Soapdish: Believe the hYPe

They came, they saw, they power clapped. 

This past week Cincinnati played the role of gracious host for the sixth annual Next Leaders Summit, a three day seminar which drew upwards of 200 professionals from 30 states. These events are organized by Madison, Wisconsin-based Next Generation Consulting, headed up by Founder/2EO Rebecca Ryan, who was seemingly everywhere during the summit and stylishly sporting a pro-streetcar shirt purchased at Park+Vine.  Ryan is a veritable Elmer Gantry of the YP circuit, preaching the gospel to both the future leaders as well as the current ones, bridging the gap between the young turks and the old guard.

It's interesting to note that the event was formerly known as the "YP Summit," and perhaps the name change was an attempt to distance YP organizations from some of the eye rolling and pejorative notions that the term previously evoked (e.g. "YPO's are just a social network for parties, etc.").  I picked up on some of this during the various breakout sessions, which were organized under a variety of topics designed to assist the assembled professionals in advancing and focusing the goals of their respective organizations on a variety of fronts.   For many, establishing the organization's credibility with the "PMS" - "pale, male and stale" - and other ruling classes is vital to its effectiveness.  To that end, seminar topics ranged from engaging in sustainability initiatives to fundraising strategies to communicating with community boards and commissions.

All well and good, and for those so inclined, please check out the website for more of the nuts and bolts information. 

Your intrepid Soapdish columnist, however, while intrigued by the whiteboards, catchy acronyms and power claps ("one, two, three - Clap!"), was more interested in what these fresh-faced summiteers thought of Cincinnati, a city which many were experiencing for the first time.  Although my own demographics place me squarely in the "EP" (experienced professionals) bracket, I am happy to report that these future leaders certainly didn't hold that against me, and were more than willing to share their thoughts and impressions of the city.  While there were participants from more established cities such as Chicago and New York, most of the professionals I encountered seemed to be from smaller locales such as Gulfport, Daytona Beach, Rapid City, Reno and Tulsa. 

They came, they cogitated, they left inspired.

Summiteers arrived on Thursday, and were feted with a lively happy hour at the McAlpin, after which many made their way to Fountain Square for the latest Bacchanalian Society shindig.  The attendees quickly gravitated to the bars and restaurants in and around Fountain Square like young professional moths to a flame, including Cadillac Ranch, Nada, the Righteous Room, Black Finn and elsewhere.  They marveled at Cincinnati's rebuilt Square and the role it plays in our urban fabric.  Others were impressed by the Bacchanalian event and vowed to export the concept to Fresno, Jacksonville and Lynchburg.  While summiteers may want to dispense with the perception that they're just about social happy hours and partying, suffice it to say, based on my observations, the "partying" component has not been dropped entirely from the equation.

In countless conversations, however, they also marveled at Cincinnati's veritable colossus of YP organizations, as well as the manner in which they have been embraced by city leadership and Mayor Mallory, who kicked off the event Friday morning with a welcome speech.  In eliciting topics for Saturday morning breakout sessions, one attendee, with a touch of exasperation, suggested "Why can't we get a Mayor who listens to young professionals like they have in Cincinnati?"  If Cincinnati is looking to send a message that it is a welcoming city for young professionals, it's clearly working.  As anecdotal evidence, I would direct you to the two people at the summit who told me flat out that they wanted to relocate here.

But what else about the city impressed people?  In answering this question, credit goes to former YPKC President, Clara Rice, and summit hosts HYPE, United Way's Emerging Leaders Society,  Cincyupdate, and Northern Kentucky's Legacy, for putting together a great agenda that didn't just leave the attendees shackled to stale coffee and Powerpoints in a windowless Westin conference room.  Afternoon breakout sessions on Friday had the participants walking about downtown, headed to meetings at the CAC, the Aronoff Center, the Freedom Center and the Shillito Lofts.  Better yet, Friday's happy hour and dinner took place on the Purple People Bridge, to which many participants also walked.  From there, many attended the Reds' game that evening while others headed back downtown to resurrect the previous evening's pub crawls.

Saturday's breakout sessions had participants marching to Over-the-Rhine, where Media Bridges, Coffee Emporium, the Know Theater and the Arts Academy hosted discussions.  Once again, stretching the summit out across the city was a great way to showcase Cincinnati.  In my conversations, the attendees continually remarked on the amazing architecture the city has to offer in and around downtown.  One can only imagine what they would've said if we rode the streetcar up to the OTR sessions.

They came, they partied, they chicken-danced. 

Saturday's afternoon session at the Westin appeared to compete mightily with the Oktoberfest shenanigans going on just outside the conference room.  Accordingly, it was not surprising to see summiteers peeling off as the afternoon went on, lured by the sights, smells, sounds and suds of the ersatz Bavaria lurking on 5th street.  That night, the final summit event took place at the "HYPE Haus" VIP tent at 5th and Race.  Catching up with the participants, in between their beer tastings and photo ops with George Wendt of Cheers fame, one of the observations I heard more often than not was one of "surprise," that is, they were surprised at everything Cincinnati had to offer.  Other than those who came from the tri-state region, many possessed a tabula rasa when it came to the city.  Following last weekend, that previously blank slate has a whole new positive spin.   For advocates of the city, to paraphrase one of the city's many sloganeering pitches, it is not "altogether surprising."

For more comments and thoughts from Summit participants, be sure and check out Twitter .

For more on the Next Leader's Summit in Cincinnati, check out our blogs from Rebecca Ryan and Clara Rice.