Built Festival 2019 Fireside Conversations

Sharing stories of community, resilience, opportunity, sustainability, second chances and doing business the right way.

We are in year 3 of the Built Festival, and over the past 3 years the interest in attending the main event has slowly grown. So this year, with a bit of trepidation, we made the decision to head to a larger venue, add in a couple more fireside conversations, and triple the size of the vendor area. And something unique happened that to be honest we were not expecting — the event grew bigger, and yet, felt more connected.

There was an energy surrounding the amazing accelerator and bridges companies who tabled during the event.

The Redd space created a community vibe that carried over to the networking and conversations that were happening throughout the day.

And then there were the fireside conversations that weaved what might be seen as vastly different threads into a connected community tapestry by the end of the day.

When we first came up with the fireside conversation concept almost 4 (!) years ago, there was a decent amount of pushback on the idea of not having a moderator during the conversations. People worried that there would be awkward silences or that the speakers might run out of things to say. What has happened instead is that these conversations tend to be more open, transparent, and honest. The now 40 community leaders who have spoken at the Built Festival over the past 3 years have all shared stories that tell of Oregon’s unique advantage, the ever changing challenges and opportunities facing consumer brands, and how we, as a community, can push forward in the right way.

Below are the 8 fireside conversations from this year’s festival. Take some time to watch them as each will no doubt connect on some level. We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments — the nuggets of wisdom you found — after watching them. Many thanks to Torin Productions for the filming and editing.