Good Discovery(s) was founded on a simple premise: to connect attendees with creatives making a positive impact in their respective communities, be it through civic art, design or tech.
At the helm is Steven Ramos — founder of SR Media — who also championed Cincinnati’s First Podcast Festival last November. Good Discovery(s) uses a similar formula, with diversity and inclusivity acting as integral components.
On March 26, it will unfold in the same space that housed the podcast festival: Over-the-Rhine’s Memorial Hall.
Of the day-long fest’s presenters, 18 are local entrepreneurs, 13 are women and five represent racial minorities.
“We wanted the programming to be diverse,” Ramos says, “because we feel that we have this diverse community (in Cincinnati) of artists and designers and entrepreneurs that are working in these various sectors.”
As the fest’s website highlights, Good Discovery(s) lineup highlights designers, artists, makers and those in the startup sector who are embracing innovation. But, as Ramos notes, they’re also individuals working from the bottom up, so attendees may know of them but not of the intricacies of their work.
“Now they have the opportunity to pull the curtain back and be elbow-to-elbow with these designers, artists and (entrepreneurs),” Ramos says, “and really learn firsthand this startup, this business, this enterprise, this product, this service they’re developing that makes Cincinnati a better place.”
Speakers include Calcagno Cullen, co-founder and director of Wave Pool, a community-driven art fulfillment center in Camp Washington; and Ramsey Ford of Design Impact, a nonprofit that uses creativity to solve social problems. Among other presenters is Courttney Cooper, a local artist known for his detailed maps; Matthew David Gellin, the mind behind T2: Transit Theatre, which brings performances onto the Cincinnati Bell Connector; leadership coach Rita Davis; and Rachel Felous, CEO and founder of Simply Zero, which seeks to educate the community about conscious consumerism.
Starting at 8 a.m. and wrapping up at 6 p.m., the day features three keynote speakers, four breakout sessions and four tracks (a food innovation track, arts and culture, community and wellness or innovations and startups). Expect brainstorm sessions and workshops throughout the day.
“This is a hub for what I call civic tech or civic design,” Ramos says. “And whether they’re coming out of the People’s Liberty ecosystem or agencies like Design Impact or work at big corporates like Kroger — there are some really amazing people doing amazing work.”
And he wants to highlight that. Ramos touched on the food innovation track, pointing out Cincinnati is a hub — all the way from the far reach of Kroger to the rich history of Findlay Market. The same lines could be traced in the other tracks.
Affordability was also important to the team. Tickets are $35 and students can get in for $15. Ramos says it will become an annual event, always landing on the second Tuesday of March. (The podcast festival will continue again this year as well, in the fall.)
“Ideas are easy. Execution is hard. We’re building something from scratch,” Ramos says. “Not just the Good Discovery(s) event, but also the community around it. We’re not coming from a sponsorship or large organization.”
For more information or tickets, visit gooddiscoverys.com.
This article appears in Mar 13-20, 2019.
