too valuable to fly across the country to sit silently in a dark room. Conference makers and event planners, let’s instead gather together to do what the internet can’t — create shared experiences.
