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At the May 8 BIGOmaha conference in Nebraska, web celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk took a few moments to talk to us about his experience at the small-town show, his new consultancy with his brother, and the expected arrival of a new Vaynerchuk.

"People on the coasts get spoiled," Vaynerchuk said. "There's always things going on in LA, San Fran, New York. Not to say 'Omaha's lucky to have us.' Please. I'm not going in that direction. But there was definitely a great spirit in the room. People drove from two or three hours to be here. It was a very uplifting aspect."

Yesterday in the gorgeous Nebraska sunshine, about 300 techies, entrepreneurs, and creatives from all over the country gathered in a large but simple room to learn, listen, and make connections.

The one-day, one-track show was just a hashtag to some and entirely unknown to others; still, the pre-show buzz on Twitter and in various blogs had resonated with freshness, immediacy, and inspiration. A week before it opened, the first-ever BIGOmaha conference was sold out.

There are dozens of tech conferences to attend in any given year. So why in the world would you choose BIGOmaha, an obscure little show in Nebraska?

Next weekend marks the offbeat "tech et al." conference's first year, and it already stands in stark contrast to more established shows in the same sphere. Co-organizer Jeff Slobotski says that while the events are not solely about tech, they are definitely about passion and innovation. "We're not trying to be another South by Southwest or Web 2.0," he said. "Our goal is to have a tight-knit, solid event and to build a vibrant community."