Attending A Conference

It's incredibly frustrating to go to a conference in a subject area that you're interested in (entrepreneurship) and not getting anything out of it.

I literally walked away from the CEO conference with one business card that I didn't really want and a whole lot of frustration.  There is a world of difference between a conference planned by people who are passionate about what they do (see - BarCampMilwaukee) and are interested in the pursuit of knowledge compared to a conference that is concerned with getting people through the door and having speakers speak at you, instead of engage in discussion with you.

The McCormick Place in Chicago is an example of what is wrong with traditional conferences.  It has huge rooms, lacks modularity for the participants to rearrange things on the fly, and doesn't mesh well with the community around it (read: money trap).

The high point of the trip for me?  I got to ride the train from Milwaukee to Chicago and actually get a feel for how that works (or doesn't work).  Germany's train system made more sense to me this summer, and it was all in German, a language I don't really speak. 

Want a real entrepreneurship tip?  There is a lot of money and fame to be made in building regional railroads that care about transporting your customers quickly and efficiently between urban hubs, while providing friendly and accommodating services.  Amtrak is currently terrible at this, they don't care.

Outside of the conference, and something that was briefly addressed at the conference, MSOE will be partnering with IIT and hopefully that will pay dividends for both schools.