Vanessa Pratt Recaps Her Amazing Experience

Posted on November 25, 2013 by institute B

Darrell Kopke, Sam Perera, Sean Jimenez and Vanessa Pratt rolled into hogtown over the weekend, and judging from the twittersphere, our left coast crew made quite the impression. And it wasn’t just the Rob Ford jokes Darrell made during his presentation. A tired, but always inspiring Vanessa Pratt called us from high above the prairies on their way home and shared some of her most memorable highlights of the conference.

institute B: What was the purpose of SociaLIGHT?

Vanessa Pratt: SociaLIGHT is a 2-day conference that happened in Toronto this last weekend with the intention to celebrate and inspire the new generation of leaders. With an emphasis on “People, Planet, Profit” the conference provides access to resources and inspiration for entrepreneurs who are pushing the envelope with their passion for what they do. SociaLIGHT aims to redefine what it means to be a socialite by having impact. Socia”LIGHT” is also an acronym standing for L.eader I.mpacting G.lobal H.umanity T.oday.

How many people attended?

There were over 1000 people in attendance: Entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, young professionals, students, and lots of people with new exciting ideas.

Why was it important that institute B was there?

It’s important we are part of the conversation. At institute B we are all generous leaders. The question we ask ourselves every day is, how is the world left better because of us? We work to embed generosity in what we do through the relationships we create. We are bringing humanity back into business. With a conference focused on humanity impact, we knew it was our responsibility to participate and help shape the conversation.

What were your expectations leading up to the event? Did it live up to them?

I expected it to be a ton of resources and new ideas for entrepreneurs to support them with their business. For us, it was important to be there to get the word out about iB, who we are and what we do. In this sense, it exceeded all my expectations.

Who was the most memorable person you met there?

Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur. I’ve followed her online for the last year and love how she has created a life she loves and now shares her story and expertise to help others do the same. It was great to have the opportunity to hear her speak and meet her in person.

Did you learn anything by going?

We are on the right track. Humanity in business is the fast track to success. At iB we always say, “it’s not what you do, it’s who you are being”. It’s ingrained to the point that sometimes I forget the power in that statement. Listening the stories from the last 2 days there was a recurring theme-when people acted as authentic expressions of themselves they got audacious results. Simple. It’s very rewarding to hear the proof first hand in success story after success story.

What was your most memorable, inspiring or “a-ha!” moment there?

Watching Darrell’s talk. He was OUTSTANDING. I know I’m biased, but he was the only one who got a standing ovation the entire weekend. I am so proud of him. And so grateful to be part of something so great. I am always humbled at events like these when I see how people react to what we are doing. It reminds me how meaningful what we are doing is and how significantly we are impacting others.

What was a key takeaway you brought back?

I think the key take away for me is that there is a HUGE need for our new online curriculum that institute B has developed as a way to support the solo-preneur, startups, and students who are short on cash and hungry for quality support resources.

The inaugural SociaLIGHT Vancouver Conference takes place Feb. 22 & 23. Would you recommend entrepreneurs get their tickets for this?

Absolutely. Come on Vancouver, RE-PRE-SENT!

If you could make a T-shirt that summed up the weekend, what would it say?

Our iB post cards said it best: “Think of all the fucking possibilities”.