You know that feeling when you leave somewhere more motivated than when you went in? I had the opportunity to attend Glappitnova last week, and left feeling inspired, motivated and generally cooler for living in Chicago.
Read up on Glappitnova in the article I wrote in June.
Enter scene from Wednesday:
Mingling amongst the fashionistas, start-up mavens, cultural personalities and many more, I absorbed what the festival had to offer. Held in Moonlight Studios in the West Loop, the event took over the studio with several rooms to showcase the talents of local speakers and performers. Guest stars such as the Bachelorette’s Frank Neuschaefer introduced speakers as they embarked on their 10 minutes of storytelling.
“You are defined by your purpose” – “Use your talent responsibly” – “I failed so many times and now I’ve figured it out” …. These were some of the words of wisdom heard at Glappitnova. A few of the fabulous speakers I saw included:
- Aalap Shah – Founder of SoMe Connect, who overcame failure after failure when he learned that he had to be either all in or all out, and threw himself all in
- Case Kenny and Seth Sutton – Co-founders of PRSUIT, who bring together genuine guys sharing meaningful stories on their website, prsuit.com
- Luvvie Ajayi – Blogger and Co-founder of the Red Pump Project, who witnessed the power of the Internet when she reconnected with an old friend half a world away, and now uses the Internet to help others
- UB Rodriguez, WGCI Radio Talk Host, who built bridges so strong they carried him to his dream career
Hearing the lessons, the jokes, the inspiration and great tales through the night reminded me of how many unique personalities and talents there are in Chicago. Stepping outside the bounds of your usual scene has its perks – new connections were made, drinks were had and dancing ensued.
Following the speeches were performances by The Brothers StarRace, Lili K and Klassik. Klassik’s performance was both intimate and crowd-energizing. Stepping off the stage and onto the dance floor, he brought the crowd into a clapping, dancing circle around him. Great way to get the party going!
Stay tuned for next year’s Glappitnova event, and learn more about the organization and how you can get involved at glappitnova.com.
{Images by Lauren Fondriest | The Chicago Lifestyle}