5 Reasons You Have a Latitude Problem If You’re Thinking About Coming To Nexterday North

So you’re thinking about attending Nexterday North, touted to be the antiseminar you’ve been waiting for and taking place on 9-10 November 2015, in Helsinki, Finland? It’s supposed to host an impressive list of keynote speakers, look at the telecommunications business landscape with a non-traditional mindset and combine cross-business insights, deep industry focus and the drive of the most ambitious startups in the world. Well think ahead, think again, think beyond and you’ll quickly understand why Finland is perhaps not the best place to be at this particular time.

1. You’ll See Helsinki, But Only From Indoors

Helsinki averages approximately 40 hours of sunshine for the entire month of November. Think about that for a while. The best the local weather has to offer is loads of sleet, piles of slush and streets full of virtually invisible black ice. Oh, and temperatures near or below zero degrees Celsius. To top it all, the venue is an old warehouse by the docks! How the heck do you occupy yourself in conditions like that? You’ll have no choice but to listen to some of the smartest people in the world share their radical ideas for the future of our business, and what’s worse, you might actually contribute, learn something new and meet interesting new people. Who wants that?

2. The Collective Blind Spot Is My Comfort Zone

Aren’t you already sick and tired of hearing about stepping outside your comfort zone? There’s a reason why it is comfortable: you’ve carved your niche, made your mark there and know the rules of the game inside out. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to your guns, right? The same goes for this “collective blind spot” nonsense. Let’s face it. It is just another marketing term trying to package someone else’s blind spot and sell it as an innovation to a new reference group. It doesn’t matter if this message is delivered by some of the most creative, proven and successful industry disruptors. You know, people like Gary Vaynerchuk, Mårten Mickos, Matthew Rosenquist or Ted Matsumoto. The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. At least not in November in Helsinki.

3. This Startup Trend Is Short-Lived Anyway

And talking about grass. We all know startups come and go. They are like blades of grass in a tornado: completely at the mercy of the elements. Sure, they sprout when the weather is fair and the sun puts the focus on them but when’s the last time you’ve heard about a startup that truly reshaped any industry landscape? Just look at Slush and their roster! Not many game-changers there, right? By the way, forget about hoping to see any grass in Helsinki in November. Even if by some miracle it were growing, it’d still be too dark to see anything.

4. ImpacTalk Sessions and Industry Blueprint Alley Are Not Right Up Your Alley

So somebody built an always-on ecosystem gallery introducing innovative and field-proven blueprints created by industry leading companies serving digital and communications service providers? Ecosystem sounds like hippie stuff. How about the ImpacTalks? They claim to be breakout sessions full of insightful, executable and field-proven insights about growth. Don’t be fooled by the description! It’s all about strong-arm tactics and about “offers you cannot refuse.” Yeah, that’s going to make an impact alright. Just like the sleet hitting your face in Helsinki in November.

5. So Much Fun, It May Kill You

So which is it? Fun or professional? Decide already! We all know you cannot combine a professional, industry-changing event with fun and games. If you’re having fun, you’re not learning anything useful and if you’re learning something, I’ll be damned if it is fun. I’d bet good money that there’s going to be a party at the event. Figures! The rumor also has it that the happy hour is going to legendary, and you know what they say about them, right? “Happy hour today is a crappy hour the day after!” This is a serious obstacle to true learning and development, which can only occur in a serious environment. In a party you just interact with a lot of people in a laidback manner, network your butt off with the best minds in (and outside) the industry and – what’s worse – don’t sit quietly with a stern look on your face. As stern as the weather in Helsinki in November.

So don’t tell me you haven’t been warned. You’ve been given a plenty of reasons to stay away from Nexterday North and go somewhere safer and nicer. But if you really, really want to challenge yourself, experience exotic conditions and rock your thinking, you can register for Nexterday North here.