[HTML3]If there’s one request I hear more than any other, it’s this: I wish Portland had more events where people could show off the stuff they’re building. To which I always reply, “I hear you. It’s not that people aren’t getting the chance to do that—it’s happening at user groups every week—it’s just that there is no central ‘big event’ where that occurs.”
But that may be changing, this week. You see, to celebrate the grand opening of NedSpace Old Town, the folks at NedSpace have decided to throw a little shindig, complete with startup demos and all that jazz.
Introducing NedSpace Hellzapoppin’ Demo Night.
Join your startup peers this Wednesday, July 29, at 4 PM. Not only will you get to toast the opening of NedSpace Old Town—the space formerly known as the Vidoop office—you’ll get to see some of the latest and greatest startup projects from the Portland tech scene.
And yes, there will be investors there.
Celebrating, great! Demos, awesome! But what’s with the “Hellzapoppin’” name? Well, according to Wikipedia:
Hellzapoppin’ is a musical revue which was a Broadway hit, running from 22 September 1938 to 17 December 1941, and was at the time the longest-running Broadway musical with 1,404 performances — one of only three plays to run more than 500 performances in the 1930s. [HTML1]
A comedy hodgepodge full of sight gags and slapstick, the show was continually rewritten throughout its run to remain topical…. A circus atmosphere prevailed, with dwarfs, clowns, trained pigeons and audience participation adding to the merriment. The book was by Olsen and Johnson, a comedy team consisting of John “Ole” Olsen and Harold “Chic” Johnson.
Still not making the leap? To make the connection between the Portland startup scene and Hellzapoppin’, GadgetTrak‘s Ken Westin—a NedSpace resident—offers this:
If you are not familiar with Hellzapoppin’ it was a very popular hodgepodge of musical and comedy revue on broadway which enjoyed massive success, even during the Great Depression, it in fact was the longest running Broadway musical at the time.[HTML1]
In the spirit of Hellzapoppin’, [NedSpace] will be presenting successful startups in the Portland area that are thriving even during this economic recession, where Oregon is enjoying a 12.4% unemployment rate. Innovators will be demonstrating their products and ideas in 5 minute demonstrations. Many of the companies not only have products and great ideas, but they are generating revenue and many are thriving regardless of the economy.
And given the weather forecast, here’s hoping that NedSpace Old Town can show off the capabilities of the building’s air conditioning unit, as well. Otherwise, Hellzapoppin’ may become a literal description of the event, as well.
On second thought, it doesn’t matter. I’m going no matter what.
Coworking works; NedSpace and others continue to prove it
While the Portland community is still reeling from the CubeSpace demise—and I can tell you firsthand that includes the folks at NedSpace—it’s great to see members of Portland’s coworking community growing and getting the recognition they so richly deserve.
Because coworking works. And Portland can be one of the places to prove it.
Recently, coworking spaces were formally recognized by the City of Portland in its economic development strategy. That means, that they’ll be part of the infrastructure designed to revive Portland’s economy. It also means that the City recognizes the importance of these types of facilities. But perhaps most importantly, it gives the coworking community a formal document to which they can point.
And just this week, GigaOm published a story on Portland’s coworking community—entitled “How Co-working Works in Portland“—that also got picked up by BusinessWeek Online.
That’s a lot of recent uptake. And we’re sure to see more, soon.
Show off your startup project and see what everyone else is doing
So come on down to Hellzapoppin’ on Wednesday at 4. See the second NedSpace location on NW 5th in Old Town and see your peers show off their cool new projects.
It’s sure to be packed. And it’s sure to be chock full of awesome.
For more information, visit NedSpace. To RSVP for the event, see NedSpace Hellzapoppin on Upcoming.
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UPDATE: WE HAVE A BOOTLEGGER!!! Widmer is graciously donating a keg of their fine Oktoberfest for the event. We recommend showing up early at 4pm for the beer and live music.
Thanks Rick!
There will be live music at the event as well, Boy and Bean ( http://www.myspace.com/boyandbean ) will be performing depression era jazz at the event!
Still looking for sponsors to provide beer and food. If you know any bootleggers or folks who run a speakeasy that can help contact Josh at @technojosh on Twitter