It’s no secret that the Portland startup scene boasts a wealth of events. And often, their specificity is as impressive as their programming—from obscure language user groups to hacks that mash together all matter of data and content. But, whenever someone asks what Portland tech event they should plan to attend, the first words out of my mouth—for almost eight years—have been “Mobile Portland.”
Why? Because it was easily the longest running, most consistent, and most well produced event in town. And the caliber of speakers meant the event was always guaranteed to be informative and educational. Regardless of how much technical know-how attendees possessed. Plus, there was the tradition of folks getting time to promote open gigs at their startups or companies.
So many good things.
Now, that’s going to have to change.
March marks the eighth anniversary of Mobile Portland. It will also be the last meeting for our organization.
Mobile Portland has had a remarkable run. We’ve had fascinating topics, compelling speakers, and created a wonderful community. Our decision to create a community device lab spurred a global open device lab movement. And I would like to think that we helped position Portland as a hub of mobile ingenuity.
I always felt that Mobile Portland had a natural lifespan. People don’t attend “Laptop Portland”. And as lines between device classes began to blur and everything started to become connected, mobile as a focus began to make less sense.
Not to mention the fact that eight years is a long time to plan and organize monthly meetings. It is safe to say that we’re all a little burnt out.
I totally get it. Believe me. That said, it will be sad to see this one go.
But hold those sniffles and tears. There are still a few gatherings to attend. Like tonight.
Well done, Grigs and crew. I think I speak for a ton of people when I say thank you.
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It was my absolute pleasure. Thanks again 🙂
Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words. Mobile Portland has been an amazing experience. Thank you for helping promote it and spreading the word.