EntreFEST takes over Iowa City downtown for second time

IOWA CITY - Business cards are a valuable commodity this week as EntreFEST attendees meander through the Pedestrian Mall in search of connections.

EntreFEST, a three-day conference that started Wednesday, features about 115 speakers and 90 workshops including speed networking, where participants meet with a new person every seven minutes. Another option is a 20-minute session for advice on how to run a business.

'It's been well organized. (There has been) an immense amount of variety,” said John Hadley, a business owner in Iowa City.

Hadley said he did not think he had met any introverts, and socially, he had found EntreFEST to be a successful event.

'They're coming from not only the state, but from the Midwest in general,” Samantha Ferm, marketing director of EntreFEST said of participants. Speakers came from all over the nation, making this a 'countrywide effort,” Ferm said.

Most of the attendees, however, were from Iowa, and ranged from high school students to those with decades of business experience, Ferm said.

'If there's one complaint, it's that there's so many options,” said Beth McKeon, a business owner from Lawrence, Kan., who registered for EntreFEST several months in advance.

At the kickoff session Thursday morning, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke to a half-full Englert Theatre about some of the challenges Iowa entrepreneurs face, such as connectivity. Reynolds called EntreFEST the largest gathering of entrepreneurs across the state.

After Reynolds finished addressing the crowd, John Pappajohn, renowned businessman and philanthropist, was awarded the first EntreFEST Lifetime Impact Award.

'I'm flattered to receive this wonderful honor,” Pappajohn said, adding that his commitment to EntreFEST was because of his interest in the state of Iowa.

This was the second year EntreFEST took place in Iowa City.

'We're hoping to keep it here,” Ferm said. 'The whole community is behind it.”

Ferm said the accommodations also are ideal. The Ped Mall is considered safe for the wandering participants, and businesses are capable of handling an influx of people. More than 900 registered for the conference this year.

The program is in its eighth year, and this year was the first all three regent universities helped sponsor it.

'We want it to be a statewide event. We want it to feel that way for the entrepreneurs,” said Sarah Bey, program manager from the University of Northern Iowa, which helped start the conference.

While tickets are sold out today, anyone interested in attending can go to the EntreFEST pop-up showroom on the Ped Mall by the playground from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. without prior registration.

The next EntreFEST will take place in May 2016.

l Comments: (319) 368-8971; lissandra.villa@thegazette.com