The annual Dad 2.0 Summit — a national conference slated for Feb. 21-23, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas, where marketers, social media leaders and dads discuss modern fatherhood — is offering discounted tickets through the end of June. Fifty dollars of each ticket purchased through our organization will be refunded to City Dads Group to help us continue to provide social and support opportunities to fathers around the country. NYC Dads Group co-organizer James Lopez attended his first Dad 2.0 this past February, and he explains why this conference might be for you.
++ Purchase your discounted Dad 2.0 ticket here ++
After folding my previous company, I had a huge distaste for conferences and any type of experience that had to do with large groups of strangers. Then the fellas over at the NYC Dads Group told me about a conference aimed at fathers called the Dad 2.0 Summit.
It looked really interesting but it was in New Orleans around Mardi Gras time. I knew the costs would be high and wasn’t sure if it was even worth it. Luckily for me, I won a scholarship that covered the bulk of my costs.
To say I was lucky is an understatement. It was one of the best experiences I have had and I will be there every year possible. Even if I have to pay for all of it!
It was that good and here’s why:
A seat at the table for all
Coming from tech and being Latino, I’m used to attending conferences where I’m not the usual suspect. The bro culture of tech actually made me wary of events like this.
The minute I walked in, that feeling of being different disappeared. Numerous people walked up to me and introduced themselves.
This was a community full of entrepreneurs, bloggers, teachers, everything, but most of all they were normal dads.
I walked in and felt like I was at a family reunion. There were people in there who obviously knew each other for years and they still invited me in. That was special.
Brain food from the community
I’m a nerd, I’m not ashamed of that. I love to know how things work, always ask questions and I’m always looking for a way to learn.
Dad 2.o Summit hooked me up!
They had dope workshops around building your own brand, getting deals done and, of course, best practices for entrepreneurs in general. But the real education came from the community and brands present.
Everyone I met, taught me something either new or gave me a different perspective on a certain practice. That was huge because everyone had their own special talents and had no issue sharing it.
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You didn’t even need to ask, most people, myself included, dropped gems during regular conversations. And not just about business and marketing yourself. Since the whole event built around modern fatherhood, so pearls of parenting wisdom were to be found everywhere.
The brands crushed it
Dad 2.0 Summit does a dope job of getting brands to not only sponsor the event but also give real value by speaking to attendees.
It wasn’t interns either, it was the real decision makers.
They were there to represent their brands but were also there to build their respective programs. You could catch them anywhere in the venue and they loved it!
Not only did I sit with executives during breakfast and workshops, but I was able to have dinners with them off-site.
I met executives and had real conversations around business moves that would have taken me years to get on my own.
Experiences you won’t have else where
Out of all the conferences I have attended or even thrown, none had the experiences that Dad 2.o Summit provided.
Before the conference even started electronics retailer Best Buy took us to the abandoned Market Street Power Plant in New Orleans. There we toured the plant, then had the chance to fly the new DJI Mavic Pro drone. I never flew a drone before and this one had me ready to drop some serious cash.
The first actual day of the conference had us working out with retired New Orleans Saints football player Eric Capers, which I had to miss due to partying the night before. Hey, it was Mardi Gras season, let me live.
We got to hear from NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and his son, former professional linebacker Ryan Nece. Even Denver Bronco Von Miller came through to drop some gems.
Those were just some of the cooler events, but we had many more. Some were presented by sponsors others were groups of dads just chilling.
Conclusion
The community of dads was inviting as hell, new friends were made, deals were started and lots of memories were created.
There was never a time where I was bored or felt alone. I was on a learning binge and Dad 2.0 Summit gave me all of that and more. They gave me a real community to be apart of and for that, I will always support them. See you there next year!
++ Purchase your discounted Dad 2.0 ticket here ++
A version of “Dad 2.0 Summit Experience” first appeared on Cool4Dads.com
Awesome stuff man, I love to see the influence and motivation of the positive male role model. Said that I’m just now finding out about the summit, I would have definitely loved to check it out