Working on LaunchCamp Boston has been a pretty exciting thing this week. We've seen the sign-up list grow with some wonderful participants heard from some wonderful people who want to take part and add to the discussion along with the many who were already on board to work with us on this project.
It looks like the Microsoft NERD Center will be packed on February 4th.
Our goal is to help entrepreneurs make the decisions needed to launch their brand, product or service. While a lot of events help you learn how to find VC money or learn how to sell sell, this one falls in the middle by taking on the PR and marketing angle.
I've worked with many companies over the years that have struggled with just this problem. Years ago it was pretty easy, as the marketing options were much more limited. But today, when your Website is more than a billboard and you're tasked with engaging with your audience through social media, and on top of that, still need the exposure offered by traditional media, it can get very confusing. Today even your customer service and product development teams have become key parts of your marketing and PR effort.
But more than that, they're often not sure what pieces of the vast marketing puzzle they truly need. LaunchCamp is about understanding that puzzle and having the information to make informed choices.
Among the highlights is a panel hosted by David Beisel of Venrock Partners that also features:
- Jules Pieri, CEO and founder of the Daily Grommet;
- Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics, a company that took part in TechStars;
- Carol McGarry, creative director of Schwartz Communications, one of my personal mentors and someone who has helped many companies launch; and
- Ja-Nae Duane, CEO of Wild Women Entrepreneurs.
The breakouts sessions themselves look to be pretty amazing and a chance for smaller discussions, but also as interesting is the PR Imrpov. This is something created by Adam Zand in which he takes the basic facts about a business from someone in the audience and "pitches" it to a reporter on stage. In this case Adam will be pitching to Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe, as well as one or two other reporters who we're still lining up.
If you haven't seen it, it's a great way to understand the skills involved in getting your name heard.
Our goal is that entrepreneurs come out of this event with a much better understanding of the skills they need to fill on their teams to get themselves through launch.
[...] LaunchCamp is organized by my friends Chuck Tanowitz and Todd Van Hoosear of Fresh Ground Communications. Here is a blog post showing their anticipation of the events. [...]