NicheCon has always been about two things. One, the stories. Two, bringing two communities together: those that love what they do and those who aspire to love what they do (find their niche). The conference is also about the unique career journey and practical advice from the handpicked roster of 25+ speakers from across the country to deliver their lessons learned.
However, when I started to think about it, these speakers, made up of inspiring, young professionals, had more to offer than a scripted 15 min TED talk or a 30 minute break out. In addition and most importantly, our attendees deserved more than just 2 jam-packed days.
So that's where our new idea comes in: NicheCon Fireside Chat Tour 2017.
Last year on November 17 we tried something new (go figure) - we merged our happy hour, meetups, workshops, and podcast interviews all into one Find Your Niche Fireside Chat.
The turnout and response (during and after, in-person and online) was phenomenal. It also helped our guest first, Jessica Guzik was able to tailor her story and advice in our 45 minute Q&A to each and every audience member. Seriously, it’s worth watching her full interview as she is super dynamic and has recently launched herself as a full-time writer and founder of Curated Table.
With all of this said, we are bringing NicheCon (Tour) to the people over a 7 month period.
Best part: you can attend at little or no cost in some really unique venues across the country! Think coworking spaces, start-ups, hip bars, and unique college campus settings.
We will still kick it off in D.C. on March 9th and then circulate through the mid-Atlantic (D.C. to Boston) the next several months while keeping D.C. as our hub of more frequent events (every 30-45 days). Our hope is that when the first tour is done in November, we have hosted more than 8 events and interviewed well over 10 young professionals.
The good news is these networking/happy hour/live interview events will vary in price between $0-10 and will include food, drink, and an intimate setting to meet new people, learn, and be inspired. Currently, these events will be free to any college student (college I.D. required), ACPA members, and WeWork members.
For those cities we can’t get to, don’t worry. First of all we are still seeking sponsors that will enable us to get out to L.A., Seattle, Minneapolis, and Nashville. In the meantime, we plan on live streaming and recording audio and video to produce, share and deliver short form and long form content, for free, to everyone and anyone that stumbles upon The Niche Movement.
Our team (made up of so many talented college students and young professionals: Camille Sennett, Amy Coron, Kris Konroy, Heidi Rivera, Kelly Ho-Sang, and Stefany Cando) will be working with our speakers, partners, and locations to come up with a tour list with dates, details, and topics over the next 30-45 days.
Our goal: release the tour dates and RSVP links by February 15th.
This idea sat with me for three days after our first fireside chat, and I am lucky to have such an amazing team, outstanding sponsors, and a great community that is always up for “shaking the tree” and doing something different. I am enthusiastic and optimistic how these intimate, one-off events will not only grow The Niche Movement further but how our speakers and their advice will truly help others end employment unhappiness in some form or another.
For now, stay tuned and let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading.
Feel free to contact me at kevin@thenichemovement @koco83 with any comments, questions, or inquires.