Chris Anderson at RomeConfluence 2013

This morning Chris Anderson painted the ‘maker vision’ for the revolution in manufacturing that is being fostered by 3d printing technologies. The digital manufacturing revolution was put firmly in context with the industrial and digital revolutions of the past century.

‘We are all designers now, we might as well get good at it.’ is a memorable statement from Chris for us to embrace this latest revolution and get on with mastering the skills needed for this next wave of innovation. Chris brought the attendees to the center of the conversation with calls for this revolution to be echoed right here in the heart of the South. He convinced many attendees that had not heard of, let alone purchased, a home 3D printer to dive in, as evidenced by conversations I had with several attendees.

After the day of presentations, 7hills Makerspace hosted a Maker Bazaar at their opulent space in the heart of Rome. The large space was packed wall to wall with people, projects and lots of energy. I even stepped in to field some 3D printing questions to help handle the interest! A successful event indeed.

Big thanks to Greg Richardson, founder of 7hillsmake.org, and the Rome Chamber of Commerce for producing an outstanding event this year. We look forward to 2014!