In gearing up for this years 2009 Will This Float? event, we wanted to try and refresh a few things.  Part of that was commissioning a new logo and we are happy to report that Sam Mays with Freshpunch came through with a winner.

Obviously this blog has been ignored as of late.  However, there has been a lot of behind the scenes work going on getting read for the 2009 Will This Float? competition.  The 2008 event was a bigger success than any of us originally imagined and a lot of work is going into making 2009 even better.

If  you’ve got an idea that you think will float, please click here and submit it.  If chosen, you will have the chance to give your 8 minute pitch, get feedback from our judges, and then wait and watch as all in attendance vote.

Here are some quick details about this years event.

• When: November 19th, 2009 beginning at 5:30pm and going until the last boat floats.
• Where: The Bus Pit in Downtown Kingsport, TN (map).
• Tickets: $20, click here to purchase.

Dear FloatCampers,

We hope this e-mail finds you well. We’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for not having gotten in touch sooner. We understand your frustrations as some of you have been inquiring as to where your T-shirts might be. We have your T-shirts and thought it only fitting to throw in some cheese with your wine!

Please join us as we will be celebrating the success of our first-ever FloatCamp Tri-Cities at Spark Plaza in downtown Johnson City on July 10 at 5:45 p.m. If you did not previously order a T-shirt, we have a few extras if you’d like to pick one up. We will have wines from local vineyards, cheeses from our ever-supportive Earth Fare and fresh breads from WM Paul’s Bakery in Kingsport, Tenn. Please come by! We’d love to see everyone at this event. We’ll also have more information about our upcoming FloatCamp Tri-Cities which will precede our second annual Will This Float in November.

Check out http://sparkplaza.com for directions and more information about the Tri-Cities first and only all-inclusive work space.

You might have heard of the 2007 watershed book on making ideas memorable, Made to Stick by the brothers Heath.  I’ve been listening to the book on my iPhone-stomping AT&T 8525 while jogging recently.

There are 6 principles to making ideas sticky according to Chip and Dan (or should I say “according to their research” (ala #4 on the list below) ? ) . . .

1. Simple
2. Unexpected
3. Concrete
4. Credible
5. Emotional
6. Stories

You should, of course, buy the book from amazon or download the audio from audible, but if you want a very brief expansion of those six principles, click here.

Great book.

You’ll know you’ve floated your idea well when you overhear someone you’ve presented it to turn around and infect someone else with your idea in their own words.  I’ve overheard my ideas being spread well and not-so-well at times and it has helped me hone my pitch.

Following those 6 principles will go a looooooong way toward making your idea both memorable (sticky) and infectious.  Maybe we should start using a new word . . . floatatious.

The folks behind Will This Float? have another awesome event ready to take off.  FloatCamp ‘09 will be held March 28, 2009 at the ETSU Innovation Lab.  

What is a FloatCamp?

Ever hear of a BarCamp?  We have taken the BarCamp concept as a base to create the next Will This Float? event.  We have a few pre-planned sessions during the day which will be of interest to entrepreneurs and the community in general.  And at the end of the day there will be an impromptu pitch competition somewhat similar to the November 2008 event.  However, the rest of the time is BarCamp time.  There are 11 open slots (45 minutes) each for you to present a session on something you are the expert on.

I Want To Lead A Session

Awesome!  Head over to the Proposed Sessions page at www.floatcamp.org and click the Edit Page button (you must have a Google Account to be able to edit pages).  Add some details to that page about what you’d like to present and be ready on March 28th.

Now here is where it gets interesting.  The morning of the event, everyone interested in presenting will have a chance to stand up and describe quickly what it is they want to talk about.  Attendees will then get to vote on what they’d like to see and the schedule will be set. 

I’d Love To See Someone Present About [enter neat topic here]

Help give others the motivation to come out and lead a session.  Please add any topics you’d like to learn more about to the Session Wishlist page over at www.floatcamp.org.  Hopefully someone will come along and take the challenge.

