InnoTech Oregon Blog

InnoTech Wrap Up Report

2008-04-23T03:18:13Z

Well, the InnoTech Oregon event was last week, Wednesday and Thursday and we are almost recovered. It was two solid days of conference sessions with massive networking and one productive day of exhibits and demos at the Expo. So much happened over the two days it is difficult to recap in one blog, so I spread out over the next couple of days.

Wednesday, April 16 was strictly conference sessions with the expo set up going on behind closed doors. At times there were six different tracks happening and most of the day all six rooms were packed. The buzz in between the conference sessions was amazing and the complimentary coffee from EasyStreet did not hurt. Two of our main authors/speakers presented on April 16 to packed rooms with book signing taking place right after.

Ron Pernick, who resides in Portland, was the keynote for the Clean Tech Track hosted by SAO on April 16. When I opened the door, Ron's presentation was standing room only and I was excited to see the line of people purchasing his Clean Tech book from Powells and asking for autographs. I was a little worried about attendance for the Nonprofit Technology Summit, but again the room was full and I heard many positive comments about the sessions and the work TACS & NPOWER are doing in the community. I look forward to making the Nonprofit Tech Summit a big part of InnoTech next year with presentations and its own expo with demos and product discussions.

Over 800 business and technology professionals from the NW attended InnoTech on April 16. It was nothing but hard work and fun all day long. More to follow about the eMarketing Summit and second day of InnoTech. My thanks to everyone for attending and solidifying InnoTech as Oregon's premier technology event.

Wireless at InnoTech - For Those That Cannot Disconnect

2008-04-16T05:19:49Z

Start your live blogging and tweets. Besides iPhone or cell broadband, there are two options for wireless while at InnoTech this week. First option sponsored by Internet Strategy Forum. There will be a number of wireless connections available through the convention center.

How to: Locate available wireless networks, connect to the "Enterprise" option of available networks at the convention center, open your browser, click on Logon (left side) and use Oregon and password Innotech to finalize internet access.

If that does not work or the connections are all used at the time, you can wait and trying again or just connect through the wifi system for $10 per day. Hope that helps and more information to follow Wednesday morning.

InnoTech Kicks Off in Two Days

2008-04-14T14:18:02Z

After 6 months of planning and preparation InnoTech happens this week, April 16-17 at the Oregon Convention Center. It seems like just weeks ago it was October and we had the first planning meeting for the NW CIO Summit, now after months and months of calling, emailing and planning, InnoTech Oregon is here. I won't bore you again with how great this event is going to be, but with 100+ speakers, 2000 attendees, 90+ technology demos and must attend networking you can't go wrong.

Over 100 people per day have been registering and the numbers will pick up this week as schedules open up at the last minute for a number of people. I encourage everyone to register online, but you are welcome to walk up and register at the event. InnoTech has been mentioned in a few blogs this morning thanks to Dawn Foster and Steve Morris. More to follow and hope to see you there.

InnoTech Launches Mobile Conference Guide

2008-04-08T15:22:29Z

Just released today, InnoTech is going green and clean with the launch of our new mobile conference guide. Now the majority of the information on the InnoTech Oregon web site is now available for download to your mobile device. Yes, we ask for your cell phone number, but that information is kept private and not sold, rented or given out to anyone. Ever.

InnoTech Mobile Conference Guide - Download it Today!
Download the InnoTech conference guide on your mobile phone!
Once the guide is installed you'll have access to:
- InnoTech Conference Agenda
- Exhibitor/Sponsor Lists
- Special Events & Receptions
- Download it today!
(Runs on most mobile devices using AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile networks.) Of course, I am a Verizon Wireless user and cannot install it on my own phone. We are working on it though. Another interesting fact, none of these wireless companies are exhibiting or sponsoring InnoTech this year. They are going to miss out this year!

Once the guide is installed, you'll be able to peruse the great conference sessions and speakers this year at your leisure, on the go. Visit the InnoTech web site for complete coverage of featured sessions, exhibitors, sponsors and receptions. I look forward to seeing you at InnoTech next week. Stay tuned for some more exciting InnoTech news in the next day or so.

Rollercoaster Ride

2008-04-02T04:20:25Z

So producing an event of this size is like planning for the Superbowl or a giant wedding. You plan for six months and hope someone shows up. We expect close to 2000 people for InnoTech this year. Right now we have 500 people registered. It is the nature of people and the business for the majority of attendees to register late or just walk up day of the event.

