The White Room Telluride was an invaluable experience to me as a journalist. In addition to getting great face time with brand reps in both work and social settings, I had the chance to test products side-by-side with the experts. I left the weekend with a whole arsenal of new story ideas to pitch to a wide variety of outlets and made countless contacts with brands that have been important resources to me since. From gear reviews to more in-depth industry coverage, The White Room sparked a brainstorm that couldn't be rivaled by e-mail and phone meetings or even a major tradeshow.