Highlights from Hamilton Hive X 2013: Orbital’s first Hive X Experience
On October 26th, some of us from the Orbital team had the pleasure of attending Hive X 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel/Stelco Tower.
For those of you unfamiliar with Hamilton Hive, they describe themselves as “…a local network of young professionals and entrepreneurs.” Their mission is to “…enable members to connect, engage and grow, and to work together to build, promote and love Hamilton.”
As if the idea that each and every person in the room was willing to get up early and dedicate their Saturdays to attend the conference wasn’t inspiring enough in itself — each presentation and workshop throughout the day was thoughtfully packed with messages of enthusiasm and high hopes for our city’s future.
The energy in the room was notably vibrant (particularly for 9am on a Saturday) and it was clear that connections were being made in every corner. It was also apparent right from the get-go, that one of the underlying themes of the day was this: people are not only recognizing the City of Hamilton’s potential. They’re ready to take action.
One of the many highlights for us, included an engaging presentation on disengagement, delivered by the spirited Charlie Hendershott. Hendershott’s speech set the tone for a day that was filled with reminders that no member of any organization (employers and employees alike) truly benefits from a position of apathy. Enjoy his ironic take on “Effective Disengagement…”. We highly suggest that you do!
When deciding which workshops we would most like to participate in, admittedly, we were a little unsure of what to expect from what was being called a “speed-dating-style” workshop. How refreshing it was then, to be introduced into an environment that encouraged participants to engage in round-table discussions with various, prominent individuals from a mix of organizations and backgrounds, to essentially brainstorm ideas for bettering the lives of the people in this city. Real discussions about real ideas for improvement were buzzing all around us.
Belonging to a city that is producing so many individuals who care about what we want our own culture and community to stand for, left us feeling nothing but hopeful for the next stages of Hamilton’s evolution. Kudos to the Hive X 2013 Planning Committee for putting on a fantastic event. We’re already looking forward to next year!