That is fine, I am used to it, but it stresses me out every single year. With the number of people talking about Innotech, the number of speakers and buzz we will definitely get 2000 business and technology professionals to attend.

Here is my plea. If you are going to attend, register early and register soon so I can sleep at night. I look forward to seeing you there. The 2008 InnoTech Oregon is going to kick arse.

InnoTech Star of the Week

2008-03-28T04:52:30Z

The InnoTech staff is working very hard these days, but this event would not happen without the hard work and support of many people in the community. Each track and summit has an individual or sub group working to put together the content, selecting speakers, etc. With Harvey Mathews driving the idea, Software Association of Oregon (SAO) has become a huge force and supporter of InnoTech this year.

My star of the week (which is a program I just started while watching Celebrity Apprentice) is Bryce Yonkers from SAO. Bryce has been working night and day to put together an amazing Clean Technology Track for InnoTech happening on April 16 with a great Green Data Center panel on April 17.

Big props and my thanks go to Bryce and the SAO for their hard work and effort. InnoTech will be better because of their assistance and the assistance of many others in the community. Now go to InnoTech and register to attend. You will be amazed at the number of national level speakers under one room all in Portland, OR.

Marketing Breakfast...thanks for attending!

2008-03-14T20:59:34Z

To each of the exhibitors, sponsors and partners who attended Friday morning's Marketing & Development Breakfast March 14th at the Governor Hotel...THANKS!

Everything from the energy in the room to Monica Harris' (from GekkoTek) powerful exhibitor testimonial to the fact that we are printing more tickets all are excellent signs that we're headed for a great event.

Registration numbers continue to grow as the word spreads about the event and as April 16-17 draw nearer. Actually, even though I lose LOTS of sleep over it, the majority of the registrations don't come in until the two weeks prior to the event opening. (That doesn't mean you should wait though...you can register now and help me sleep.)

If you missed the breakfast meeting on Friday, click here to access a pdf of the Exhibitor Checklist which will help you make final preparations for InnoTech.

Time to get back to work...more later this week.

SAO Poker Party Last night, Lots of Fun

2008-02-28T18:12:33Z

Last night, I had the opportunity to play in the (soon-to-be) monthly SAO poker party at Kell's Irish Pub in downtown Portland Although I didn't win, I did have a great time talking with the 50+ people in attendance and spreading the word about the upcoming InnoTech event. As co-presenting sponsor along with EasyStreet Online Services, SAO is doing an incredible job keeping InnoTech at the forefront of the tech community's minds.

Thank you, especially, to Harvey Mathews, President, SAO and Ericka Katz, Director of Programs, SAO, for their amazing support of the event. I think you'll see the difference that their input and creativity is having on this year's InnoTech agenda (including the addition of internationally sought-after speaker, Don Tapscott, Chief Executive, New Paradigm & Author, WIKINOMICS: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

So, next month, I plan on turning my pocket Aces into a win (which I just couldn't do last night) and seeing you there too!

5th Annual InnoTech Oregon Event Shaping Up to be a Winner

2008-02-20T20:55:05Z

Yes, I know, it's been a long time since I've posted to this blog...but maybe when you check out everything that's happening at the 5th annual InnoTech Oregon event, you'll forgive me for not making the time to blog too.

For starters, with the incredible support of SAO and Portland State University, InnoTech will be hosting featured speaker Don Tapscott, Chief Executive, New Paradigm & Author, WIKINOMICS: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. Although InnoTech has always had excellent conference content, adding an internationally sought-after speaker to the agenda takes the event to a new level, which is a perfect way to celebrate InnoTech's 5th year.

For the past several months, I've been working closely with nPOWER and TACS on the 2nd Annual Non-Profit Tech Summit @ InnoTech in addition to coordinating with the Open Source community on what's hot right now in their world. I've also been collaborating with the AMA and others on the eMarketing Summit @ InnoTech, which has two full days of online marketing presentations and panel discussions. The NW CIO Summit (formerly called the Oregon CIO Summit) already has registrants from Idaho, Washington and across Oregon, which makes me glad we updated the name!

Of course, lots of time is spent working with sponsors, exhibitors and presenters on creating the most hands-on, interactive demonstrations for the exhibits @ InnoTech.

So there you have it...not so much a list of excuses for not blogging but more of an ever-growing list of cool happenings at this year's InnoTech event. See you there on April 16-17, 2008!

