The genKC event on March 26th at the Sprint Center ROCKED.
genKC is billed as “the catalyst for young, area professionals engaged in shaping Kansas City’s bright future, and in return, enhancing their own opportunities to achieve, enjoy and thrive in our vibrant community…”
…and they delivered! It was fun and exciting and there was food and drink and music and tons and tons of people.
Here are the specifics:
First, the genKC website is really well done and they made registration very easy. As you would expect with any online reg today, it was a few clicks – fill in your name and cc – and done. The intro vid and tune is perfect and upbeat and contributed to my decision to go. (I would love to find out what tune is playing on the site – wondering if it is a local group.)
Secondly, genKC is backed by a powerhouse of founding members. I have to point out members like Perceptive Software, UMB, Time Warner Cable, HNTB, and Black & Veatch because they are all Cells for Cells partners. You see where I am going with this list: The most cutting-edge companies in KC participate in the most important events and activities. So…the brightest, young professionals from THESE companies are going to be…
…you guessed it…at the cool events like genKC!
Lastly, I got to meet some of the coolest and brightest young professionals in KC like
- Andy Metzler, VP of Marketing & E-Commerce for Ultra International – a very cool wellness company out of Lee’s Summit, MO
- John Owens, CPA at Preferred Finance Partners, Inc. – entrepreneurs who are finance guys – that is one of the best combos when you are looking to have a CPA in your corner
- Sarah Hemme, Development Assistant for KU’s Audio Reader – it’s “Radio for the Print-Disabled.” I spent a lot of time talking to Sarah about her research project and the tie-in to the genKC event – very cool stuff.
But the very coolest, sharpest, brightest professionals I met were the two fellow twitter-ers (is that a word?) @BrianSchmid and @swolfe09. That was cool to run into them after I saw their tweets. (Yes, tweet is a word. It is the act of twittering.)
I have recently begun to understand the power of Twitter and Search.Twitter.com and I searched to find out who really, IN KC, is using the tools of today’s new social market. It was only Brian and Sara and a few others, including Perceptive Software.
So here, finally, is my only criticism of the genKC event. No Social Marketing/Media/Promotion is BAD, VERY BAD, in today’s world. I looked and looked for anyone and any company that was using today’s tools to promote, record, or just create buzz. I found virtually zip, zero, nada. With the exception of those I mentioned, I am really shocked that the KC Chamber is not using one of the most powerful (most powerful, some say) social media/marketing tools. Especially at an event that targets today’s YOUNG professionals.
I hope by the next genKC event, everyone will tweeting to everyone else how cool and rockin the genKC networking events are.
Cent’ anni,
Jason