Smaller Indiana, Bigger Ideas Conference

A new U.S. president. A global financial crisis. Some are predicting the worst of times. But we think it’s a time to regroup, re-evaluate and then to dream. Dream big. Because the world of ideas has never mattered more. Behind the headlines, innovation and invention are alive and flourishing. And it’s here that the key to a better future will be found. At the Smaller Indiana, Bigger Ideas Conference we will be hotfoot in pursuit of that future as it is being invented in our home state. We’re assembling an incredible lineup of speakers who live and work in Indiana, and whose ideas and ingenuity will challenge, enlighten and inspire.

Why would anyone want to make Indiana smaller?

Smaller Indiana has grown from a big idea to a vibrant, hyper-local online community of over 5,300 active and engaged members. Smaller Indiana’s mission is to make creative people and innovative ideas easier to find here in Indiana; and to attract the world’s attention to the Hoosier state. We believe that connecting people is the key to improving our community, economy and culture.

Bigger Ideas Conference is an extension of our online community into the real world. We expect more than 300 to attend this inaugural Bigger Ideas event. The content may include science, business, the arts and the issues facing Indiana and the rest of the world. Inside one afternoon, 6 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, and there may also be some shorter pieces of content, and even a panel discussion too. There are no breakout groups. Everyone shares the same experience. It shouldn’t work, but it does. It works because all of knowledge is connected. Every so often it makes sense to emerge from the trenches we dig for a living, and ascend to a 30,000-foot view, where we see, to our astonishment, an intricately interconnected whole.

With this Bigger Ideas event, Smaller Indiana seeks to shine a spotlight on just a few of the amazing people who live and work in our home state, especially people who do not typically get the spotlight; and to help the world to see what’s happening here in Indiana, we will be video taping all the talks, and making the videos available via with World Wide Web.

Bigger Ideas – Every amazing breakthrough begins with an idea.

This isn’t a typical conference. The Bigger Ideas audience has exceedingly high expectations of the speakers. Rules for Bigger Ideas speakers include a ban on “selling from the stage” (no plugging your company or organization), and a strict enforcement of the clock.

Bigger Ideas presentations last no more than 18 minutes

A carefully prepared presentation of this length can have astonishing impact. This format also allows us to fit in the maximum number of speakers in our half-day format. Everyone hears every presentation; there are no breakout sessions.

What we expect attendees to say:

This is our first Bigger Ideas Conference, so we can’t offer any testimonials from past attendees, but here is what we hope our attendees will say after attending:

“The experience was extraordinary—and it is not just the incredible, inspiring speakers. It is the experience of being able to discuss the meaning and impact of this content with newfound friends in a remarkably open way … there was an openness at Bigger Ideas that I cannot recall from any other event or gathering. You have created a highly collaborative, collegial environment.”
- Anonymous

“It was an experience that has completely and utterly transformed me and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. The conference was beyond world class, I don’t think there is even a descriptor for how exquisitely the entire thing—from beginning to end—was designed, organized and executed.”
- Anonymous