Geeks, Entrepreneurs, Designers, Angels, VCs, and Marketeers ..... Let's Mix It Up!

Minnebar is Saturday, May 10!  MInnesota's all-day annual Barcamp event is not to be missed.  New venue this year (bigger and better): the gloriously redone Coffman Union at the U of MN (cool place if you haven't checked it out yet). To sign up, just go the event site (a wiki page), hit Edit Page, and add your name and links. (Minnebar is held once a year, while evening "Minnedemo" sessions are held in each of the other three quarters.) Already, almost 300 of your compatriots have signed up for this year's edition of Minnebar, and many more will be as the week progresses. It's free! That's right -- the whole damn thing! (thanks to the sponsors) ... including breakfast, lunch, reception and beers following. You even get a free event t-shirt! And you can come and go as you please, choosing just the sessions that interest you -- though I would highly recommend hanging out all day for the networking, which is really the biggest benefit. You can do your own session if you and/or some colleagues have something to say (and if there's still room). Hit the link that says MinneBarSessions, click Edit Page, and add your title and session description while you still can. In the coming days, the organizers will be cutting off new entries and publishing a full schedule with all the breakout sessions. That should then be available at the event site, or you can pick up a hard copy on your arrival. Come early -- the event kicks off at 8:30 am.

Attention Startups and Angels: Note the "Lightning Talks" Session
On the MInneBarSessions page, scroll down and look for a link to apply to give a five-minute pitch.  Ideal if you're a startup, whether just forming or further along. An entire hour is being devoted to these rapid-fire presentations. This is a great way to see what's going on out there in our state, hear the latest business concepts and startup ideas, or get updates on the progress of local startups you may have already heard about. [This will be like the DEMO conferences I know so well. My advice: hone the message hard, and practice well!]

This event is gonna be killer, I promise you. If you want to know what's really goin' on in tech in Minnesota, you have to be here. Bring lots of business cards, a camera, your laptop (we'll have mondo wi-fi!), wear your favorite tee, and get ready to learn, share, network, gab, blog and Twitter your brains out, and meet tons of fun, like-minded people.

Hey, in my book, it definitely beats sittin' on some cold lake fishing!  :-)