.

Category: Lunch2.0

SplashCast to Host Lunch 2.0, Friendly Ghosts Invited

Rick Turoczy on August 3, 2008

Last Friday I signed up two more Lunch 2.0 hosts at two very cool places in Portland.

First, SplashCast wants to show off its new(ish) office space in Old Town, and not just any building in Old Town, the old Merchant Hotel.

You know, the same building that Old Town Pizza inhabits, directly above the infamous Portland Shanghai Tunnels, the haunted one. That building.

While the Merchant’s old lobby is the home to OTP now, SplashCast is up on the third floor, presumably occupying space that once was one or two guest rooms way back in the day. Kim Ramage has done a great job fixing up the space, and she’s eager to have you all come by for some lunch. So, now the skinny:

splashcast.jpgHosts: SplashCast

Where: 226 NW Davis, 3rd Floor, Portland, OR, 97209 (we’ll have signs and spirit hosts to guide you)

When: September 17, 2008 from 12:00 to 2:00 PM

RSVP on Upcoming

The space isn’t huge, so the RSVP if you’re definitely coming. We’ll turn off the list at 60 or so; if you’re not sure, decide on that day and cruise by later. The crowd generally thins out after 1:00 PM as people head back to work.

As always, if you want to nom veggie or vegan, add a comment on the Upcoming event indicating your culinary desires.

In case you missed it, Rick is celebrating his first birthday as the Silicon Florist with a Lunch 2.0 on August 13 at CubeSpace. RSVP for that event here, and stay tuned for another Lunch 2.0 announcement for October.

No such a thing as free lunch? There will be when Silicon Florist hosts Portland Lunch 2.0

Rick Turoczy on July 29, 2008

After all of this posting about Portland Lunch 2.0 and attending Portland Lunch 2.0 and acquiring Portland Lunch 2.0, it seemed only proper that I actually put my money where my mouth is. So I thought it might be nice if I actually took the dive and hosted a Portland Lunch 2.0.

And I would really, truly be honored if you had a few moments to attend.

I’m planning to hold it August 13. And CubeSpace has been kind of enough to offer up space for the event.

I’m really hoping you can make it.

Do I sound desperate? Good. Because I am.

Rest assured, I’ve got a couple of other things up my sleeve. So, hopefully, there will be a free lunch and a little bit more.

But in any case, it would be really nice to see you. I mean, we’ve been so busy this summer. And I want to make sure that you’re doing okay. Oh, and I want to have you meet some of the other folks who make Portland such a cool place for startups.

Silicon Florist turns one

One other thing? Holding this event in August is kind of special to me, because one year ago this August, I woke up at 2 AM, registered a surprisingly available URL, and started Silicon Florist.

So, this is a celebration of sorts. An anniversary. Or a birthday. Or whatever you want to call it.

It would be great to see you on August 13. Please take a moment to save the date by RSVPing on Upcoming for this get together. And soon, there will be more exciting news about what’s happening. Maybe.

Tell your friends. Everyone is welcome. Techie or not.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

P.S. If you’re a Web-based, Web-oriented, or Mobile-based startup in the Silicon Forest—whether I’ve had the opportunity to cover you or not—why not take a few moments to send a logo to siliconflorist at gmail? I’d like to see if we can’t work on getting your name out there at this event.

Did You Know Seattle Has Lunch 2.0 Too?

Rick Turoczy on July 26, 2008

seattle.gifAnd not Lunch 2.0.2, but rather Lunch 2.0 also.

Josh Maher started a chapter in Seattle a little over a year ago, and they’ve been very active at both large and small hosts. I contacted Josh early this year for any tips and advice he could share before starting a chapter.

If you travel up to Seattle a lot, or are headed there soon, check out their wiki and for details.

Josh and I spoke recently about our the Portland chapter, which apparently is one of the few that hosts regular events, along with the Silicon Valley/Bay Area orignial chapter and the Seattle one. He also invited any Portlanders/Vancouverites up to enjoy the Seattle flavor of Lunch 2.0. So, if you’re going to be up in the  Emerald City, check out their take on Lunch 2.0 and report back with your thoughts.

