On January 16th, more than 500 camp professionals gathered in Boulder, Colorado for three days of learning, connection, and inspiration.
This year’s CampMinder Camp 9 was designed as a “choose-your-own-adventure,” with general session presentations and multiple breakout presentations in tracks ranging from camp management to marketing to product roadmap sessions. The adventure kicked off on Wednesday with participants joining intensive product training boot camps, a conscious leadership workshop, capped off by Boulder brewery tour and an opening reception at the famed St. Julian hotel in downtown Boulder.
CampMinder Camp continued on Thursday with an opening keynote led by CampMinder’s Founder & CEO, Dan Konigsberg. Dan shared his journey of transformation as he’s developed the company and his leadership style. He explained his formula for that journey :
Wonder + Courage = Transformation
The keynote continued with a product update from CampMinder’s Director of Product, Brian Peterson that described the most substantial investment in development and innovation in the company’s history–an investment that had its first ‘big reveal’; the company’s new mobile app, Campanion. CampMinder’s President, Paul Berliner joined Brian on stage to share plans for the coming ‘mobile transformation.’ Analiese Brown, Director of Talent & Culture, walked through the agenda for the coming days and then introduced a star performer poet, Sekou Andrews.
What came next is hard to describe, but we’ll try. Sekou brought the house down with a captivating and no-holds-barred performance that had everyone enthralled. Showcasing his blend of spoken word poetry and inspirational speaking known as poetic voice, he had everyone on the edge of their seats. We laughed. We cried. We left with our hearts on fire. Sekou called on us to embody his “do gooder” message and his advice that we “insist on story.”
With that, the conference was officially launched on a high. Thursday and Friday consisted of a flurry of sessions focused on leadership, inspiration, customer service, camp management, and the CampMinder platform itself. At every break, the hallways were buzzing with new connections, recaps of a session just attended, meeting old friends, excitement at what was coming up next.
There ain’t no party like a “camp people” party.
One thing that we love about CampMinder Camp is the blend of business and fun – and, boy, did we have fun on Thursday night dancing to the sounds of Ripe at the Boulder Theater!
Friday brought a dusting of snow to the famed Boulder mountains that gave an elegant backdrop to the final day’s sessions. By now, attendees had made new friends and looked forward to more than a dozen courses to choose from to finish their week. The final meeting was on everyone’s agenda: how healthy communities are built.
Our closing keynote speaker, Priya Parker, is an expert in communities–what defines them, how they’re built, and how to support their ongoing health. She flew in from NY to lead us through an interactive experience designed to show how we naturally connect. We were all touched profoundly with her gentle humor and insights.
And then it was Friday night. Before we knew it, we were toasting one another for the time we’d just spent, and to another successful CampMinder Camp during the closing banquet. It was a magical send-off.
If you were there, we hope you left this year’s event as we did: more connected, inspired, and positively transformed. If you weren’t, we hope to see you there next time! Either way, please check out the resources we’ve compiled on this page and enjoy.