Last week, I attended and presented at the FutureMidwest conference. Over the course of two days, a wide array of entrepreneurs, thought leaders and creative thinkers converged on Royal Oak. We took over the Royal Oak Music Theater and discussed the past, present and future of not only Detroit, but its fellow Midwestern sister cities. My session was entitled, ‘Growing Community, One Blog at a Time’. I shared the path I took in creating a community of 20 something city dwellers, Gals’ Guide.

Being from the metro-Detroit area, I was ecstatic to see such a conference taking place. There is a unique spirit that Detroiters possess – it’s a combination of grit, innovation and heart. The last few years have been a challenge for my hometown, but I can see changes happening all the time. For instance, the way in which General Motors (client) and Ford Motor Company embraced social media as key elements to their corporate turnaround strategies has inspired a sea of new digital practitioners.

I had a chance to interview some conference attendees and get their perspective on the Midwest, technology and shiny objects.

Adrian Pittman – Co-Founder, FutureMidwest

Adrian gives us an inside look into how the conference was formed, along with the themes he is seeing in the metro Detroit technology space.

Chris Barger – Director, Global Social Media, General Motors

Chris walks us through General Motors’ social media evolution. Learn about the ‘Immerse and Disperse system at GM’.

Ken Burbary – Head of Digital Strategy and Social Media, Ernst & Young

Ken reminds us of the importance of segmentation and analytics. He also highlights the ‘shiny objects syndrome’ that is prevalent today.

Jay Adelson – Entrepreneur and former CEO of Digg

Jay, a native of metro Detroit, believes that the entrepreneurs of the future live in and around the Midwest. We tried to get a hint of what his next project is, but no dice.

Image credit: beckyjohns7