World Domination Summit 2015: Highlights from a First-Time Attendee

How do I even begin to write about this four-day event?
To even THINK I could write about the whole thing — I’d totally be kidding myself. On the other hand, it would be great to remember some of the highlights and provide some of the pros and cons for those thinking of attending.

How did I first hear about World Domination Summit (WDS)?
After finishing Chris Guillebeau’s book $100 Startup, I went over to the website to get the corresponding worksheets, which led me to his personal web site where I found information on the WDS event.

What made me decide to go?
I checked out previous years’ speeches on Youtube and was really inspired. I loved the idea of connecting with like-minded creatives and entrepreneurs in all industries from all over the world. Plus it’s in Portland, Oregon, and I’d never been to the Pacific Northwest before so I thought, “let’s combine this with family vacation.” There was also specialized training in book proposal writing and publishing. I bit the bullet and hit the online registration button.

What is World Domination Summit?
What is it in a nutshell: (Jane Friedman’s post last year sums it up perfectly.)
World Domination Summit (WDS) takes place in Portland, OR, and gathers 3,000 unconventional thinkers from all walks of life. People come from all industries, some are doing their art on the side, some full time, some have profitable businesses, others have non-profits, it really does run the gamut so there’s no “one size fits all” here.

Core focus values:
1.   Community
2.   Service
3.   Adventure

Core question:
“How do we live a remarkable life in a conventional world?”

Behind the scenes
WDS is organized by Chris Guillebeau and has been around for five years. As creatives, lot of time is spent online and he believed in the value of shared connection in a physical space so organized the event.

A conference or experience?
At first I called it a “conference” but then I had to stop myself because it’s not a conference in the traditional, corporate sense where you talk shop, power network and collect swag. WDS relies on ticket sales revenue and holds a sponsor-free philosophy so there is no overabundance of swag. This event is run by volunteers and profits go to the WDS Foundation for grants called “Scholarships for Real Life.”

I would consider WDS more of a personal development summer school or camp for adults who like to think outside the box. Where else can you attempt to break the world record for most number of people having breakfast in bed, or putting on lipstick at the same time?

Academy, Attendee Meet-Ups and Main Sessions
I attended a book proposal writing academy and learned some best practices for traditional and digital publishing, which I discuss here. It was led by Jane Friedman and David Fugate.

Then I attended Lane Kennedy’s podcast meet-up to learn some podcast tips. I was able to connect with other podcasters of all levels and experience.

The literary agent meet-up I attended was again with David Fugate and also Talia Krohn of Random House who answered questions on writing and publishing in a Q&A format.

As for speakers, there are too many good ones to mention!

Here are just a few and some of the highlights of their presentations.

First up was Jon Acuff New York Times bestselling author of five books and storytelling brand consultant for top companies.

He discussed the importance of finding your voice and making the time to develop it. He says, “Your voice is never lost, it’s always waiting to be found.”

He also says, “Time won’t find you, you have to find it.”

Acuff mentioned we often surround ourselves with people who are good at saying “no” to us, or who poke at our ambitions, unintentionally, in negative ways. “Are you still trying to start a company / write a book  / live your dream?” The word “still” has surprising judgmental power.

So, this actually echoes sentiments from Scott Dinesmore of Live Your Legend who says you are the average of the five people you most hang out with. People will either lift you up or drag you down, so it ties in with the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people (like at events such as these).

Vani Hari, creator of Foodbabe also spoke of her experience in making the leap from her corporate consulting job to her current role as health foods activist.

Four years ago she had no Facebook account but her site traffic grew to be the success it is today. She was raised on processed foods and had lost weight once she started evaluating all the ingredients in her food which led her to eat healthier. She wrote about it to inform the public and was basically taking on the big food companies to change how they reveal what’s in their foods to the public (like Subway and Chick fil A).

There’s controversy over the “science” of her findings and she’s developed critics and abusive haters along the way unfortunately. But, she embraces Madonna’s quote, “If you don’t like me and still watch everything I do, then bitch, you are a fan.”

Then there was wisdom from 11-year old Robby Novak, AKA “Kid President” who makes a difference in the world by treating everyone like it’s their birthday. Robby has a rare brittle bone disease known as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI).

Novak’s adult brother-in-law Brad Montague created the “Kid President” Youtube Phenomenom in making the world a better place with love and humor. The funny, inspiring video also showed how he was even able to get a date with Beyonce using the dinosaur chicken nuggets as a prop.

