“Remember in the word ‘can’t’ is can, in ‘don’t’ is do, in ‘impossible’ is possible,” said Armando Christian Perez, better known as Pitbull, during his one-on-one conversation with eMerge conference founder Manny Medina, when asked to give advice to students attending the event.
Take a look at our recap of eMerge Americas, produced by RockOrange.
eMerge Americas 2015 was bigger and better in its second year. Happening right in our hometown of Miami, the conference is a hub for showcasing revolutionary startups, cutting-edge ideas, and global industry leaders and investors from around the globe. eMerge puts a strong emphasis on the latest technology innovations and up-and-coming startups, and the participation of more than 100,000 attendees and 500 companies from 50 countries makes it the hottest tech event of the year.
From Deepak Chopra covering “The Soul of Leadership,” to Martine Rothblatt, the Trans-everything CEO, to Miami’s very own Mr. 305, Pitbull, ringing the NASDAQ bell and a show floor full of startups and tech companies from around the globe, it was a thrilling two days of jam-packed action.
We attended eMerge Americas to absorb all the incredible content from the interactive sessions and presentations from world-renowned keynote speakers, but we went beyond, too — we brought RockOrange to eMerge. That’s right: we even brought a piece of our office to the Miami Beach Convention Center so that visitors could get a taste of our freshness.
Lights. Camera. Action.
At the RO booth, visitors got a real experience of what it’s like to be in the spotlight. With a live camera setup, we set our visitors up for a one-on-one interview with one of our RockStars. Entrepreneurs told us the story of their brand and why they were here in Miami attending eMerge.
Our RockStars gave them the VIP treatment, giving them tips on how to better market their brands with a variety of our services, ranging from media training, to editorial content, to video production and their presence in the digital space.
We also had the opportunity to interview Miami Dade Public School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who talked about the importance of technology and innovation in the classroom and how its changing education.
Twelve Start-ups. Two minutes. Pitch Perfect.
Some incredible companies stepped up to the plate and took on our F.R.E.S.H. Tank Challenge. Equipped with innovative concepts and a real passion for what they are doing, 12 startups were given two minutes to tell their brand’s story to RockOrange agency founder and principal Miguel Piedra and chief creative strategist Johanne Wilson, with another two minutes for a brief Q&A. The winning pitch received $10,000 worth of creative and marketing support for their brand.
It was a tough choice, but we finally chose a winner, Moocho, a mobile payments app for college students. With Moocho, students pay using any phone for healthy groceries, great restaurant meals and other essentials around campus, racking up rewards every time — no wallet required.
Needless to say, we’re pumped to start working with Moocho and we’re counting down the days for next year’s eMerge Americas 2016!