schedule

July 5-7, 2013Jump to Detailed Schedule

We're taking over Portland, Oregon the first weekend of July, just as the rain is leaving and our four weeks of annual good weather begin. Our plan of action is: have fun and create meaningful adventure.

We'll all arrive in the city for a welcoming party on Friday evening, July 5th. The main event kicks off in the beautiful Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday morning. Throughout both weekend days, we'll alternate between the main stage for speaker talks, nearby alternate spaces for small-group workshops, and several smaller spaces for impromptu Tweetups and coffee refills.

The evenings will find us set loose on the town, attending your choice of Portland group events ranging from self-guided brewpub tours to blogger meetups to Rock Band contests to DIY craft store visits.

We'll conclude on Sunday evening in time for red-eye flights to the East Coast, or you can head out on another group event or stay for a Farewell party that goes as long as people are around. If you never need to sleep, afterparties and early-morning parties are scheduled for each day.

Amazing People with Big Plans

We'll spend about a third of our time together in the main theatre, a third in small groups, and a third out and about around the city.

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  Gretchen Rubin will teach you how to be happy... even if you don't like to sing in the morning, read Aristotle, or clean your closet.

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  Don Miller will teach you why the best stories don't always end with "happily ever after."

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  Nancy Duarte is a specialist in persuasion. She'll tell us how stories can change the world.

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  Tess Vigeland, a veteran journalist from NPR's Marketplace Money, will talk about giving up a sure thing for the chance to pursue a dream.

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  To overcome his fear of pain and rejection, Jia Jiang started a 100-day "rejection therapy" project. He'll tell his story and share how you can try new things with confidence.

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  Darren Rowse the original Problogger, will arrive from Australia with his team of Aussie empire builders. He will also challenge us to lead an unconventional life.

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  Chase Jarvis will speak on creativity in business and life.

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  Bob Moore created Bob's Red Mill and will talk about putting people before profit.

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  Steve Schalchlin will let us in on what it's like to be living life in the "bonus round."

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  While entrepreneurial expert Andrew Warner won't be speaking from the main stage, he'll be conducting an interview you won't want to miss!

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  Renegade Jonathan Fields will unveil his greatest work ever (even better than the first two years). Be very prepared!

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  Pamela Slim will return to demonstrate martial arts and cubicle escape to adventurous attendees. For two years and counting, her workshops were standing-room only... get there early.

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  DJ Prashant will return with a Bollywood performance and dance lesson... this time in the middle of downtown Portland.

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  Danielle LaPorte will conduct a one-hour open Q&A for all aspiring Firestarters. Emergency response teams will be standing by.

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  Chris Brogan and Jacqueline Carly will return for an encore presentation... this time a musical presentation.

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  Nomad Jodi Ettenberg will return for a third year. This time she'll share how to create passionate communities by sharing stories, providing value, and clinging to integrity.

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  Literary agent David Fugate will demystify the publishing industry, explaining how to write a strong proposal, and how to balance self-publishing with traditional publishing.

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  And Chris Guillebeau will host the group, right after he's finished visiting every country in the world.

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  Brene Brown spoke on happiness through imperfection, complete with a free lesson in Texas line-dancing.

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  Scott Harrison told his story of nightclub promoter to founder of Charity:Water. Bring your own Land Rover!

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  J.D. Roth talked about building Get Rich Slowly and his year of change.

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  Susan Cain prefers listening to speaking, but for WDS she joined Jonathan Fields for a main-stage conversation on the power of introverts.

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  Scott Belsky shared how ideas are just the beginning: making them happen is what it's all about.

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  Karen Walrond discussed life, photography, and her award-winning book, The Beauty of Different.

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  Andrea Scher hand-wrote personal cards for all 500 attendees our inaugural year.

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  Cal Newport (MIT Ph.D. and author of several books) taught attendees how to do everything... except use Twitter.

Main Stage

We'll begin each morning in the Schnitzer Theatre, a beautiful auditorium where no seat is further than 60 feet from the stage. Speakers will share a short message that combines personal stories with practical ideas.

During breaks, you can visit the Hang-Out Hammock Lounge for a quick snooze—or just catch up with a new friend over a cup of coffee.

Most presentations will devote at least 25% of the time to audience Q&A. Most speakers will also be available in smaller workshop sessions to spend even more time with informal conversation.

Everything Else

• Blogger Meetups

  Both days, we'll set aside time for bloggers to host informal meetups. You can go from the Get Rich Slowly meetup to the Location Independent meetup—and then over to the Minimalist group, where a fight will likely break out over who owns the fewest things.

  And if you have your own blog, you can host a meetup too. (An e-bulletin board will tell attendees where each meetup is being held.)

• Mass Book Signing

  On Sunday night—before we all head to the afterparty—we've set aside a space for our speakers to sign books and meet readers. Print books will be available for sale, and if you're digital-only, you can just stop by to say hi to your favorite author.

• See the City

  Head out to see the town on your choice of self-guided walking tours in cooperation with other attendees. Tours will begin on Thursday night (prior to the official opening) and continue through the following Monday.