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7:00 PM
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9:00 PM
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Opening Party at The Hotel @ Kirkwood
Join us in the lobby of The Hotel at Kirkwood for a relaxed and fun evening socializing with friends new and old, over a little food and drinks. Come pick-up your name badge for the conference at the party, so you don't have to wait in an early morning line. This event is free and open to the public. Cash bar.
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Hotel at Kirkwood Lobby
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9:00 AM
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5:00 PM
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Conference Registration
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The Atrium
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10:00 AM
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10:30 AM
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Welcome
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B-E Ballroom
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10:30 AM
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11:05 AM
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Christian Renaud, Co-Founder Startup City Des Moines - Building In Iowa (Keynote)
Christian Renaud will be sharing his personal entrepreneurial story and his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges of building a company in Iowa!
Christian is a serial entrepreneur and technologist and the co-founder of Startup Iowa, and principal and mentor-in-residence at StartupCity Des Moines, an early stage tech incubator that anchors Des Moines' "Silicon Sixth," a stretch of 6th Ave in Downtown Des Moines that has become a major hub for entrepreneurial and startup activity in the Midwest.
Christian previously served as CEO of Palisade Systems, CEO of the Technology Intelligence Group, and Chief Architect of Networked Virtual Environments for Cisco Systems. Christian holds advisory and board positions with venture funds, European Commission projects and a number of technology startups.
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B-E Ballroom
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11:05 AM
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11:20 AM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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11:20 AM
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12:45 PM
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Lunch Keynote from Mary Quass, CEO/Presidentof NRG Media - My Entrepreneurial Jounrey In Radio
Mary Quass is President and CEO of Cedar Rapids-based NRG Media, the seventh largest radio network in the US. Quass has practically seen and lived through it all when it comes to radio over the past three decades, buying her first station in 1988 with bank loans, at the age of 37. Quass dabbled in Internet radio years before it would become a legitimate force and in 2002 she decided to get back in the broadcast radio game by starting NRG Media, which owns 45 radio stations throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois. Mary received her BA Degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Mary serves as a Board member on the National Association of Broadcasters and numerous other boards in Iowa and beyond. In the summer of 2010, Mary was six times honored by Radio Ink Magazine when she was named to the lists of The 40 Most Powerful People in Radio and The 50 Most Influential Women in Radio.
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Ballroom A-D
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12:45 PM
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1:00 PM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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1:00 PM
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1:50 PM
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Branding 101: Building A Strong Brand That Sells
Julie Zielinski, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC) will help participants will learn what a strong brand is, why it is important in generating growth, and the four essential building blocks common to successful brands: Strategic Brand Positioning, Heritage, Personality, and Identity. Participants will draft the four building blocks of their own brand during the session, with feedback from other participants and experts in the room, and will leave with actionable next steps toward building their new brand. This is the first of two sessions focusing on branding, attendees might also consider attending the Branding 201 - Beyond The Brand: from Promise to Practice held during Breakout Session #2.
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C Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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1:50 PM
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I’ve Got An Idea, Now What: A Recipe For Success
Curtis Nelson, serial entrepreneur and President and CEO of the Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC) in Cedar Rapids will address one of the most fundamental question in starting a business: How To Start. This session will be based on his book The Recipe for Business Success.
A recipe for success, whether business or culinary, requires a finite set of ingredients and specific execution. Each ingredient and amount is equally important as is their related quality, and all must be matched to the outcome desired. Also essential are the proper guidance, the talent to execute, and the required resources. Straying from the simplest of recipes creates results that range from mediocre to catastrophic. If you run your business “off-recipe,” success will be reduced with performance that is lower than your potential. If you execute a well-balanced business “Recipe,” success will be easier and net results will be greater.
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F Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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1:50 PM
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Money, Research, Office Space, Networking, & More – It's all Here!
Service providers, like many entrepreneurs, are on very tight budgets. We can't always spend thousands of dollars to market all the great services we provide to small business owners. Attend this fast-paced session as we cover popular, but sometimes unknown, low-cost or free services available to help your business thrive in our great state of Iowa!
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Computer Lab 128
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1:00 PM
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1:50 PM
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Pitching Your Business
In this important session, learn how to pitch your business, whether in an elevator or in an investors’ board room. Conference attendees will learn the key elements of any good pitch, which will prepare them well for the optional Pitch Perfect Workshop and Idea Storm later in the conference. Participants wishing to practices their own pictches and get feedback should consider attending the Pitch Perfect Workshop during Breakout Session #2
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D Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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1:50 PM
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Social Media 101 - Followers, Likes and Pins: What’s The Difference
Tweet for tweet social media is an affordable and valuable way to engage your audience authentically. Is your company ready? Learn the opportunities and challenges with the 21st century’s hottest new marketing tools and how to use social media to promote your business and what it takes to build loyal relationships with customers through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and more. This session is aimed a people new to social media and attendees of this session may also be interested in the Build Your Business's Facebook Page Workshop during Breakout Session #2 or Social Media 201: Demystifying Facebook Ads during Breakout Session #5.
