OMAHA–The Old Market is alive with creative people today as the second annual Big Omaha conference kicks into high gear.
According to the event organizer, Silicon Prairie News, “there’s a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who are passionately making their mark on our community and Big Omaha is for them.”
Despite last night’s opening party at Slowdown, a bar owned by Saddle Creek Records, the airy warehouse space at Kaneko is jammed with people this morning, are all eager to hear from the rock star lineup of presenters. One of the stars is hometown girl, Rachelle Hruska, founder of New York City lifestyle site Guest of a Guest. Hruska is the emcee this weekend and a great choice to conduct said duties.
Andrew Mager of ZDNet is live blogging the event and I’m live tweeting it, along with many others including Swanson Russell copywriter Michael Johnson and AdPulp publisher, Shawn Hartley.
For my money (even though I’m here on a pres pass), Scott Harrison of charity: water is the day’s most impressive speaker.
Harrison’s work helping to to bring clean water to people desperate for this most basic and necessary ingredient of life isn’t just impressive, it’s heroic. In fact, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to help him, including giving charity: water free ad space herein.
Harrison’s impression on me, and the rest of us gathered here, is all the more impressive when you consider that Word Press founder Matt Mullenweg, Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV and Jason Fried of 37 Signals are also on the bill.
There’s much more to tell, of course, and I’ll be working through the weekend to bring you the important news from Big Omaha.
Images courtesy of Malone & Company and Silicon Prairie News.