InnovationCamp

InnovationCamp is an ad hoc gathering of people who want to learn about innovation by doing rather than listening.

There are very few rules. In fact, the only rules that exist are designed to remove impediments to innovation and innovative thinking.

The first InnovationCamp will be in Austin, TX on Saturday, June 28, 2008 at GSD&M | idea city.

Background

Conferences on innovation seldom break new ground. Predefined tracks. Keynote speakers pulled from a speakers' bureau roster. Structured agenda. Heavy on hand-shaking and networking; light on participation and collaboration. Except for name and location, they're all interchangeable events.

...sounds like exactly the situation in many of the companies they hope to "help"...

InnovationCamp turns the status quo on its head by embracing the elements that encourage innovation and innovative thinking. No hierarchy. Minimal structure. Collaboration. Communication. Interaction. Participation.

Sure, without tight controls some of the sessions, in fact the entire event, may suck. But then, failure is an absolutely essential ingredient in success. In any event, the participants make it what it becomes.

Rules

1. Everyone participates. The organizers, the media, people who happen along...
2. Everyone is a peer. The best organizations understand that good ideas can come from anywhere in the organization.
3. Everyone owns everything. The output of the InnovationCamp, to the extent that it is recorded and preserved, belongs to everyone.
4. Everyone can do something. Focus on doing, not administration.
5. Prove your point, don't argue your point. If you can't prove your point with evidence, or disprove their point, both points are valid until proven otherwise.

For more info, see: http://innovationcamp.pbwiki.com/