Appleton Open Mind Source Camp 1.0

Ideas. Energy. Fun.

A group of enthusiastic networkers, entrepreneurs and innovators are organizing and planning a 24 hour camp in or near Appleton, Wisconsin, inspired by the BarCamps and Seattle Mind Camp 1.0. The concept, in my mind, is to gather a critical mass of the right people around the core concepts of Ideas, Energy and Fun. Put them together for a more or less continuous 24 hour period in a loosely structured setting, and see what seeds of the future grow in that rich environment. Each camp of this type will be subtley or drastically different, depending on the participants and the structure of the event. Participation in these 24 hour camps is not for everyone, but for those who plunge in, the sky's the limit. New ideas, new relationships, new collaborations, maybe even new companies.

The name of the first Appleton event is in a state of flux. Our initial name was Appleton Mind Camp, giving tribute to the Seattle Mind Camp. A Nancy White blog about SMC ignited the spark for the Appleton event. A member of the Appleton planning team is working through what the final name will be. If the event does not settle on Appleton Mind Camp, one of the alternate monikers suggested is Appleton Open Mind Source Camp. This nom de guerre reflects both the 'open mind' of its ideal participants and the 'open source' concept which is part of the camp's essence. (For excellent reading about Open Source, read the new O'Reilly book, "Open Source 2.0: The Continuing Revolution.")

The draft pitch for the event is as follows:

Appleton Mind Camp …A loosely-structured, informal gathering of 150 enthusiastic, open, smart, forward-thinking innovators, networkers and entrepreneurs from both inside and outside New North Wisconsin focused on Ideas, Energy and Fun. It is 24 hours of caffeine-enhanced conversations, brainstorming sessions and impromptu presentations about topics that are on our minds. Appleton Mindcamp ...what's on your mind?

Consider participating in a 24 hour camp or think about organizing one in your area. If you aren't aware of a 24 hour camp in which you can participate, do some searching online. Before starting your search, check out the following three webpages:

http://barcamp.org/
http://www.seattlemind.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2005/11/seattle-mindcamp-10.htm

For more info about this event, send an email to me at bob [at] mydigitechnician {dot} com.