What’s an Invent Session?  It’s a block of time at FullConTech for making new stuff.

It’s also one of the things that makes this event different from a traditional “conference.”  The focus of FullConTech is action – developing solutions that the tech community can implement to create greater potential for growth.  The Invent Sessions offer participants the chance to be a part of these solutions and make a real impact.

Sure, there’s plenty of conferring at FullConTech, but the point of every discussion is to help participants get informed, excited, inspired, and motivated to come together to solve tough but important problems.

And we’ve see how this kind of FullConTech session can be the start of powerful, positive change.  Last year, for example, participants developed an idea for a reverse job fair, which WTIA used to create Draft Day, an event that matched students looking for tech jobs with tech companies looking for new employees.  So far, 7 of the 16 Draft Day candidates have received offers and 5 accepted, including Daniel Browning, who has started his new job at BoldIQ and will be a Flash Talk speaker at this year’s FullConTech.

So, yes, the best part of the Invent Sessions is that they give people the chance to collaborate, create and make a difference.  But another great thing about the sessions is that this year, leadership consultant and executive coach, Laura King, is designing the discussion format and training the facilitators.  Laura has worked in the technology industry for over twenty years and is excited to be a part of FullConTech because she believes that focusing on talent is “a business imperative.”

What does Laura have planned for this year’s participants?  “The most important thing,” she says, “is to engage people from the beginning.  Our facilitators will be focused on creating a safe space and keeping the discussion lively.  They’re also nimble and curious – they’re really looking forward to helping the groups create things they hadn’t before imagined.”

Her goals for the Invent Sessions?  She wants people to:

1. Have fun
2. Be creative and generate big ideas
3. Make connections
4. Feel a sense of accomplishment
5. Develop concrete actions that could have a big impact for all members of this community

That’s what Laura and her team are working toward as they prepare for FullConTech.  But for the Invent Sessions to be successful, Laura says, it’s important that participants come to them with “the mindset that you are the session.”  That doesn’t mean having all the answers – it means being willing to try, to be open to new ideas, and to “listen as much as you talk.”

We’re making other changes this year, based on feedback, to make the Invent Sessions even more productive.  First, rather than providing general topics, like “startup” or “higher education,” from which to generate ideas, we’re giving participants specific problems to solve that WTIA members have told us are important to them.  Moreover, we’ve asked people, when they’ve registered on Eventbrite, which problems they most want to work on, and from their responses, we’ve chosen these seven for FullConTech 2016’s Invent Sessions:

1. How can companies partner to bring external talent development programs into their businesses?
2. What are some best practices we can develop to effectively onboard junior hires and quickly make them productive?
3. How can we expand existing efforts to develop more potential talent?
4. How can we better align non-4-year programs with industry needs to expand our talent pool?
5. How do we attract tech companies to foster innovative start-ups in the region?
6. What are some new things companies can do to retain talent with an emphasis on diversity?
7. What are great examples of public-private collaborations to grow regional talent?