Editor's note: Heather Kenyon, the new CEO and president at the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, will join 83 Degrees Media's panel discussion about community building on Feb. 22 starting at 5:30 pm at Roosevelt 2.0 in Ybor City. Kenyon was named as one of 10 top thought leaders to watch in 2012 by the Tampa Bay Times.
What does "community'' mean to you? Is it a region, as in Tampa Bay? Is it a particular city? Is it your neighborhood?
Is it dues-paying members of an organization? Is it employees within an industry or at a large company?
Is it a group of people advocating for something, say good eats, transit, arts, technology or staying in Tampa Bay? Is it a mindset?
Or is it the "stickiness'' of community building that keeps you and your peeps in town?
All of the above? None of the above? Some of the above?
Community building can mean lots of different things to lots of different folks.
But one thing is for sure: Building the kinds of communities in which you want to participate is key not only to creating change that matters but also to keeping you in Tampa Bay. Attracting and retaining talent matters.
The broad concept as well as the specifics of community building efforts in the Tampa Bay region are the focus of
83 Degrees Media's "Not Your Average Speakers'' series
event on Feb. 22.
This time we'll be at
Roosevelt 2.0 in Ybor City from 5:30 to 7:30 (pm, of course!) and will gather at
Tampa Bay Brewing Company for a little after-party glow (extended happy hour prices on drinks!) and to brainstorm some story ideas.
What's Next? Tampa Bay
These thought leaders will be there to share their experiences as well as their visions:
--
Reuben Pressman of
Swings Tampa Bay,
"I'm Staying'' and
Keep St. Petersburg Local.
--
Heather Kenyon of
Tampa Bay Technology Forum.
--
Brian Seel of
Emerge Tampa Bay and
TRANSITion Tampa Bay.
--
Bob Devin Jones of
Studio@620.
--
Michael Blasco of
Tasting Tampa.
And so will Moderator Megan Voeller, a contributing writer to
83 Degrees and the visual art critic at
Creative Loafing.
Expect too to rub elbows with the
editors at 83 Degrees and Bill Carlson and other team members from the NYAS event's main underwriting sponsor,
Tucker Hall,
a national public relations and communications consulting firm based in Tampa.
And say hello to the guy behind the camera: Frank Rodriguez of
Mighty Fine Production. He's responsible for videotaping "Not Your Average Speakers'' series events, which are posted on the
83DegreesMedia channel on YouTube.
Take a look at past discussions around
"What's Working In Tampa Bay'' and
"Champions For Change.''
Join the community conversation. Meet others who want to be engaged in community. Share your ideas and what you see next in Tampa Bay. Find new ways and new connections to collaborate. We invite you to participate. Maybe we can even help build some consensus and a can-do attitude in the greater community!
Then walk on over to
Tampa Bay Brewing Company and let's talk story ideas about talented people, innovative ideas, global diversity and sense of place when it comes to Tampa Bay. Who or what else should
83 Degrees feature in stories and in future NYAS series?
Speak out. Tweet up using #83degreesNYAS! We're listening.
Diane Egner is publisher and managing editor of 83 Degrees Media. Comments? Contact 83 Degrees.
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