Technology conference planned Oct. 6-8 in Richland

A technology conference previously held in Portland is coming to the Tri-Cities this week.

And even though it involves one of the founders of the popular TriConf, it will be quite different from that summer event.

&yetConf is billed as an event for “dreamers and doers.” It’s described as being “about the intersections of technology with humanity, meaning and ethics for people who believe the world should be better and are determined to make it so.”

Adam Brault, founder of the company the event is named for, said one difference from TriConf is it will bring people from Asia, Europe, Latin America and across the United States, while TriConf focuses on regional guests.

“TriConf is completely haphazard and on-the-fly in terms of its organization,” Brault said. “This is meticulously planned out down to the minute, across two-and-a-half days.”

The sessions are Oct. 6-8 at various locations in Richland, but it actually starts before people arrive with a “choose your own adventure” web messaging service.

The choices they make lead them to one of two groups as part of a dramatic production that is embedded with the event. One group is based on the Greek goddess Atropos, the other on her sister Clotho.

The story is a continuation of the world created in Portland in 2013, then known as RealtimeConf. At that event, a graphic novel was used to introduce people to the conference and then was continued in person. Mike Speegle, co-author of the musical Guns of Ireland, was involved in the writing both times.

The storyline allows people coming to the event to relate to each other, Brault said.

“I’ve been to lots of events where I don’t really have a lot of people I know,” he said. “It’s quicker to build connections when you have the shared experience of the story. They’ve got something they have in common and they can build from the beginning.”

The Richland event will remain a technology conference, but won’t be as technical as it was in Portland, Brault said. It seeks to consider deeper, philosophical questions about technology.

Michael Kaemingk will discuss Scout, a new publication that places science fiction pieces next to related works from scientific journals, Brault said. It will show what positive and negative ethical consequences could be of things like wearable technology and bioengineering.

Along with actors to carry out the drama, &yetConf will feature 18 visual artists and 20 musicians, Brault said. Portland musician Ben Michel has even composed a soundtrack, which will be performed live at the conference.

The number of attendees is limited to 160 to help keep an intimate atmosphere, Brault said. Tickets start at $999, or $1,399 with hotel and breakfast, according to its website, andyetconf.com.

The event has 20 diversity spots, allowing people to attend for free, sponsored by others.

Organizers had a simple reason to move the event to Richland, Brault said.

“Portland doesn’t need stuff like this,” he said. “Why don’t we do it in the Tri-Cities?”

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Technology conference planned Oct. 6-8 in Richland."