What happened at the unconference experience in 2026
Dave Denniston discusses the 2026 Land Unconference event held in Minnesota in July, which pivoted from the original large-format conference to a smaller, more intimate gathering of about 25 people. Despite wildfires forcing a location change and reduced attendance compared to previous years, attendees reported high satisfaction with the networking, panel discussions, and experiential activities like canoeing and dining.
Summary
Dave Denniston, host of the Leadership in Land podcast and organizer of the Land Unconference, reflects on the July 2026 unconference event held in Minnesota. After experiencing burnout from the August 2025 event, Denniston had announced he wouldn't hold another event in the same format, but changed his mind and decided to organize a smaller, less rigidly planned gathering in July 2026.
The event was designed with flexibility in mind—Denniston intentionally avoided extensive pre-planning, deciding instead to create a hybrid format combining morning panel discussions and roundtable conversations with afternoon experiential activities. Originally planned to include canoeing on the St. Croix River, the event had to pivot due to wildfires and smoke from Canadian fires affecting Minnesota air quality. The team adapted by hosting activities at the office and moved the outdoor component to Pinstripes, which offers bowling and bocce ball, while still incorporating a Minnesota staple: Juicy Lucy burgers (burgers with cheese inside rather than on top).
Attendees included both first-time participants and returning conference veterans, with approximately 25 people total including staff. New attendees like Anne and Mary Danielson from Wisconsin/Colorado and Kirk Peart and Corinne Stanek from Florida expressed initial uncertainty but reported enjoying the intimate setting, quality of conversations, and diverse group of land investors. JT Olmsted, a returning attendee, highlighted that the unconference format's key differentiator is its focus on participant collaboration rather than speaker presentations.
Participants praised the smaller group size, depth of content (including an AI panel discussion), honest and open community atmosphere, and lack of sales pressure. Returning attendees emphasized the value of the community and their commitment to attending annually. Denniston expressed gratitude for attendees despite the event not reaching his originally intended size, noting that the smaller format resulted in meaningful relationships and positive memories. He announced plans for future events, including a potential fishing trip to Canada in 2027 and a return to the traditional 50-60 person unconference format, inviting interested parties to apply at landunconference.com.
About this episode
I'll take you behind the scenes of what happened, why the smaller Land Unconference format worked surprisingly well, and what attendees thought about the experience. You'll also hear directly from land investors about the value of roundtable conversations, networking, AI discussions, acquisition strategies, land notes, subdividing, and openly sharing what's working in their land investing businesses. Sometimes the event you didn't plan turns out to be exactly the event you needed. 🤝 Leade...
Key Insights
- Denniston experienced burnout from the August 2025 large-format conference and initially decided against holding future events in the same structure, but reconsidered and organized a smaller, less heavily planned July 2026 event instead.
- The unconference format deliberately emphasizes participant-to-participant collaboration and networking rather than speaker presentations, making attendee interaction the primary value proposition.
- When wildfires and smoke forced cancellation of the planned canoeing activity, Denniston pivoted to hosting activities at the office and bowling/bocce ball venue, demonstrating adaptive decision-making that maintained event quality despite circumstances.
- Attendees specifically valued the smaller group size (25 people vs. the typical 50-60), citing greater intimacy, deeper conversations, and more opportunity to connect with diverse land investors across different business models.
- Denniston is planning multiple future event formats for 2027, including both a smaller, experiential fishing trip to Canada and a return to the traditional larger unconference format, indicating he's testing different event models based on learnings.
Topics
Transcript
Welcome to the Leadership in Land podcast, where we talk about what actually moves the needle in the land business. This show isn't about getting rich or quick schemes or magic mail pieces. It's about leadership, systems, decision making, the stuff that you just happen to figure out after your third or fourth pricing mistake, or maybe just your first. This deal looks great on paper kind of moment. Well tune in with me today, my friends, and let's dive right in. You're listening to the REtipster podcast network. Okay, so quick question for you. Have you heard of our school community? I just want to make sure to invite you to check that out. If you're listening to this…
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