From May 20-22, the charming waterfront city of Owensboro, Ky., played host to the 2nd annual Innovate Summit, seeing the likes of local, regional and national leaders — even an international presence from five countries.

This event is not just a conference for transactional networking. It is where truly meaningful connections between like minded founders and business leaders can be fostered. As the founder of the event, my ambition was to redefine the conference space by creating an atmosphere for genuine human connection that stretches beyond the borders of business.

Over the course of the week, attendees were treated to an action-packed agenda filled with speakers, food, games and specially curated networking activities. Led by Co-MC’s Herb Lang and Amanda Banks, one could feel the energy throughout.

How the programming played out

Day 1 kicked off with launch with an orchestrated meet and greet by David Homan, where attendees were placed in small groups that are hand-selected based on passions and interests. This careful matching is based on the intention of creating connections that will be most valuable for participants. 

Day 2 kept the momentum going with a full schedule, featuring several panels, speeches by renowned guests such as Harlem Globetrotter legend Herb Lang, and even some time outside in one of the world’s largest children’s parks.

Innovation was the word of the day, with separate conversations dedicated to its application in the context of Israel, health and marketing strategies. Guests were challenged to be forward-thinking and bring all of their ambitious ideas to the table. 

Day 3 was the capstone to Innovate Summit, starting strong with Connection Conductors, led by Drew Sutton and Blake Weissman. This matchmaking-style exercise involves pairing up attendees with interests and careers that are most synergistic with their own. This ensures each participant is able to allocate their time with people that are most likely to offer value to their career.

The future-focused conversations continued with brilliance in small business innovation with Jimmy Newson, who discussed business strategy focused on resiliency in a technologically shifting world. Also noteworthy was a session led  by Beth Polish on owning and cultivating a personal reputation. 

As evidenced in the name of the event itself, innovation is a hot topic for the entire event. It can be used to describe new ideas, methods, or products that create a paradigm shift in our society.

It is easy to think about technology as the sole driver of innovation in the 21st century. However, the organizers of the Innovate Summit believe true innovation comes from many sources, including art, music, and expression through human connection.

In order to spark this innovation, it is important to create an environment where people from many different backgrounds and careers can mingle and share their ideas. This is exactly what the conference aims to accomplish, so talented people from all industries and functions are welcomed to contribute to the melting pot of ideas. 

Dozens of speakers presented over the course of the event to help spark these ideas and conversations, whether on panels or in their own standalone speeches. Many of these speakers are CEOs and founders of their own companies, which is a testament to the caliber of those in attendance at the Innovate Summit.

These speakers addressed the latest trends, ideas and challenges that will help attendees not only understand what to expect for the future business landscape but also how to best position themselves. 

It may be surprising that such an event did not take place in a more recognizable metropolis. After all, the small city of Owensboro is off the beaten path compared to the likes of New York and San Francisco. It is located in Kentucky, which has the reputation of being a “flyover state.”

Sometimes, often overlooked places are just where you’ll want to be. A $250 million+ investment has been poured into revamping the waterfront into a place full of culture and entertainment, and the Summit will help to usher in this new era of growth for Owensboro.  

What attendees had to say

• “Innovate is an exciting, new kind of conference. Human connection is now a premium In a post-Covid, AI bot world, and Innovate represents the first of its kind, building genuine connections between genuinely amazing people.” Drew Sutton, Human Connection and Innovation Guide
• “We want each other to succeed. That was the mentality we planted with 2 connectors in last year’s pilot and solidified with 15 connectors in this year’s summit. Instead of trying to collect each other’s emails, we focused more on caring deeply about each attendee’s personal and professional goals. That, along with having a group of extremely kind people serving each other, validated why the Innovate Summit will continue to healthily grow for years to come.” Blake Weissman, Founder, BackpackVC
• “Every single person I met at the Innovate Summit was a value-added person — energetic, friendly and sincerely interested in everyone else. But it wasn’t merely a love-fest: the presentations were practical and insightful.” Lawyer and podcaster Ron Coleman, New Jersey
• “Attending the Innovate Summit was extremely monumental. I’m yet to walk away from another conference with the quality of real connections and opportunities I’ve had in just two days. I’ve already started building something special with three amazing people I met through the summit. This is truly a community of Doers!! Actions speak louder than words.” Jimmy Newson, The Impact Influencer, CEO/Founder | Moving Forward Small Business
• “At night, there was no official program. There was no need to. People from many different experiences, fields and backgrounds naturally gravitated around a table. Connecting and deepening relationships. This wasn’t networking. This was relationship building.” Rabbi Yoni Rudansky, Head of School, Montessori Torah Academy of Louisville
• “I’ve never felt more immediately at ease with a group of people than I did at The Innovate Summit. A genuine energy ran through every conversation, and it was clear the event was designed to spark real connection. The whole experience was a breath of fresh air — personally and professionally — and I’m grateful for the deep, meaningful conversations I shared with so many thoughtful, curious individuals.” – David Armes, Terra Nova Capital Management and International Space Elevator Consortium
• “I’m a founder of a startup that just launched, and I was skeptical about taking the time and making the trip to Kentucky for a business conference. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by like minded innovators, immediately was enthralled by fascinating speakers sharing years of experience and advice and delicious refreshments. The new friends I made and new associations that were formed at the Innovate Summit are so solid and hyper focused on my particular needs, they are already bearing fruits, as I look forward to the next summit. Thank you Brian for all the super human efforts putting together this one of a kind event.” Eli Freedman, Founder, Cork & Cellar

Conclusion

All things considered, the 2nd annual Innovate Summit was a powerful and meaningful week felt by all. Every aspect of the event has been carefully curated with extensive thought even given to the selected event location.

Thanks to improved networking facilitators such as the Connection Conductors and Orchestrated Events, each participant walked away from the event forming a new bond that will serve some sort of value to their career. In a world that is changing at a rapid-fire pace, it is important to be in the know — and the Innovate Summit is one of the best places to learn and grow.

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