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See you in Portland!

We’ve got an amazing group of speakers lined up, but there is one speaker you don’t see listed on that page, and that’s YOU! One of the components that we’ll be having at CocktailCamp is an unconference track, which is your opportunity to set the discussion. It’s based on the belief that the sum of the expertise of the people in the audience is greater than the sum of expertise of the people on stage.

What is an “unconference”?

Now you might be wondering, what is an unconference? An unconference is a facilitated, participant-driven format where you, the participant, decide what is presented and how it’s presented. This can be an idea that you wish you had submitted as a presentation topic, a question you want other cocktail enthusiasts to discuss, or a conversation that you start with another attendee and think others might be interested in joining in on. Essentially, the unconference will be what you make of it.

How does it work?

When you arrive you will notice a whiteboard with both the current schedule laid out and open spaces for you to add your ideas. When you add a topic, make sure to put your name along with the idea/topic. We have an entire space that is separate from our main area set aside for these unconference sessions, so you don’t have to worry about distracting each other. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Aaron Jorbin (the big haired guy wearing a bow tie; you’ll meet him during the morning introductions).

What you can do now

The first thing is to start thinking of things you would like to discuss. Have you always wanted to make your own bitters? Throw that up on the board as odds are there will be someone there that has done that. Have you experimented with finding the perfect whiskey for a Manhattan? Throw that up as odds are you will find some people willing to discuss it with you. The next thing, kick off the brainstorming by commenting here with any ideas you may already have. Finally, be prepared to have fun. Perhaps you’ll be on to a topic that will be the perfect fit for a presentation at the next CocktailCamp. The unconference is all about you, the participant.