Burning Man Impacts the Entrepreneurial Community in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada
Area professionals share how this event benefits their businesses and society.
Groundbreaking and mind-blowing art has been part of the Burning Man experience since its beginnings in 1986. But art is only a portion of everything this event has to offer. While in the Black Rock Desert, participants are immersed in the culture of Burning Man, which points to creativity, inclusivity, collaboration and self-reliance — all things that align with the entrepreneurial spirit.
Since its inception, people from all walks of life and corners of the world have ventured to the Playa to get a taste of this unique event. Whether you’re sitting in a cafe in Cape Town, South Africa, Queenstown, New Zealand, or Reno, Nevada, you might meet people who have attended the event and hear stories of how Burning Man has influenced their lives and businesses.
To learn more about Burning Man’s impact on the entrepreneurial community in the Reno-Tahoe area, we spoke with two area residents. Here’s what they had to say:
Tilio Lagatta
Most people who attend Burning Man are part of a planned, registered camp, and Tilio Lagatta has been running one since 2014.
Lagatta, who is a managing member of Blackfire Real Estate Investors, a commercial real estate agency in Reno, started the camp to help influential entrepreneurs see the world in a different way and encourage them to give back.
“Exposing people to an event like Burning Man changes their lens,” says Lagatta, who serves as chapter president of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Reno-Tahoe.
Each year, he invites wealthy and influential people, including some in EO, to join his camp, as they are in unique positions to cause positive change in the world through their actions, business activities and networking circles.
Participants come away from Burning Man with a renewed faith in humanity. It takes their focus off their daily to-do lists and opens them up to new opportunities, like connecting with and helping others. Lagatta says he has seen many people’s attendance cause valuable ripple effects throughout society.
As for Lagatta, his company invests in infill commercial and residential real estate, and he and his team are working on multi-family (tenant), retail and commercial projects in the region.
“Blackfire is a real estate investment company with an innovative outlook on the market. We believe value can be found where others have overlooked it by combining creativity with discipline” he says.
At Burning Man, attendees come together to solve different kinds of challenges, whether that be assisting someone who fell off their bike or helping someone fix their broken air conditioner. People help one another, and that stays with them even after the event is over.
“I’m a strong believer in servant leadership — it is the way I like to lead, and it speaks to me because of humility and compassion,” Lagatta says.
Burning Man’s environment allows people to see and be seen by others. Lagatta says that after spending time and having meaningful conversations with those in his camp, he has felt like he knew their souls.
Michael Bumann
“As an entrepreneur deeply involved in the Reno ecosystem, I see the impact of Burning Man in the relationships between entrepreneurs,” says Michael Bumann, who serves as a medic at Burning Man and is the founder and CEO of Red Dot Management, which provides solutions for motor vehicle accident accounts.
“There is a unique common ground when meeting someone who can relate to the experience of being on the playa that helps create an instant connection,” he says.
In 2023, Bumann marked his fifth year serving as a medic at Burning Man, and he says he has noticed similarities when the topic arises in meetings or group settings.
“I’ve noticed a common thread with entrepreneurs that have or are planning to relocate their companies to Reno: They have or plan to attend Burning Man. That is nearly a universal theme,” he says.
Although this is only a yearly week-long event, the inclusive culture it inspires stays with and is spread by those who attend.
“The openness and acceptance that permeates the Burning Man experiences are interwoven throughout the cultural tapestry of the Reno entrepreneurial ecosystem that resists the creation of various barriers to connection,” Bumann says.
This article was sponsored by EDAWN.