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Business Event Center
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1:50 PM
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2:15 PM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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Bootstrapping to Venture Capital: Show Me The Money (Panel)
From maxing out credit cards to loans from friends and family to taking on equity investors, raising money to fund a fledgling entrepreneurial endeavor is hard work. Learn from a panel of investors, financiers and entrepreneurs from all levels on the opportunities and challenges in obtaining capital for a new business. Experienced entrepreneurs will share their stories on the keys to success in raising funds for their business. Kris Gulick President of Entrepreneurial Services Group LLC who provides CFO and financial services to small and medium size businesses will moderate a panel discussion and Q & A along with providing a 30,000 foot level presentation in how to raise capital for your business.
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Business Event Center
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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Build Your Business’s Facebook Page
A hands on workshop on setting up a Facebook Page for your business. Attendees will leave this session with a basic understanding of the function of a Facebook Page for Business and will have created a Facebook page for their business.
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Computer Lab 128
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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Innovating Inside A Big Company Part #1: From The Trenches
Tim McDougall, who previously lead the marketing divisions of PF Chang’s Restaurants, The New Orleans Hornets, The Houston Rockets and The Miller Brewing Company, recently co-founded a groundbreaking digital marketing startup...housed inside a 130-year old media company! Tim will talk about the challenges faced and the lessoned learned while trying to stoke the entrepreneurial spirit inside a large, existing company.
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D Ballroom
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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It’s Finally Time To Build Your Website #1
A WordPress website is a great way to build your first company website. Let Andrea Flemming and Rachel Stewart from Iowa Tech Chicks get you started with buying a URL, setting up a basic Wordpress site, and the basics of using a Wordpress template. No computer programming experience necessary, though you do need to be familiar with web browsing and email. Please bring a credit card to purchase web hosting and a domain name. Computers will be provided, but attendees may bring their own laptop computers if they wish. This is the first in a two part session, session #2 will follow from 3:30-4:20pm.
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Computer Lab 127
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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Pitch Perfect Workshop
Session attendees will give live 1-2 minute pitches and get feedback from Pitchmaster John LaMarche and other workshop attendees. Bring a prepared pitch to Entrefest to test out, or invent one on the spot; this session is your opportunity to improve the way you pitch your business today. Those who wish to attend this session may also consider attending John MaLarche's Pitching Your Business Session during Breakout Session #1 to prepare for their live pitch opportunity at this workshop.
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D Ballroom
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2:15 PM
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3:05 PM
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Startup Communities: The Boulder Thesis (Video)
In this session, attendees will watch and discuss a video of a talk given by famed, Boulder-based venture capitalist Brad Feld on how to grow entrepreneurial communities in any city and his book "Startup Communities."
Startup communities are popping up everywhere, from cities like Boulder to Boston and these types of entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation and small business energy. Based on more than twenty years of Boulder-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist Brad Feld's experience in the field, as well as contributions from other innovative startup communities, this reliable resource skillfully explores what it takes to create an entrepreneurial community in any city, at any time.
*This session is part of a new Entrefest breakout track focuing on 'economic developers who support entrepreneurs,' though this session is valuable and open to anyone wanting to make their own city or town more entrepreneurially friendly.
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C Ballroom
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3:05 PM
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3:30 PM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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Branding 201 - Beyond The Brand: From Promise to Practice
An ad campaign? A signature event? Distinctive packaging? Now that you’ve determined your brand, let’s discover the best way to bring your brand to life for consumers. Learn how to take your brand from promise to practice in this interactive session. This session is an advanced branding session and builds upon the basics of branding covered in Branding 101 during Breakout Session #1
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D Ballroom
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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Business Model Generation
Business Model Generation is a process for visionaries, game changers, and challengers striving to defy outmoded business models and design tomorrow's enterprises. If your business needs to adapt to harsh new realities, but you don't yet have a strategy that will get you out in front of your competitors. You will learn how to systematically understand, design, and implement a game-changing business model--or analyze and renovate an old one. Along the way, you'll understand at a much deeper level your customers, distribution channels, partners, revenue streams, costs, and your core value proposition. Business Model Generation is used today by leading consultants and companies worldwide, including 3M, Ericsson, Capgemini, Deloitte, and startup incubators worldwide.
