With 30 events set on our calendar, we’re gearing up for 2012 to be quite the year and we want you join us at Silicon Prairie News events. Photo by Malone & Company.
Though there are still a couple days left in 2011, we’re already prepped to party like it’s 2012.
We’re announcing our full slate of Silicon Prairie News events including regularly scheduled meetups in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City, fall and spring Startup Job Crawls and our premier events Big Omaha and Thinc Iowa. Mark your calendars and save the dates because trust us, you’ll want in on this. (See schedule below.)
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If you’re new to our events or haven’t yet been to an event, consider this a preview of what’s in store for the next 12 months. We’ve secured the dates for many of the events, including Big Omaha and Thinc Iowa, however do note that dates are subject to change as the year progresses.
Silicon Prairie News Meetups
At our meetups, you’ll trade more than a business card. Here you’ll get to know what’s happening beyond your office, make a connection with members of the Silicon Prairie News community and trade stories from other startup- and creative-minded individuals. For every meetup, expect a different venue and vibe but rest assured you’ll find the same welcoming, networking environment and an opportunity to connect offline with new faces and the Silicon Prairie News team. These are the perfect events to pitch your startup to our writers.
In 2011, we held a handful of meetups in Omaha and Des Moines. In 2012, we’re aiming for 17 with these meetups expanding to each of our flagship cities (Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City). Photo by Danny Schreiber.
Startup Job Crawls
Not quite a bar crawl and not quite a career fair, these Startup Job Crawls provide students and recent graduates just the right avenue to visit the people behind local startups, see their products in action and learn about the culture of working in this innovative community. We held the first Startup Job Crawl in November with more than 80 university students and 22 startups. In 2012, we’re ready to keep up the pace, creating even more opportunities to bring students and startups together each semester kicking off the first one of the year in Omaha on February 15. In the coming weeks, look for more details on how to get involved.
The first Startup Job Crawl took place this year on “Silicon Sixth” avenue in downtown Des Moines. Look for more each semester in 2012. Photo by Leah Hansen.
Big Omaha – May 9-11
Big Omaha, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each May to inspire, educate and connect entrepreneurs, especially those with an interest in the tech industry. This year, the conference we call the nation’s most ambitious conference on innovation and entrepreneurship brought us 15 nationally-renowned speakers including Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker, Bo Fishback of Zaarly, Marc Eckō of Marc Eckō Enterprises and three-year, Big Omaha veteran Gary Vaynerchuk. Tickets for the two-day conference sold out in less than eight days and with what we’re prepared to roll out in 2012, the fourth Big Omaha is promising to be another blow-out conference. Look for announcements on tickets sales here on Silicon Prairie News and visit bigomaha.com to learn more – the site is currently featuring Big Omaha 2011, but expect the first take of the Big Omaha 2012 site in the coming months.
The Silicon Prairie News team has already started planning for Big Omaha 2012, and we’re preparing for the biggest Big Omaha yet. Photo by Malone & Company
Thinc Iowa – October 10-11
Thinc Iowa, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each October to provide a common ground for startups and corporations to explore partnerships, examine innovation and share lessons learned. In 2011, Silicon Prairie News expanded its conference reach, debuting this inaugural conference in downtown Des Moines. Ben Silbermann of Pinterest, Scott Case of Startup America Partnership and Ben Milne of Des Moines’ own, Dwolla, were among the nine voices who shared their stories and strategies. Visit thinciowa.com to learn more – the site is currently featuring Thinc Iowa 2011, but expect the first take of the Thinc Iowa 2012 site by mid-summer.
More than 300 attendees packed the Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines for the first Thinc Iowa conference. Photo by Anna Jones | Art of Photography and Ikonix Studio
Get Involved
If you or your company would like to become a part of the Silicon Prairie News experience – from meetup partners to conference sponsors, contact Jeff Slobotski, jeff@siliconprairienews.com or Geoff Wood, geoff@siliconprairienews.com to learn about our sponsorship opportunities.
The 2012 Silicon Prairie News events schedule*
Stay tuned to Silicon Prairie News for times and locations for each event. Also, look for Meetup events to be announced in cities nearby Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City, such as Lincoln, Neb., Lawrence, Kan., Ames and Iowa City, Iowa and Columbia, Mo.**
- Jan. 18 – Omaha Meetup with Layeredi
- Feb. 2 – Des Moines Meetup
- Feb. 9 – Kansas City Meetup [Postponed]
- Feb. 15 – Startup Job Crawl Omaha
- Feb. 24 – Omaha Meetup
- March 11 – SXSW Interactive – Silicon Prairie Party (Austin, Texas)
- March 29 – Silicon Prairie News Event (Omaha)
- April 4 – Startup Job Crawl Des Moines
- April 12 – Kansas City Meetup
- April 19 – Omaha Meetup
- May 9 – Big Omaha Opening Party
- May 9-11 – Big Omaha conference
- May 11 – Big Omaha Closing Party
- May 31 – Des Moines Meetup
- June 7 – Kansas City Meetup
- June 21 – Omaha Meetup with Volano
- July 19 – Des Moines Meetup with April Kelly
- August 10 – Silicon Prairie News Birthday Party
- Sept 11 – Startup Job Crawl Omaha
- Sept. 13 – Startup Job Crawl Des Moines
- Sept. 21 – Silicon Prairie News tailgate with Hudl
- Oct. 9 – Thinc Iowa Opening Party
- Oct. 10-11 – Thinc Iowa conference
- Oct. 11 – Thinc Iowa Closing Party
*Some dates subject to change.
**Update 11:10 a.m. – Events in cities surrounding our flagship cities will be announced throughout the year.
Stay tuned for more details and event announcements as the dates get closer. Also, keep an eye on our events page throughout the year for all of our events and other events going on in the Silicon Prairie.
