Who would pass up the opportunity for a free festival? Certainly not those of us who are accomplished enough to be invited to the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit hosted this year in Boston. 
The summit invites thousands of future leaders in every field to listen to motivational speakers, attend team-building events, eat delicious food at food festivals, and even attend a free concert (with summit members able to bring a +2).  As someone fortunate enough to attend as a +2, I got the opportunity to peek into what the best minds of our time are up to. 
Although I didn’t get to see any of the motivational speakers, including big names such as Ashton Kutcher and Steph Curry, the music festival made sure to remind listeners exactly who made this happen. At booths throughout the downtown venue, attendees could (interestingly enough) learn about cranberry processing and win prizes by entering contests and raffles, one raffle offering a signed helmet by Patriots team member Rob Gronkowski. 
Perhaps one of the most interesting booths was hosted by Wayfair, a highly successful online furniture store founded here in New England. Seems like a strange selection for a summit for young entrepreneurs, right? Wayfair engineers are working hard to rework the way we shop online. In January of this year, Wayfair began designing a 3D virtual reality catalog of their products. 
At the summit, the Wayfair booth showed off the fruit of their labor. Attendees could sit at a booth and put on 3D glasses, and using 3D figurines on an interactive table, could move furniture around in their field of vision by moving the figurines. The experience was certainly surreal and offers exciting insight into what we may be able to expect in the future. Wayfair engineers explain on their blog that they hope to “empower other application developers to create amazing 3D V-commerce experiences in AR and VR just like we are, and push the envelope of mixed reality!” They suggest that the technology will be useful for real estate developers, game developers, and for interior designers. Who knows—maybe we can one day use this technology to “try on” virtual clothing.
The concert itself featured four main artists: Jason Derulo, Halsey, Gallant, and Delta Rae. Although I’m normally the type of person who loves to be in the crowd at concerts, scrambling to get as close as possible to the stage, I really enjoyed that the venue setup allowed for attendees to relax and listen from a beautifully decorated beer garden, complete with string lights and alcoholic beverages. Samuel Adams vendors offered $6 double-sized beer cans of the original Samuel Adams beer, the Oktoberfest version, and IPA. Sipping Oktoberfest beer on a beautiful fall evening while listening to music and talking to friends was easily one of the best parts of the event.
As far as the music goes, I was a little surprised that they selected Jason Derulo this year when in the past they had greats such as Kendrick Lamar. Of the four performers, Halsey was certainly my favorite. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, and the only song of hers I knew before attending the concert, “New Americana,” was easily my favorite. I enjoyed how easy-going the crowd was, too—the stage was small and the venue cozy, and it was easy to switch between being in the crowd and taking a step away to breathe and enjoy the music from a distance.
For undergraduates who think they have what it takes, be sure to apply for the Forbes Under 30 program in the coming year. You’re sure to have a great time as well as make some important connections!