Otherwise, it’s a roadtrip. I guess if anyone’s up for that, you could carpool up there on a diplomatic mission. Of course, as Rick pointed out, the beauty of Lunch 2.0 is that it’s local and convenient, neither of which fits a trip up to Seattle.

Anyway, it’s an open invitation, and obviously, Josh is welcome to come down to do Portland Lunch 2.0, assuming I can convince someone to host one.

Lunch 2.0 Needs Hosts

Rick Turoczy on July 25, 2008

Lunch 2.0 just finished its fifth iteration last week at souk. Let’s take a minute to look back at the five lunches and thank the hosts:

February 28, 2008: AboutUs
April 9, 2008: eROI
May 28, 2008: Vidoop
June 30, 2008: Wieden+Kennedy
July 16, 2008: souk

Ah, good times. Thanks for the memories.

So, now that we’re done basking in the afterglow of tasty eats and good conversation, let’s get back to business.

I have a few leads, but nothing solid for the next Lunch 2.0. So, gentle reader, I need your help.

Does your place of work have what it takes to host a Lunch 2.0? Not that it takes much, as Rick previously documented.

Do you know a great place that would love to host a Lunch 2.0?  Ideally, you have a contact there, so I don’t have to walk in like Michael Corleone.

If so, I’d love to hear your ideas. Find the comments and let me know, or tweet at me.

Bot Recap of Lunch 2.0 at souk

Rick Turoczy on July 17, 2008

souklogo.jpgLunch 2.0 happened yesterday at flexible workspace provider souk in Old Town, and even though I didn’t make it, the accounts I’m hearing are overwhelmingly positive.

Dawn and Todd graciously agreed to MC the event, in my absence, and approximately 75 people came through during the two-hour lunch.  Julie, the gracious host, had Thai food for everyone with lots of vegetarian options. The food was well-received and completely gone by the end.

heathertodd.jpgDawn tells me souk’s space was great for conversations, the wheeled tables and chairs allowing for spontaneous rearrangements to accommodate the constantly morphing threads of discussion. While people sat to eat, they had in depth conversations, but as eating finished, people stood up to mingle, cocktail party style. Apparently, the chatting went right up to the end, which is awesome

Sounds like a great time. I’m bummed that I missed it.

If you hurry over to Summize, newly acquired by Twitter, you can catch the tweets from yesterday about Lunch 2.0 to get a running chronology of how it went.

I caught a few “what is Lunch 2.0” tweets in the mix. So, we still have some collective education to do. Dawn reported that in addition to the usual suspects we see at Lunch 2.0 (and Beer and Blog, Barcamp, Ignite, Legion of Tech Talks, you know the hardcore community people), there were a lot of new faces. This is good.

soukbooth.jpgAaron Hockley, the default Lunch 2.0 photographer, has posted some great (as usual) shots in his photostream. Julie has an album as well. Check these out if, like me you didn’t get there.

Thanks again to Julie for hosting a great lunch.

As of now, there aren’t any solid plans for the next iteration of Lunch 2.0 Portland. I have a few leads, but nothing definite. If you want your company to host one, or you know a place that would love to have the Portland community in for lunch, let me know in comments.

Photos courtesy of Aaron Hockley used under Creative Commons.

Portland Lunch 2.0 roadmap

Rick Turoczy on June 27, 2008

Portland Lunch 2.0, admittedly a continually evolving work-in-progress, has quickly taken a firm hold—and sparked some interesting conversations—in the Portland tech community.

And like developing any product, even though the Portland Lunch 2.0 team (read Jake Kuramoto) hasn’t launched the latest version of their product—that version will launch on Monday—the team is already hard at work on the next version.

So, I thought it might be helpful to step into a product manager role, ever so briefly. Just so you can get the milestones and release schedule on your calendar.

