IAM (Internet Age media) is one of those projects that look easy to create. One of those projects where everything seems meant to be. Where passion, knowledge and talent collide and, suddenly, a perfectly crafted 3-day weekend filled with inspirational talks appears in front of your eyes.
In April 2015, IAM masterminds Lucy and Andres brought together in Barcelona a selection of influential brands, media companies, niche publishers, schools and institutions – agents of change, as they call them – to create IAM Weekend 15. The event featured carefully curated speakers and content, compelling graphic design (including a high number of awesome internet-culture gifs) and a trendy crowd.
Today, IAM Weekend is closing its second edition. As I browse the #IAMW16 hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, I remember how inspired and empowered I left last year’s event. Here are my 5 takeouts from the talks, the links and the networking:
- If you want to look after your team, your clients, your company, you need to take care of yourself first. Wolf & Wilhelmine’s founder Heidi Hackemer‘s talk reminded me that hard work is great while it feels good and reinforced my own motto, borrowed from Lulu Kennedy: Tell the truth. Be brave. Look after your people.
"Can we do great work and not kill ourselves?" @uberblond #IAM2015
— IAM (@iam_internet) March 20, 2015
Truth, bravery and love. Thanks @uberblond 🙌 #IAM2015 @iam_internet (made pretty with @HelloNotegraphy) pic.twitter.com/ikipdBREPE
— Mar Barberá (@marbarbera) March 20, 2015
- Limitless technology is at the service of innovation, design and strategy (is anyone else as freaked out as I am by the technological revolution that is Face Swap?). Since everything’s possible, the question is not what, but why.
Today, there's nothing we can't do – and that changes the question. @joecoppard from @protothon #IAM2015 pic.twitter.com/OeFdCSao1y
— Mar Barberá (@marbarbera) March 21, 2015
- The internet gives us endless possibilities to build stuff we love. Side projects are key to learn, have a good time and grow. And playing with domain names is fun. Examples of all these are Huge’s Tim Nolan Cache Monet and simplify.thatsh.it.
Huge's @tim_nolan = domain genius #IAM2015 pic.twitter.com/pkF1EojF79
— Mar Barberá (@marbarbera) March 22, 2015
- Branded content should be about great stories that brands help create not only with their money, but with their values, heritage and authority.
'Consumers don't care who is behind the content but the quality of it' #brandedcontent #IAM2015 @Ravenism
— Alba Calvet (@acalvet) March 21, 2015
Experimentalists ask themselves: how can we tell better stories? i.e. To improve skydiving, you can start above the sky – @mrayyan #IAM2015
— Mar Barberá (@marbarbera) March 20, 2015
- I love making people and things better.
“This is internet” featured image by Nicola Holtkamp.