Do I really need to attend another conference?

Having started out this week as iFOCOS’s new part-time communications editor, I sat down with Dale and Andrew to ask some probing questions about the upcoming We Media 2008 conference in Miami.

I wanted to know from Dale, in all honesty, “Why should someone attend this conference?” I pointed out there are one-thousand-and-one interesting conferences these days, but none of us have the time, money, boss-buy-in or significant-other-permission to attend every single one.

If we can only attend, say, one conference a year, doesn’t it make sense to attend an industry-specific one? Why prioritize getting together with a bunch of people in Miami who work in completely different sectors?

“Because we need inspiration,” answered Dale. “And inspiration comes from making connections and sharing ideas across boundaries.” Dale pointed out that the traditional news media is a perfect example of what happens when you keep your head stuck in the sand of your own industry. If, say, the New York Times Co. had come up with a Craig’s-List-style online venue for posting classifieds, for example, they might be in a lot better shape than they are right now.

And where do ideas come from? Dale and Andrew wanted to convince me that ideas come from inspiration. And what’s the best way to find inspiration? Well, from other energetic, ambitious, thoughtful people, put in an atmosphere of festival.

This point made me think about John Kao’s most recent book, Innovation Nation, in which he argues that America is falling behind when it comes to innovation. So if America’s economic strength depends on innovation, and innovation depends on inspiration, and inspiration depends on mixing with thought leaders in different sectors, then it’s almost a national duty to attend We Media Miami. Register now — your country needs you!

But what Andrew didn’t want me forget is this: The conference is not just about what he called “competitive intelligence gathering,” stumbling across a great idea that will drive your company forward. “It’s a celebration,” he said. “It’s a festival.”

Of course using words to convey a sense of fun is difficult, and maybe that’s why Dale mixed his cool video about last year’s conference. The music really says it all.