Let’s take a glance at the product roadmap:

  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 will be released Monday, June 30, at Wieden + Kennedy
    “On Monday June 30th, the PDX Tech/Tweeple community is cordially invited to join 50-100 W+K employees for a “blind date meets grade school birthday party” ad/tech extravaganza. It’s going to be a fun, it’s going to be quirky, and it’s going to rock RockBand style (literally).”
  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP5 will be released Wednesday, July 16, at souk
    “The Portland Lunch 2.0 saga continues at flex term office space provider souk, once again in Old Town on July 16, 2008. We won’t stop until we have Lunch 2.0 at every, single business in Old Town.”
  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP6 will be released…?

For more information or to RSVP, visit Upcoming for the Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 and Portland Lunch 2.0 SP5 RSVP lists. If you’re interested in hosting SP6 or a later release, please ping Jake Kuramoto.

Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4: Code name “Wieden + Kennedy”

Rick Turoczy on June 9, 2008

Update (June 10, 2008): The format for Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 has been revised.

Details have just been released for Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 and it’s going to be a little different than the “come one, come all” format that’s governed your attendance—or possible attendance—at the first three.

Hosted by Portland’s favorite advertising juggernaut—Wieden + Kennedy—on June 30, Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 will come with a catch: It’s going to be a more exclusive gig, with a limited number of tickets available to those hoping to attend.

On Monday June 30th, 50-100 people are cordially invited to join 50-100 W+K employees for a “blind date meets grade school birthday party” ad/tech extravaganza. It’s going to be a fun, it’s going to be quirky, and it’s going to rock RockBand style (literally).

So how do you get behind the velvet rope? Don’t worry, gentle reader. We’ll make sure your name is on the list.

Well, if you show up on June 16, that is.

In order to get the most out of this event, we ask that you swing by the W+K lobby on June 16th (next Monday) between 6-9pm to pick up a ticket package. This package will contain information about your Lunch 2.0v4 “date”, directions/instructions, and a ticket to the event.

On June 16, I’ll hope to see you at the doors of the W+K home base in the Pearl, clamoring with the throngs hoping to get a ticket. And I swear, if you elbow me in the chops the way you did to get into the first Ignite Portland at W+K, I’m not going to be happy.

Interested in attending Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4? Well, you can RSVP on Upcoming. But as I’ve said, that’s not going to do you much good. It will, however, give you an idea of the competition against which you’ll be struggling for that coveted golden ticket to Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4.

Update: This format for Portland Lunch 2.0 has sparked some interesting discussion, starting with Aaron Hockley and continuing with Bram Pitoyo.

Portland Lunch 2.0 SP3: Vidoop, hard hats, and bacon-wrapped dates

Rick Turoczy on May 30, 2008

Portland Lunch 2.0 Vidoop hard hats by Aaron HockleyContinuing its line of successful—and relatively bug-free—releases, Portland Lunch 2.0 launched its latest incarnation, last Wednesday, at Vidoop in Old Town. So I guess this one was a “security” release. Or maybe Lunch 2.0 now supports OpenID. Or something.

In any case, a well attended Portland Lunch 2.0 promises one thing for sure: lots o’ blog posts and other fodder. So, here’s your round-up.

  • Flickr photos tagged “Portland” and “Lunch 2.0“
  • Portland Chapter Completes Third Iteration, Teases Fourth
    “Bacon and OpenID were the themes at yesterday afternoon’s Lunch 2.0, graciously hosted by OpenID provider Vidoop.”
  • Lunch 2.0: Portland style
    “Since the ideas of a) free lunch, and b) geeks gathered were both good ones, Lunch 2.0 became an unofficially official thing. Since then the idea has spread all over the world, but taken a special hold in Portland where we have loads of tech companies.”
  • Lunch 2.0, the Vidoop version
    “I also noticed that the crowd seems to have expanded. From my standpoint, what started out as a mostly techie crowd now seems to include a lot of marketing folks as well as some of the general Portland Twitterati.”
  • Portland Lunch 2.0
    “Lunch 2.0 is one of the best way to meet people in Portland’s thriving tech scene—the other being BarCamp Portland and Startupalooza.”
  • Trails and Lunch 2.0
    “This afternoon I attended Lunch 2.0 here in Portland, OR. It was hosted by Vidoop, the creators of an OpenID product they say foils both phishing and key logging. I created an account, chose my 3–5 images, and logged in and out of it. It seems interesting, so likely more to come on that one as well.”
  • There’s no such thing as a free lunch
    “So Cami’s easy… a free hardhat and bacon wrapped goodness plus a room full of interesting people totally warrants a mention on my blog.”

