I’ve been wanting to go to this event for years. As a story geek, I’m fatally attracted to the idea of spending two days immersed in real stories. And BiF8 didn’t disappoint. The event featured 32 storytellers over two days, with lots of time in between sessions for “random collisions”. I’d say that about half of the speakers told stories – the rest shared canned/off-the-cuff presentations that (IMHO) were interesting but didn’t embrace the genre.
Here are the ones who completely captivated me.
Carne Ross – Former UK diplomat who had to resign after discovering that there were, in fact, no weapons of mass destruction. Now leading a not-for-profit that helps developing countries learn to navigate so-called “first world” political and economic systems. The Independent Diplomat
Jeff Lieberman – Artist, roboticist, romantic, philosopher. Mused on the importance of living in the now, while seducing us with phenomenal high speed, high definition video images. His LinkedIn profile states simply – I have no intention of getting a job ever. Love it. http://bea.st
Lara Lee – Insightful former Harley Davidson exec. Riffed on the five fears that stop us from creating and innovating in organizations. Now Chief Innovation and Operating Officer at Continuum.
Tony Hsieh – Founder of Zappos online shoes. Now pouring ALL his profits into a project to renew and rebuild downtown Los Vegas. Crazy brilliant. Wish he’d rain some of that cash onto Vancouver!
Sherry Turkle – Less technology, more humanity. “You can’t have participatory change without conversation.”
You can see videos of all the storytellers on the BiF site.