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Business Event Center
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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Getting Things Done: Time Management In A 24/7 Job
Gain the personal insight and practical skills to develop and implement a framework for successful time management. Learn to adopt proven tools and techniques to make better day-to-day choices about investing your time and achieving your goals. You develop a personal action plan to reap the most benefit from your efforts and learn to apply a structured process to shape your current and future commitments.
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Computer Lab 128
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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It’s Finally Time To Build Your Website #2
A WordPress website is a great way to build your first company website. Let Andrea Flemming, Rachel Stewart and Breahna Galbreath from Iowa Tech Chicks get you started with buying a URL, setting up a basic Wordpress site, and the basics of using a Wordpress template. No computer programming experience necessary, though you do need to be familiar with web browsing and email. Please bring a credit card to purchase web hosting and a domain name. Computers will be provided, but attendees may bring their own laptop computers if they wish. This is the second in a two part session, session #1 will run from 2:15-3:05pm
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Computer Lab 127
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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Right Resource at the Right Time
This panel discussion will help match the entrepreneur with resources for stages
of the company whether technical resources at the idea stage or financial programs
bringing a product to market. Panelists are well versed in technical resources, state
commercialization and incentive programs, SBA and USDA Rural Development funding
and revolving loan funds.
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F Ballroom
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3:30 PM
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4:20 PM
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Startup Communities: Entrepreneurial Leaders (Panel)
Are you an economic developer trying to learn how to support a growing entrepreneurial community in your region? Are you an entrepreneur who wants to be a leader in building a thriving entrepreneurial community in your city? This session will feature an engaging panel of key entrepreneurial leaders in the Creative Corridor region talking about what it takes to build a place where entrepreneurs thrive, along with practical tips and tangible actions you can take home to make your town more welcoming, inclusive and supportive of your future business creators.
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C Ballroom
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4:30 PM
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8:00 PM
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EntreFest Evening Reception
A chance for Entrefest attendees to unwind and relax with an adult beverage and some food, before we kick-off the 2013 Dream Big, Grow Here Pitch Comeptition, in which ten Iowa entrepreneurs will be vying for a $10,000 cash prize that will go to the best pitch.
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The Atrium
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5:00 PM
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8:00 PM
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Dream Big Grow Here Pitch Off (free and open to the public)
Each winner will have the opportunity to showcase their business and ‘pitch’ for the grand prize. The receptioin begins at 5:00pm with the official programming kicking at 5:30 pm. To learn more about each winner go to the Dream Big, Grow Here business grant contest homepage.
Dream Big Grow Here contests were created at the University of Northern Iowa by the MyEntre.Net team, and are sponsored by the Iowa Bankers Association, Renew Rural Iowa, the Community Vitality Center, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Technology Association of Iowa, Delta Dental and VentureNet. Join these sponsors, winners and other small business owners at the Dream Big Grow Here pitch-off! Customers, family and friends welcome- refreshments and cash bar.
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Ballroom A-D
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7:30 AM
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9:30 AM
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Buffet Breakfast
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Ballroom A-D
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8:30 AM
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9:45 AM
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Morning Greeting & The Biz Info Smorgasboard
In a ‘speed-meet’ setting get advice from a buffet of business experts – come ready for answers to your most burning business questions!
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Ballroom A-D
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9:45 AM
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10:15 AM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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10:15 AM
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11:15 AM
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Innovating Inside A Big Company #1: A CEO's Perspective
This session will feature Chuck Peters, President and CEO of The Gazette Company, who will discuss how he is pushing the 130-year old media company in Cedar Rapids to be more entrepreneurial and innovative. The challenges and lessons learned will help all people who are trying to reinvent their company culture and push for more innovation in an existing company of any size.
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D&E Ballroom
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10:15 AM
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11:15 AM
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Lean Startup Methodology
Too many startups begin with an idea for a product that they think people want. They then spend months, sometimes years, perfecting that product without ever showing the product, even in a very rudimentary form, to the prospective customer. When they fail to reach broad uptake from customers, it is often because they never spoke to prospective customers and determined whether or not the product was interesting. When customers ultimately communicate, through their indifference, that they don't care about the idea, the startup fails. The Lean Startup provides a scientific approach to creating and managing startups and get a desired product to customers' hands faster. The Lean Startup method teaches you how to drive a startup-how to steer, when to turn, and when to persevere-and grow a business with maximum acceleration. It is a principled approach to new product development.
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B&C Ballroom
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10:15 AM
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11:15 AM
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Startup Communities: Success Stories (Panel)
A panel of economic developers and entrepreneurial support providers from the government, nonprofit and business community will share their insight and best practices for helping entrepreneurs grow and expand their businesses in Iowa. Join Curtis Nelson, CEO of the Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC), Lynn Allendorf, the Acting Director of The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Iowa (JPEC), Mark Nolte, The President of The Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD), and Geoff Wood, COO of Silicon Prairie News.
