A few months ago my friend Mark Rhode asked if I would attend The Intersection Event on January 14. He explained that it would be a gathering of 350 innovators and social change agents who want to explore ways to change the world for the better. The conversation would revolve around philanthropy, innovation, and the business bottom line. The idea of an “intersection” was to gather people from all segments of society and see what the cross-pollination creates. A bonus was that the event would be held at Pixar Studios, just 30-minutes from home.
Thus last Saturday D’Aun and I found ourselves at Pixar interacting with venture capitalists, underfunded non-profit visionaries, movie stars, CEOs, musicians, inventors, international NGO executives, journalists, Yogis, military leaders, Pastors, professors and food critics. Plus many more. It was a fun group of people, all of them eager to explore ways to make this world a better place, and all of them with unique talents.
I won’t go through the list of folks who spoke or what they said because this article published in Technorati says it so well. Overall the presenters were thoughtful, interesting and had a solid track record that lent credence to their ideas.
On the negative side, at times I felt the presenters ideas were not cutting edge. One presentation seemed unfocused. And one panel discussion was a real disaster.
That said, for me it’s not about who is speaking on the stage. The advantages of any gathering like this are the serendipitous meetings of key people. I found myself chatting with a business news editor who can offer content for our company blog. A wealth manager who has a shared faith and many common interests. Several people who expressed interest in our work with at-risk youth. D’Aun met people with olive trees, something she never expected to happen at this event. Both of us met people we look forward to building a friendship with.
More and more I find those connections as the primary reason for going to events like this. Most of the speakers, no matter how talented or inspiring, can be heard online. Their content is already available and often old news by the time I see them live. But the water cooler effect of meeting people and sharing ideas is where the real intersection occurs.
Thanks, Mark, for inviting us. And thanks to the organizers for having the vision and energy to pull it off.
Hanging out with some of our 4-wheeled friends after the conference