About
“There’s no shortage of conferences you can go to if you just want to talk about, or listen to, conversations about technology. But there are very few that are grounded in a true community born of a specific place… I’d recommend it to anyone.” - Anil Dash, ThinkUP
Big Omaha Co-Founders Dusty Davidson and Jeff Slobotski
Big Omaha Background
The Big Omaha annual conference was started in 2009 by Silicon Prairie News (SPN) co-founders, Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson. The inaugural event brought together 400-plus entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives to hear almost a dozen nationally-recognized speakers of the like. The goal of the event was simple: inspire attendees to follow their passions, build the businesses they love and strengthen their creative communities.
In the past six years, Big Omaha has connected over 3,500 founders, entrepreneurs, and investors through thought-provoking, inspirational and engaging annual conferences.
Big Omaha organizers, Joey Wolfe and Caleb Ullfers.
In 2015, Big Omaha was acquired by AIM, a not-for-profit community organization that promotes technology to empower people, enhance organizations, and create brilliant communities. Big Omaha veterans, Caleb Ulffers and Joey Wolfe are leading the Big Omaha effort for 2015.
Both look forward to the opportunity of building their community through planning future events. The goal of Big Omaha continues to be focused on building community, starting conversations, and providing inspiration for founders, investors and emerging leaders.
What people say
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Paul Jarrett - CEO, Bulu Box
“I encourage entrepreneurs to look at the cost of the ticket as an investment. We signed our first term sheet and deposited checks at Big Omaha two years ago. We also met the folks that would eventually fund our second round there. Not a bad excuse to hang out with great people, right?”
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Amber Pankonin - Founder, Stirlist
“Keep in mind that I’ve attended a gazillion food & nutrition conferences, but I can honestly say that Big Omaha 6 served the healthiest breakfast and snack options that I’ve seen at a conference.”
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Marc Ecko - Founder, Marc Eckō Enterprises
“Big Omaha rocks. Amazing people. Hard not to love.”
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Wendy Townley - Development Director, Omaha Public Library Foundation
“Big Omaha only lasted a few days, yet its momentum continues and, it seems, is felt far beyond the city limits.”
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John Henry Muller - Co-founder, Pack
“There is a very specific feeling about walking around KANEKO during Big Omaha. There is just an energy in the room. People are excited to be there. Excited to see each other. Excited for the shared experience. It’s hard to describe, but you can see it in peoples eyes.”
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John Wirtz - Co-founder, Hudl
“I always come away with four or five new ways to think about product strategy that help shape what we are doing at Hudl.”
Big Omaha Culture
At Big Omaha, we strive to be a positive voice among today’s startups. Our goal is to make our corner of this community a welcoming, inclusive space for anyone and everyone who wants to come to our conference.
Code of Conduct
To promote this spirit of inclusivity, we ask that our staff, speakers, attendees, and volunteers follow a few basic principles at our conference – online, at KANEKO, and around the event. These include but are not limited to:
- Be welcoming, friendly, and patient.
- Be considerate. Your decisions will affect others. Whether listening to a keynote, eating lunch, or attending a party, your actions will have consequences. You should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
- Be respectful. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into aggression towards another. Give yourself grace if you feel frustrated with another attendee or with yourself (because conferences can be long and tiresome in the midst of all that you are learning and all the people you are meeting).
- Be mindful of vocabulary. Remember that sexist, racist, and other exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those around you. Be kind to others, and do not insult or put down another person. Thoughtfulness often means reevaluating what we consider permissible.
Reporting Inappropriate Behavior
Big Omaha is meant to be a safe, inclusive space. That includes KANEKO, the parties at Berry and Rye and House of Loom, and all of our online realms. Please approach either Caleb, Joey, or a trained volunteer (we’ll tell you how to spot them) if you’ve experienced anything less than that. In return, we promise:
- To take all harassment reports seriously.
- To respect your privacy.
- To remove the source of harassment. This begins with a warning to the offender, followed by physically removing them from the area if harassment continues.
You can reach us in person and via the contact information listed below:
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