Minnesota is the home to an amazing advertising, marketing, and interactive development community – some would say that everyone who works the state that I call home is ‘Above Average’.

No other conference helps elevate Minnesota’s talent like the MIMA Summit.  It’s the biggest annual marketing and technology conference in the Midwest, presented by the oldest interactive marketing association in America. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m MIMA’s Vice President.  So, I have a soft spot in my heart for the organization – not to mention that I’m a bit of a Minnesota towny).  

This year’s theme is No Boundaries: The Rapid Evolution and Diversification of Digital Marketing featuring keynotes by gaming expert Jane McGonigal and former Apple chief evangelist and best selling author Guy Kawasaki, as well as over 32 sessions with an incredible roster of national speakers on digital leadership, mobile e-commerce, SEO, digital strategy, social media and more (breakfast, lunch and a happy hour included).

And, you’ll network with over 700 of the smartest interactive marketers around (I know most of these people and they’re good folks).  I’m attending and I hope you will join us.

via MIMA Summit 2012 with Guy Kawasaki & Jane McGonigal – Minneapolis, MN- October 10, 2012.

I’ll be speaking at the Minnesota Real Estate Journal’s Interactive Marketing Summit this Friday, September 16, 2011 at the Golden Valley Country Club.  Look for me riffing about what real estate professionals can do to enhance their digital brand at the 8:25 AM ‘Web Optimization Strategies’ session.  I have the good fortune to share the stage which Brock Ray, Jake Dietrich and Andrew Steingas.

via Minnesota Real Estate Journal’s Interactive Marketing Summit.

The tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks is this coming Sunday, and New Yorkers across the city are reflecting and remembering the lives of those who were lost. The city is planning a day-long vigil on September 11, which will include the opening of the highly anticipated national 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, the memorial consists of a peaceful tree-filled plaza and two reflecting pools in the exact places where the towers once stood.

via 9/11 Memorial Uses Green Design to Create a Place of Remembrance | Inhabitat New York City.

The call for democratic reform across North Africa, including Egypt is historic.  In the midst of uncertainty, I think we might have a “Boris Yeltsin on the Tank” moment that capture the spirit of today’s events.  “Thank You Facebook.”

I’ve had the pleasure to work with the Twin Cities local AMA and AdFed chapters to brand some crazy and wonderfully successful events.  But, did you know (and this is for you out-of-towners) that Minnesota is also home to the oldest and one of the largest interactive marketing association in the country (maybe in the world).