Did I miss your post on the Portland Lunch 2.0 that was? Please comment. I’d be more than happy to link it up.

Photo Credit: Aaron Hockley. Used under Creative Commons license.

Same Portland Lunch 2.0 building, new Portland Lunch 2.0 host, also bacon

Rick Turoczy on May 7, 2008

Sad that you missed seeing the eROI space at the last Portland Lunch 2.0? Well, wipe away those tears, gentle reader. We can get you close.

The latest Portland Lunch 2.0 date and location have been announced. And, as luck would have it, it’s in the same exact spot, only one floor down.

Vidoop, one of the ever-burgeoning residents of the eROI-owned space in Old Town, has volunteered to host the next Portland Lunch 2.0, to be held May 28. Those interested in attending can RSVP via Upcoming.

This lunch marks a celebration of sorts for the Vidoop team, in a Welcome Wagon sort of way:

From what I hear, this will be a cool time for Vidoop. Apparently, their entire Tulsa office is transplanting itself to Portland this month, in an epic roadtrip. So, this will be a great chance to welcome them to Portland and give them a taste of how we do Lunch 2.0 here.

No word on the amount of bacon to be had. (Knowing the hosts, I’m assuming this is not an “if” question, but rather a “how much” question.) But, rumor has it that Ford’s on Fifth may be tapped to cater the event.

Jake Kuramoto, the energy behind Portland’s version of Lunch 2.0, has said he’s interested in squeezing a few more Portland Lunch 2.0 gatherings into the summer months. So, if you’re interested in hosting, please ping Jake on Twitter or feel free to comment below.

Future Portland Lunch 2.0 hosts include Wieden + Kennedy and maybe, just maybe, yours truly. But first, let’s all head on over to see Vidoop’s new digs.

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

Portland Lunch 2.0: Five reasons to host

Rick Turoczy on April 15, 2008

Well, the second Portland Lunch 2.0 at eROI sounds like it was a rousing success. And I know the inaugural Portland Lunch 2.0 at AboutUs was a great gathering, as well.

So where are we going next? Word is that we might be headed over to Wieden + Kennedy. But, who else is going to host Portland Lunch 2.0?

Will we stay in Old Town? Or go back to the East side of the river? Will it be one of the companies founded in Portland? Or will it be one of the interesting new transplants here in town? Maybe one of the organizations supporting entrepreneurs and Portland development will want to get in on the act? Or maybe one of the coworking spaces will want to show off their illustrious digs? Or maybe—just maybe—it’s time for Silicon Florist to step up to the (lunch) plate?

So many questions I have. And so few answers.

Personally, just between you and me, I’m thinking that your company should be one of the next ones to host. I mean, don’t tell anyone I told you, but honestly, your company is one of my favorites here in town. And if you want to keep it that way, then maybe you should consider hosting. If you catch my drift.

Not enough to convince you? Fine.

Here are some reasons from Jake Kuramoto, the driving force behind Portland Lunch 2.0, as to why you should think about hosting sign up to host Portland Lunch 2.0:

  1. You have a kickass company, tech or otherwise.
  2. You want to promote your company to potential customers, partners, and employees.
  3. You attended a Lunch 2.0 in Portland or elsewhere and thought “that would rock at my company.”
  4. You really want to re/introduce your kickass company to Portland’s geeks and others, maybe in a sweet new office space.
  5. You read all the reasons why you should attend Lunch 2.0 and want to, but you’re chained to your desk during working hours.
  6. Bonus, you’re into karma and want to reciprocate the free lunches you got from AboutUs and eROI.

Ah ha. See? That’s more like it. Now that you’re interested in hosting Portland Lunch 2.0, please comment below, letting us know when it would be convenient for a throng of creative, intelligent, interesting, and, well, hungry Portlanders to descend upon your workspace.

I’m looking forward to seeing your office and hearing your pitch.

1 … 9 10 11 12