What keeps you going between summer and ski season? Fortunately the weather here in Colorado has been incredible this early fall period so the doldrums haven’t truly kicked in yet. As a preemptive measure, though a bunch of local, passionate, product people have gotten together to create their own Fall fun that is not to so weather dependent – ProductCamp.
What is ProductCamp? It is a chance to connect and learn from a wide range of product managers, marketers, and folks with an innovative mind set. It started in March 2008 modeling Barcamp. Since then it has caught on many of the metropolitan cities such as: Silicon Valley, Seattle, Austin, Atlanta, London, Toronto, etc. Having attended events in Austin and Silicon Valley the group felt it was time to host one locally.
Why attend? In short, networking and knowledge.
Today’s economy requires you to have a large network. This is true from a personal as well as professional standpoint. Everyone talks about networking in conjunction with employment but how about to solve a problem? Often, another company that is not even in the same market may have solved an issue that your company is currently grappling with. Rather than reinvent the wheel wouldn’t it nice to call on a resource to share their experience or offer a different point of view. It is surprising how common this is once your step outside your corporate walls.
Closely aligned with that idea is the knowledge you gain by being at a ProductCamp. Knowledge sharing is a two way exchange. Being open to new information can eliminate months if not years of trial and error learning. Conversely, sharing your experiences may help formalize your on the job education as well as teach someone else to avoid your pitfalls. Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to.
What if I am not a product person, don’t have years of experience, is this still for me? Are you interested in product development, marketing, innovation, how to bring an idea to market – if so then yes. ProductCamps are great places to meet people that have been where you are at. You can pick their brains and learn from their experiences. Use them as an extended mentor team to help you get started down the product path.
So, with less than 6 weeks before the first Rocky Mountain ProductCamp, have you registered? If not, why not? If you have registered, can you speak on a topic that would share your experiences? Your value on the day is directly proportional to what you put in.
Don’t wait, do it now!
