Early next month, I will be speaking at Business EXPO 2008 - the largest Chamber sponsored business to business exposition in the nation with close to 350 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees. (Attendance at the vast majority of the EXPO's events will only cost you a business card.)

The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the event's host, has put together a killer line up, of which I'm honored to be a part. Among other notables, RISD President-Select John Maeda will be making his first public address in RI with his keynote: "The Future of Technology, Design, and Simplicity." (We will be taking a closer look at the EXPO's entrepreneur & innovator-friendly speaker lineup in a future post.)

In developing my presentation, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to address a broad swath of Rhode Island businesspeople. It seemed only natural for me to inform them of the great info-tech and digital media (ITDM) community right outside their doors, and how they could best leverage it to grow their businesses.

As crucial and exciting as national and international business are, there's something special about doing business locally, about working with one's neighbors. It's more personal, more integrated into the rest of our lives, and in many other ways, generally more rewarding. In addition, ITDM is a special case: not only is it a major industry in its own right, but it's also a primary driving force of innovation and productivity across virtually every other industry. We ITDM professionals have a lot to share with other businesspeople, and who better than with our own neighbors. In doing so we improve our communities. My hope is that increasingly before going beyond RI's borders for ITDM services, more businesses will start by looking in the own background. But first, we have to make them more aware of our presence.

So in that spirit, here's what I came up with for my presentation:

Tapping Rhode Island's growing Geek community to win on the Internet

Whatever your line of business, it's likely that the lead companies are those that are best leveraging the Internet. From ecommerce to online advertising to digital video to social networks, you know that the right online strategy can produce impressive results. But did you know that Rhode Island is home to a burgeoning info-tech and digital media (ITDM) community? In fact, the recent successes of this local sector has recently been both featured in The Boston Globe. and named one of the Providence Business News's Top Stories of 2007.

Jack Templin, independent strategy consultant, Co-Founder of Providence Geeks and Project Lead of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation's RI Nexus initiative, will show you how to tap into this deep well of talent, experience, and expertise. We will survey the wide array of world-class Internet services that are available right outside our doors. In addition, you will learn how to best approach an Internet project, and to find, evaluate and engage with local vendors. Sponsored by RI Nexus empowered by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

So the presentation isn't so much targeted at geeks, as it is about geeks. If you or anyone you know would benefit from such a talk, please let them know. I would love to see you there.

Here are the details:

Tuesday, May 6th, 3pm - 4pm
Show Floor Theater
RI Convention Center
1 Sabin Street, Providence
FREE with a business card