Thank you for a Successful 2007 InnoTech Oregon Event!

2007-06-18T19:22:21Z

Has it really almost been two months since the 2007 InnoTech Oregon event?

Now that the dust has settled, I'd like to thank all of our sponsors, exhibitors, presenters and, of course, attendees that made the 2007 InnoTech Oregon the best InnoTech yet. We hope you came away with plenty of new ideas, contacts and motivation to improve your business and look forward to hearing about how InnoTech has helped you. Click the Comments section below and let us know how your participation in InnoTech has made a difference!

The 2008 InnoTech Oregon is confirmed, again at the Oregon Convention Center, for April 17-18, 2008. Yes, it's a year away, but why not mark your calendar now so when you get all of those email reminders in early 2008, you'll be a step ahead?!

InnoTech Event Guide Publication in Business Journal April 20th

2007-03-29T23:05:37Z

Busy putting the finishing touches on the 2007 InnoTech Event Guide which goes to print very soon for distribution in the April 20th edition of the Portland Business Journal. It's always so cool to see everything come together in this guide and see, in one place, how many incredible presentations and speakers are committed to this year's program. Get a preview of all of the Conference Sessions at our Sessions at a Glance page and see for yourself. The Sessions at a Glance is a great way to start planning your most productive time at InnoTech (you can sort sessions by day OR by track) even before you get your hands on the Event Guide. See you in a few weeks...

InnoTech Marketing & Development Breakfast Tomorrow

2007-03-19T21:44:41Z

With only 5 weeks left until the 4th Annual InnoTech Oregon - the Business & Technology Conference & Expo, it's time for the marketing and advertising to kick into high gear. I'm looking forward to meeting with our current exhibitors, sponsors and partners tomorrow morning at the Governor Hotel for our annual Marketing & Development Breakfast. I know we will leave tomorrow's gathering with a lot of positive energy and excitement for the program as we talk about the best ways to have a successful event, pre-event marketing and fun promotions. More later this week after the breakfast...

12 Exhibit Spaces Left...

2007-03-14T05:45:11Z

With about 6 weeks left until the 2007 InnoTech Oregon event, there are only 12 exhibit spaces remaining and a handful of sponsorship opportunities.

I think attendees will really be drawn to the number of innovative, Oregon (and SW Washington) companies who are exhibiting this year and bringing products and concepts to InnoTech that we don't get to see everyday.

It's not too late to become an exhibitor, plan and execute a solid, lead generating event experience for your company. Interested? Email us today for more information.

eMarketing Summit at InnoTech - Agenda Announced

2007-03-06T23:55:59Z

Check out the following link to the 2007 eMarketing Summit and I think you'll be just as excited as I am at the hot topics, great presenters and two full days of eMarketing that is lined up for you. I met with Dylan Boyd, eROI, and Janet Johnson, Marketing Consultant formerly with Marqui, last week (they live and breathe this stuff everyday!) and they, too, were thrilled at the level of speakers who will converge in Portland on April 25-26. Lots of Web 2.0 sessions, a keynote presentation with the Vice President of Marketing for NYTimes.com, blogging, RSS, Wiki and more.

InnoTech Oregon: Progress Report

2007-01-25T23:33:20Z

So, it's been a very long time since I've written, no excuses, just focused on the details for this year's InnoTech Oregon event! With only three months until the 4th annual InnoTech Oregon event (Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26, 2007) we have many exciting topics, presenters, sponsors and exhibitors confirmed.
Check out these highlights:
*Both 2006 Presenting Sponsors, EasyStreet and SAO are back as 2007 InnoTech Oregon Presenting Sponsors
*Microsoft is a Gold Sponsor and is planning some excellent, hourly presentations on the latest Microsoft products and services. Additionally, the Microsoft Partner Pavilion will give you the opportunity to test out what you've learned at the sessions with hands-on demonstrations.
*A top-notch lineup of speakers, including Murray Gaylord, Vice President, Marketing, NYTimes.com!
*The introduction of a ONE DAY ONLY Exhibit on Thursday, April 26, 2007.
*The return of the Oregon CIO Summit and the expansion of the eMarketing Summit, which now includes tracks for beginning and more advanced eMail marketers!

So, as you can see, I've got some work to do organizing all of the details for this year's program...but, this time, I'll schedule in some time to blog!