I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member . . .

. . . or so says Groucho Marx. VC David Hornik has created the ultimate unconference, called "The Lobby":

Why
do you attend conferences? Is it to learn about industry trends or hear
keynote speakers or watch powerpoint presentations? Or do you attend
conferences to spend time in the lobby? In a great conference, the
conversation in the lobby is the content. The Lobby
aims to turn the traditional conference on its head. There will be no
panels, no keynotes, no distractions from the real task at hand –
engaging in meaningful conversation and building deeper relationships
with other thought-leaders in the new media universe. For two and a
half days, the individuals driving innovation and strategic development
throughout the online media world will gather for an extended
conversation. The Lobby will facilitate that dialog
and nurture those relationships through a set of social gatherings and
activities designed to bring down barriers and maximize productive
discourse. Participants in The Lobby will leave with new partnerships, new friendships and new ideas.

Sounds cool, right? Absolutely, if the right people show up. To ensure that happens, The Lobby is an invite-only event in Hawaii, packed with A-list technology entrepreneurs and executives. Needless to say, I'm not on the list. Maybe I should have accepted that invitation for the conference being held in the lobby of Holiday Inn of Thunder Bay . . .

Seriously, though - there are some really cool people attending. If you're interested in learning more about some of them, and can't afford a trip to Hawaii or don't make the A-list, check out Founders At Work. It's a great read featuring the startup stories from 32 great entrepreneurs.