An air of excitement mixed with uncertainty filled the air at Richmond-based TMI Consulting during August. Would enough people vote for TMI to secure a coveted workshop spot at Austin’s celebrated South by Southwest or SXSW conference? Voting ended September 2, but the announcement wouldn’t be made until mid-October.
“We knew our vote count needed to be significant,” says TMI CEO and President Tiffany Jana. “And we also knew that we had to impress the SXSW Advisory Board and staff. We posted the link to vote on our social media accounts daily to encourage votes and crossed our fingers!”
And the result? “We’re in!” grins Jana. “We are so thankful to everyone who voted for us to present at SXSW! Principal Consultant Matthew Freeman and I proposed a session called Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships Across Differences — the same title of our soon to be released book. At SXSW we’ll explore the latest research on how we are wired to be biased and through interactive activities show how we can overcome unconscious preferences to enrich our lives.”
At SXSW they hope to reach an audience of global professionals who come to what is touted as the premier destination for discovery. Over the years, the conference has earned a reputation for introducing thousands of people to what’s next in worlds of entertainment, culture and technology.
Twitter gained significant notoriety at SXSW in 2007 and the mobile app Foursquare was launched there two years later. “It’s a fantastic place to network, to see and be seen,” says Jana. “We’ll be interacting with countless people, raising their awareness about implicit bias and how to overcome it. On top of that, we’ll be increasing RVA’s profile on the national stage!”
For more information on SXSW visit www.sxsw.com.
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