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Feb. 23-24, 2011 was the date of the first Launch Conference hosted by @Jason Calicanus.  I attended this conference as I've been on the skirts of the technology and start-up world for a number of years.  I also earned a free ticket to the Launch Conference by checking into the This Week in Startups podcast ten times prior to the conference. Here's some of my thoughts from the conference along with some of my favorite start-ups.

Before we jump into those new start-ups, here's a quick and informal guide for attending tech conferences. 

Ten Lessons from The Launch Conference

  • Do bring a smile.  You might be stressed about revealing your hard work for the first time, especially in front of the press, but everything will go better with a smile.  Use the power of your mirror neurons and biofeedback to make things better.  I could probably write several chapters on the biology of smile, but just trust me on this one.  Smile.  There were smilers at this conference, and non-smilers.  It doesn't take a rocket scientists to figure out which ones got more attention and built better relationships.
  • Entertain.  You're putting on a show.  Conferences are long, and everyone is mentally taxed.  Put on presentation that is easy to understand and entertaining as well.  Even high level and complicated products can be easily explained.  If you spend five minutes talking about your product and the judges can't understand what it does, your probably need to reframe the way you explain your product.
  • When in doubt, say "BOOM!" This will make sense later.  BOOM!
  • Do pamper the press. I've been to many conferences as press, presenter, or chair.  This is the first conference I've attended where the press were really, really, really pampered.  At many conferences, there are perks like meals, a resting lounge, or access to presenters for interviews.  Press at this conference were pimped out to the max.  They had waiter service that brought them snacks, sandwiches, wine, beer, and whatever else they desired. Attending a conference as press isn't easy.  You're bombarded with information before, during, and after the event, and then your expected to churn out quality articles within the same day.  Pampering the press is a good thing. 
  • Make sure the interwebs works.  @Jason was a genius for this.  He had ethernet wired all over the tables of the presentation room.  That is pretty genius.  Of course the Internet there worked, it was hardline.  That took most of the toll off of the wifi, leaving that wide open for people on smart phones or ipads. 
  • Do throw a party.  This is a prime opportunity to do some branding.  And do cap the RSVPs. Conference goers want to check out the city and local hangouts with new found friends, so it's a great time to host such an event.  However, capping (and keeping the RSVPs) capped is a good idea.  It gets kind of pointless to arrive at a party just to stand in line, only to step into a terribly crowded and noisy bar.  Being a native Austinite, I see this every year at SXSW parties.   
  • Do take constructive criticism well. A conference is a great place to meet with the movers, shakes, and brightest minds in your area.  These people will have constructive criticism, new perspectives, and experiences that will help you build a better business, and they aren't even charging you for it!  If someone has seen your business model fail repeatedly, you might want to learn why instead of getting angry.
  • Just because I find it useful, that doesn't mean I want to make it useful.  Crowd-sourced sites can be very useful.  Forums are useful.  Ratings systems are useful.  But just because I find them useful, doesn't mean I want to contribute to them.  I always check an ebay seller's feed back, and I typically read Amazon.com reviews before I buy a product. I've left just a handfull of ebay feedback in the last two years, and I have yet to write an Amazon review.  Don't assume that people want to contribute content to your site, even if they'd find it useful.  You'll have to figure out how to encourage users to contribute content, organically.  Just because people CAN write reviews doesn't mean they WILL write reviews. 
  • Tweeting from your business account should always be taken with caution.  Calling your potential users stupid in a tweet will probably not garner you love and affection.
  • You probably shouldn't assert that members of the gender that you are typically romantically attracted to as unattractive.  That is probably not an ideal mating strategy.  Some poor fool got a few kicks in the groin via Twitter following his tweet.  At least he won't be needing his groin, for a while anyways. 

 

Here's a handful of some companies that caught my eye at Launch:

GreenGoose (Portland, OR) - This sweet app excites the behavioralist in me.  Turn chores into a game, and not have to track it is awesome.  GreenGoose provides sensors on objects that you use during chores or activities such as riding your bike, drinking water, and brushing your teeth.  When you engage in those activities, it is logged onto GreenGoose's system where you can earn points for leading a healthy lifestyle.  There are so many applications for this type of application that it boggles my mind.  I want.

ShoeFitr - For someone who hates shoe shopping (me), I don't this.  I need this.  If you don't know how a different type of shoe will fit, ShoeFitr has a 3D scan of the shoe's interior and compares it to the interior of another shoe you already wear.  You can see how the shoes differ, on the inside. Unique and genius.  I wish this company the very best for my own selfish reasons, so that I can use it when I have to purchase shoes.

NeuAr -

DaQRi - Bring Augmented Reality to you.  This is one slick product.  Instead of

GolfSense - Attach a sensor to your hand, and map out your golf swing.  The muscle memory freak in me LOVES this idea.  This type of technology can help people work on their jump shots, triple axels, and even crossfit feats.  You'll get to see a picture of your activity, and you can analyze it and improve it.  While the pitched was called GolfSense, the company has ideas for expanding it into other sports and activities. 

Spork (San Francisco, CA) -

Stomp.io (Boston, MA) - Meetup meets adrenaline junkies.  The premises of this website is that you meet up with a group of strangers (or not so strangers) and engage in some crazy type of activity, like sqquireel fishing.  Stomp.io took a group of conference attendees to

LifeProof (San Diego, CA) - Snowproof, waterproof, dirtproof, and shockproof cases for iphone and ipad lover in your life. I'm notoirously clumsy and active, and I to great lengths to protect me gadgets.  This is the only device (currently) that will protect your beloved iphone or ipad from water.  That's right.  Shoot video in under six feet of water. 

Domo (Japan) -