This session is intended for economic developers who want to do more to help entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs may find this session an opportunity to provide ideas and feedback.
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Business Event Center
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10:15 AM
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11:15 AM
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The Big Payoff: Exiting Your Business
Lisa Shimkat, the Regional Director at The Small Business Development Center in Fort Dodge, will lead this session to help conference attendees understand what they need to know about exiting their business from both the buyer’s and seller’s perspective. Attendees will find out how to maximize the value of what they have and learn what it takes to define a successful exit strategy.
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F Ballroom
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11:30 AM
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12:45 PM
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Lunch and Keynote by Mike Draper, Founder of RAYGUN
Born and raised in Van Meter, Mike left Iowa in 2000. He studied history at the university of Pennsylvania and acquired a wife while spending a year in the United Kingdom. In 2005, Mike and the future Mrs Mike moved to Des Moines. The fall of that year, Mike opened RAYGUN. The company has expanded from $60,000 annual sales in 2005 to over $3m in 2013. But at the heart, it is a clothing store that hopes to make people laugh and save America from 10,000 years of darkness.
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Ballroom A-D
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12:45 PM
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1:00 PM
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Networking Break
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The Atrium
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1:00 PM
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2:00 PM
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David Sells Goliath: Landing Your First Fortune 500 Customer
John Casko, founder and CEO of BFS Consulting, which helps small early stage and seed level technology based companies find and establish loyal, high margin, and repeat early adopting customers in the form off Fortune 500 and worldwide market segment leaders. John’s expertise lies in helping innovative companies make their first sale. John will share a methodology he has developed in over a decade in the field through work with more than two dozen companies in a wide range of fields. Though the session’s methodology is is primarily designed for business-to-business (B2B) companies, all types of entrepreneurs will benefit from hearing John’s expertise.
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F Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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2:00 PM
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Identifying Small-Business Loan Sources
Presented by Al Beach, Director of The Kirkwood Small Business Development Center, attendees will get an overview of the many government loans, grants and incentives offered by the Federal, State and Local governments to help entrepreneurs and small businesses.
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Classroom 129
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1:00 PM
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2:00 PM
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Making It All Fit: Having A Life Outside Your Business
Serial entrepreneur and business coach Theresa Bornbach will go head-to-head with one of the largest elephants in the room at every entrepreneurial gathering: how to balance the demands of your business with the needs of a spouse, family, friends and sanity.
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Business Event Center
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1:00 PM
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2:00 PM
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Social Media 201: Demystifying Facebook Ads
This session will be the more advanced of Entrefest's three social media sessions, this one is focused on how businesses can use Facebook's myriad of advertising tools to build their social media reach, track engagement and measure success. Josh Krakauer of Sculpt, a social media marekting agency, will walk attendees through a selection of Facebook advertising tools and strategies and will share proven methods that are being used by today's small businesses and big brands. Attendees at this session may also wish to attend Social Media 101 during Breakout Session #1 or the Build Your Business's Facebook Page Workshop during Breakout Session #2.
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D Ballroom
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1:00 PM
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2:00 PM
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Taking The Family Business Global
In a single generation Steve West led West Music Company from a single storefront in Iowa City to a global manufacturer, distributor and seller of music related services and product.
After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1969, Steve West joined his father at West Music, a musical instrument repair shop in Iowa City that Pearl West started in 1941. Since then, Steve has grown West Music Company to five retail music stores in Iowa and Illinois, a national musical education catalog, twelve e-commerce websites specializing in elementary music, music therapy, professional flutes and percussion, and the North American distributor of high-end Miyazawa Flutes. Today, Steve serves as the company's Chairman and concentrates mostly on the company’s international distribution business. His son Ryan, joined the company full-time as Senior Vice President in 2008.
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C Ballroom
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2:15 PM
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3:00 PM
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Closing & Idea Storm
To close out the conference all attendees will be challenged to take the stage and pitch a business idea---whether it’s the one you are currently working on, or something new.
Prizes will be awarded for the the best pitches and we've got a few surprises in store.
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Ballroom A-D
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3:00 PM
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5:00 PM
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Design Thinking (optional post-conference workshop)
In this optional post-Entrefest workshop, we will be completing a hands on, collaborative activity designed by The Stanford Design School, to help attendees learn and experience “Design Thinking” If you’re a businessperson or interested in understanding how to facilitate innovation, you’ve probably heard of “design thinking.”
Coined by IDEO’s David Kelley, the term "Design Thinking" refers to a set of principles, from mindset to process, that can be applied to solve complex problems. Design thinking is an analytic and creative process that engages a person in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback, and redesign.
This is an optional, post-conference workshop. Space is limited.
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Business Event Center
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