EntConnect 2011 Entrepreneurial Connections Conference in Colorado is next week

The annual Entrepreneurial Connections (EntConnect) conference is now less than a week away, from Thursday, March 24, 2011 through Sunday, March 27, 2011. Traditionally the conference consists primarily of a reunion of former readers of Midnight Engineering magazine and a few newbies who have gotten suckered into trying it out, but each year we try to figure out new ways to attract fresh blood from both ends and the middle of the age and experience and interests spectrums.

 

Check out the official conference Web page for an idea of what the conference was like last year. Once again the conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Denver, which is actually in downtown Denver, with rooms available at the EntConnect 2011 rate of $89. We hope to have a notable keynote speaker, but as usual the primary focus will be sessions led by your fellow entrepreneurs.

 

Here is my traditional 30-second elevator pitch blurb for the converence:

Whether you are an entrepreneur or thinking about starting your own business or simply need a good excuse to go skiing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the Entrepreneurial Connections conference (EntConnect) may be just the conference you have been waiting for. Targeted primarily at engineers (hardware, software, and other) and others with a strong technical interest, it is more of a loosely-structured "unconference", with plenty of opportunities for a relatively small group of participants (15 to 40) to network or even give their own presentations on a very wide range of topics from technology, business strategy, intellectual property and legal issues, accounting issues, finance, marketing, sales, and even selling your business. With plenty of time to ski or otherwise enjoy the mountains and Denver area (great time to visit Boulder or Colorado Springs as well), the conference is a great opportunity to "learn and share" and otherwise have an "out of box" experience. Participants and speakers range over the full spectrum from wannabes and newcomers to successful young entrepreneurs and seasoned veterans. The conference is an excellent opportunity to meet up with former readers (and possibly even the publisher) of Midnight Engineering magazine as well. The conference runs from Thursday, March 24, 2011 through Sunday, March 27, 2011.

Visit the official conference Web site, EntConnect.org.

 

I have been attending the conference since it first started in 1992 as ME SKI '92 and then evolved into ENTCON and then Entrepreneurial Connections or EntConnect. Yikes!!! That means that this is the 20th year of the conference.

 

I will be attending another conference in New York on Friday morning, so I won't get into Denver until sometime in the evening. If my flight and bus are on time and I don't miss my flight rushing from my morning conference I should get to downtown Denver between 7:30 PM and 8:00 PM, just in time for the usual Friday evening group dinner. I'm not sure about this year yet, but last year the dinner was at Magianno's Little Italy, just a block from the conference hotel.

 

For a little nostalgia, check out the original ME SKI '92 conference announcement.

 

Oh, and please feel free to join the Midnight Engineers Yahoo discussion forum.

 

-- Jack Krupansky