What if a mere $17 could give you access to the dreams of your community? What if it was a chance to share your own personal dream?
That’s the concept behind Dream Year Pitch Night, an event series developed by Ben Arment, founder of Chicago’s STORY Conference and author of “DREAM YEAR: From a Job You Hate to a Life You Love.” Arment had a vision of bringing people together for an evening in communities across the nation, and then asking some of the attendees to “pitch” their dreams through through 20 slides, PechaKucha-style.
“I think every person is born with a passion for something,” Arment told SPN. “But sometimes our goals get discarded over the years, or they become too scary to pursue, or we don’t even know what we want to pursue. Pitch Night makes it real, provides accountability and offers a community of support for people to take that first step of sharing their dream, whatever it might be.”
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The first Pitch Night will be held this July in New York, and then potentially in 15 other U.S. cities, including Des Moines on Aug. 5 and Omaha on Aug. 6. Each evening is “green-lighted,” meaning that 100 tickets need to be sold in advance for the event to actually occur. Once the event is greenlit, attendees can apply to be one of 10 people to pitch their dream that night. The presenters will be chosen based on the soundness and diversity of their idea.
Right now, Des Moines Pitch Night is 13 percent funded while Omaha Pitch Night is just over a third of the way to its goal—both with until the end of Wednesday to sell tickets. For the $17 ticket price, all attendees will receive a copy of “DREAM YEAR,” hear Arment as well as the 10 presenters speak, and have access to live music and drinks in a great venue.
“Pitch Night is a unique opportunity because there’s no prize money or funding on the table,” Arment said. “It’s simply a chance to share your dream with other people in your community, and then see what might happen. I’ve discovered that even the slightest bit of encouragement can help someone take the first few steps toward pursuing a dream.”
Want Pitch Night to come to your city? Purchase tickets for the Aug. 5 event in Des Moines and Aug. 6 event in Omaha online.
