Inaugural OTA Sessions determined to ‘deny the lie’

A new event is coming to the Silicon Prairie that will bring great thought leaders from around the country to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The OTA Sessions are set to launch this March 25 and 26. I know your first question is what does OTA stand for? Well, actually nothing. OTA represents the tri-state area…

A new event is coming to the Silicon Prairie that will bring great thought leaders from around the country to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The OTA Sessions are set to launch this March 25 and 26.

I know your first question is what does OTA stand for? Well, actually nothing. OTA represents the tri-state area of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. These three Silicon Prairie states are often under-represented and forgotten, and the OTA Sessions are setting out to disprove that. In fact, the OTA website states:

There’s a belief that a Midwestern, humble approach to life indicates a lack of creativity, competitiveness and competency. The time has come to deny this lie.

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Hugh Weber (pictured), founder of the OTA Sessions, knew it was imperative for the OTA Sessions to have a top flight lineup of speakers to attract a wide audience to Sioux Falls. Weber did just that by bringing in a list that includes Chris Brogan, Scott Monty, Mitch Joel, Julien Smith, Jonathan Harris, and Spike Jones.

“The concept [for OTA] has been brewing since I came back to South Dakota in 2006. It just makes sense to bring the best from around the world to meet with the best from around this region,” Weber said.

The event will launch on Thursday, March 25 with an evening social event and all the speaking sessions will take place throughout the day on Friday, March 26. Entry fee for the two day event is $175, but if you’re one of the first 200 to register the fee is just $150. Early adopters will also receive three books from OTA Speakers: Trust Agents by Brogan and Smith, Six Pixels of Separation by Joel, and We Feel Fine by Harris.

Weber is confident the event will bring value equal to the $150 price tag for any attendee. “It gets you a head full of knowledge from your fellow OTA staters and some great speakers…and an armful of books.”

Although OTA’s name is clearly in recognition of the -ota states, the event is truly designed for all of those across the Silicon Prairie. “This conference celebrates the hearty souls that have made it through the long winters and dry summers and remain committed to the people and quality of life in this region. We celebrate the folks that SPN focuses on,” Weber emphasized.

Weber expects creatives, techies, entrepreneurs, programmers, and business owners from all over the region to attend. You can register at otasessions.com, or if you have any questions leave them in the comments section and I’ll help you out.

Update on Friday, 12:20 a.m. – The organizers of the OTA Sessions asked that we clarify part of this article. Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel and Julien Smith are actually visiting Sioux Falls as part of a “Building Trust in a Connected World Summit.” OTA Sessions is hosting the Trust Summit, but the Trust Summit is a separate event. Attendance at the Trust Summit is limited to ticket holders for OTA Sessions, which can be purchased at OTASessions.com. You can learn more about the Trust Summit at deepbenchstrategies.com/trustsummit.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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