FloatCamp Needs Sponsors

Please see the Sponsor Info page for more information on what we need and what you get!

5 Minutes is More Than Enough – To Tell a Story

As the first ever winner of WTF, I wanted to offer some thoughts on the event for future presenters.  Starting here:  I won by one vote.  My grandmother was there.  She said she woulda voted for the Runner-Up, KitBook, if I hadn’t been her grandson.  Seriously.  (She bragged on me, too, but she’s a retired teacher and their idea spoke to her.)  Therefore my first suggestion is to bring your grandmother.

So take the following advice (from a guy who probably shouldn’t have won) with a grain of salt . . .

You should be able to describe your idea in 30 seconds or less.  That leaves 4.5 minutes to tell a story that sticks with your audience.

WillThisFloat is NOT an idea competition.  It’s an idea presentation competition.  Don’t forget that.  The organizers of WTF have given you plenty of time not only to describe your idea, but to get your audience emotionally involved.

Here are the stories I told and in parentheses what I hoped to convey with the stories . . .

1. “Broken collar bone” (Idea). I was wearing a sling so everybody is thinking right up front, “what happened?”  Fortunately, the broken collar bone story led right into the idea.  I really wish that I had used the name of the guy who told me to get the remote shutter release and used it in the story.  My bad.

2. “Garage lock-in” – (Gumption). Part of the story you want to tell is that you can make this business happen.  The garage lock-in was a fun story, but it also said “Eric is fearless enough to make this thing go.”  You don’t want to actually say these things.  You want your story to do it for you.  Getting a business on it’s feet is going to take some bravado.  Heck, presenting at WTF takes bravado.  You have some story in your past that says you’ve got gumption.  Think about it.

3. “Addictions” – (People). I didn’t get all of this in because of the fog-horn, but at least got the pictures and names up of 3 people who were already “addicted” to my idea.  People.  How can your idea improve their lives?  Politicians do this all the time.  Think of the national conventions or State of the Union address.  They ALWAYS have someone planted in the audience whose son is in a war, or who survived cancer, or whose small business is doomed.  They mention names, hometowns (usually Kansas), and we always get a few emotional seconds of these folks during the telecast.  Always.

So there are 3 story possibilities for you.  Idea, Gumption, People.  There are more.

Now, refine your stories.  Think about every word.  I practiced my presentation over and over again out loud in the last couple of days before WTF.  You’ll have to cut lots of sentences and words.  You must be succinct.

You really have more than 5 minutes to explain your idea.  So keep some of the dry info in reserve.  There are judges questions!  More on this in another post . . .

Kyle Long with Digital Fridge has put up videos shot at the 2008 Will This Float? event over here at Blip.tv.  

• Eric McCarty & FellowTip
• Ed Basconi / David Jones & Kitbook
• Jake Hathaway & Universal Wish List
• Tracy Fleenor & Tater Town
• John Denison & StickyYard

Big thanks to Digital Fridge for the use of the camera during the event and helping us get these videos online.

A lot has been going on since our successful November 2008 event (see the 2008 Recap page for more info).  Since that time, the core group of us who planned the initial event have been meeting and thinking and doing things to try and keep the ball rolling for entrepreneurs all over the region.

To help with this we have chartered Will This Float? as a fullblown Nonprofit Corporation in the state of Tennessee and created a board to oversee smooth operations.  The inital board setup for Will This Float? is as follows:

• Jose Castillo – President
• Todd Smith – Vice President
• Rayford Johnson – “The Hammer” ¹
• Rachel Horton – Treasurer
• Austin Moody – Secretary

The little idea that grew out of a GeekSouth meeting turned into something way bigger than any of us originally imagined.  Now we hope to maintain that momentum and provide ways for entrepreneurs and thinkers everywhere to turn their ideas into businesses and jobs which in the end will help everyone.

Watch this space for more news to come about a great event in late February or early March of ‘09.  As always you can keep in touch by browsing here and sending a message or following Will This Float? on Twitter at twitter.com/willthisfloat.

¹ – A wee small inside joke.