Lewes Howes, All-American athlete, entrepreneur and investor, discussed the myths of masculinity and even his story of having been violated at a young age. Once identifying with Captain America, he shares his personal story and how he’s learned to embrace vulnerability. He advised to take off the mask of masculinity (both men AND women too) and become more superhuman as opposed to superhero.

Jeremy Cowart also shared a powerful presentation. Photographer, entrepreneur and humanitarian, he told his story of being raised to think he was a failure because of bad grades and continually telling himself “I can’t.” With the encouragement of his parents, he kept to the mantra, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Cowart saw photography as his gift and is now an award-winning celebrity and humanitarian photographer. After his brother passed away at a young age, he realized his own mortality and created See University as a way to teach his kids everything he’s learned.

Yeah, lots of learning, tears, laughter, the human experience all in one event space.

If you attended this year, hopefully we were able to connect at some point. (If not, maybe next time.) If you’re looking into going next year, here’s a list of things to consider based on my experience.

What Worked for Me:
It’s a very well-executed event, with amazing speakers, volunteers and organizers. Chris Guillebeau and team did a really great job (as they’ve also had years of practice from previous WDS events).

Great place to connect with others wanting to live a “remarkable life in an unconventional world,” whether you’re looking to ditch the 9-5 for location-independent lifestyle, start a non-profit to save the world, create your art, whatever, this is a great space for thinking outside the box.

The Pearl District of Portland is a great location for the event. There’s lots to do, many parks, restaurants, shopping, etc.

If you want more actionable items specific to your needs, there are “nuts and bolts” type academies and meet-ups where you could connect with others in activities that interest you (or you can create your own).

Most the connecting I found came from these smaller groups, as well as waiting in line or during session breaks.

Things to Consider:
It’s a big event so it can seem overwhelming. Focus more on the things that are important to you and be flexible with the rest.

There also may be that fear of missing out (FOMO) because there’s that feeling like you want to try to do everything in so little time. Because of this, you may feel like a kid in a candy shop. I mean, come on, powerful speeches from world changers, yoga, running, Portland cruises, parties, etc. You’ll need to prioritize and manage your energy.

It only takes place on the west coast. I may have to look into how we could get the same for the east coast, or find a similar event if there is one.

While I found all the speakers very motivating and inspiring, not all of their takeaways were specific to my needs so I had to do some filtering. As mentioned, I found more value as far as “how to” in the smaller meetup groups.

Unless you already have a basic plan in place, you could easily get overwhelmed and not take imperfect action. You can only connect the dots looking back (as Steve Jobs said) so imperfect action followed by iterations would be necessary for any new endeavor. Any action is better than none. That’s why Pamela Slim had a workshop on steps to take AFTER the event.

It’s pricey and if you’re not in the immediate Portland area you’ll have to consider travel and lodging as well. So consider the opportunity cost, but don’t focus solely on the return on investment (ROI). Think of the long-term return on experience (ROE) as well too and if that matters to you.

If you’re an introvert, you may have to make an effort. It’s not painful though, you can move on if you’re not making much of a connection with one group or person over another. (See Derek Murphy’s post for tips on this one.)

Expect too that people who’ve met people from previous years’ WDS events are more likely to catch up with whom they’ve previously met. It’s nothing personal, it’s probably one of the only times they get to see each other. But because it’s a big event you can choose whether or not to move on and talk to someone else. (Or not, you may be so tired from all the excitement that you may just want to veg out and nap like in one of those napping rooms provided.)

Like any big city, you’ll probably be walking everywhere so do wear comfortable shoes. Oh, and if you’re from the east coast and particularly used to jay walking like in NYC (it’s instinctive), just be aware west coasters don’t particularly look highly on it. :).

Overall Thoughts:
WDS was a great experience and I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend. It was a very well-executed event and the speakers were truly inspiring. It’s a big event, so I’d have a reason for going so you’re not completely overwhelmed. Decide what you want to get out of it before attending. If you’re looking for more “how to’s,” I’d advise you participate in the academy workshops and attendee meet-ups also going on around the event. I’m very glad I did participate in the smaller sessions as it was also easier to connect with others with similar interests. Overall, I can’t complain, it was AWESOME and absolutely glad I went!

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