The PopSugar/TechCrunch Geek Goes Chic party in Los Angeles is over. The final count - over 1,300 paid attendees plus another 800 on the private guest list. In all, over 2,100 people attended the event last Thursday.
It was our largest event to date, twice as large as the thousand-person events we normally have. And based on feedback, it was a lot of fun for everyone. The only problem was that there were so many people, distributed in three main areas, that it was nearly impossible to find anyone that you were specifically looking for. We’re hoping to have a messaging system on a big screen at the next party to help people find each other.
$13,250 Being Donated To OpenId And DataPortability
As always, we’re donating 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales to charity. We charge $10 to get in the door primarily to reduce no-shows, but we’ve been able to donate tens of thousands of dollars to charity from the gate fees from previous events as well. This time we’re splitting the proceeds between the OpenID Foundation and the DataPortability WorkGroup. Each will receive $6,625 to further their goals of opening up identity and data on the Internet.
Event Wrapup
Thank you to everyone who attended. At one point I looked around and saw nothing but a sea of people, and took the picture to the right (and that was just 1 out of 3 main areas of the venue). I wasn’t able to meet everyone, but I tried. And the people I did meet came from a fascinating mix of backgrounds.
Photos for the event can be found at the TechCrunchMeetup12 tag and on our sponsor site PicApp here. I also want to thank all of our sponsors for the event. Many thanks to our platinum sponsors MySpace, Engage, Global Grind, Velocity Interactive Group, The Rubicon Project, and Geni. We also thank e.factor, CoComment, DimDim, DocStoc, Mahalo, This Next, PicApp, Meebo, ArtistForce, Media Temple, EventBrite, LotusVodka, PerkettPR, Mo’jiva and MailChimp. See more on all of the sponsors on the official party page.
Brian Solis and the Bub.blicio.us team captured lots of photo and video highlights for us. We’ve posted official MeetUp photos, videos and other evening highlights on our dedicated MeetUp page
Lastly I want to thank the whole team at PopSugar for co-hosting the event with us. Let’s do it again next year!
PS - If you’ve written about the event, leave a link in the comments and we’ll add it to the post.
You should throw a party in Philadelphia. It’s the new media capital of the east coast.
Impressive. Throw one in Beijing…
I don’t really get the suits at parties thing. That photo looks odd. I’d show at a Philly meet-up, but I’d be in a t-shirt (from startupschwag.com most likely).
@Dan Grossman,
I totally agree…schwag is chic, too! I was only just barely talked into wearing a cocktail dress.
This was my first TC party. Based on the history I had pretty big expectations for the event. But to be honest I was kinda let down.
2,000 people spread across 3 rooms was too much for me. Instead of adding a messaging system for your next event, please make it more intimate.
At the end of the night I was trying to put my finger on it and I realized that it could have been anyone’s geek party. I didn’t seem to have the “TechCrunch” stamp on it. Anyone else feel the same way?
pete
OpenId And DataPortability are “charity”? I’m guessing you meant “tax-exempt non-profit organizations”.
“Charity” implies organizations like “Soup Kitchen for Starving MySpace Musicians”.
What was discussed, presented, etc…
or was this just a party meetup?
looks fun.
Pete - we have smaller events all the time as well. I agree, it’s a lot of people.
I would definitely attend the next one. If you have one. Mike thanks for kicking out valleyvag
Great idea to give that money to those two groups!
I wanted to thank you and PopSugar for putting on the event. I had so much fun! Perry Ferrell was a great dj!
Unfortunately, I was the only one there from a (female) gaming online community. It was also very difficult to talk to others because of the volume level.
I am definitely looking forward to attending smaller events in LA so that I can network more.
Trina - I can’t tell you how much it pisses me off that we can’t get background music going at these events without it being too loud to talk. Our event at August Capital in the summer is much better in that regard, although it’s nearly impossible to get in.
$13K = Less than the price of a private jet ticket from the USA to Davos!
You wanted to donate 100% of the proceeds which is astounding, but to OpenID and DataPortability which has the internet’s heavyweights behind them? Is that a joke? With all the bad shit going on in the world that is the best you could think of to donate to? I would have been happier if you kept the money to be honest.
Hell with that money you could’ve helped 53 kids fix cleft lips and try to live a normal life through smiletrain.com. You are blessed to be in a position where you can actually help people so hopefully next time you do so instead of no-name entities that might or might not accomplish something in the next decade.
Sorry for the rant, but that just seems silly to me.
Perry Ferrell as the DJ? come on TechCrunch - that’s pretty lame. You’re geeks, you can do way better.
As someone who has been an electronic music fan for years, this guy is an ear sore.
Seriously…get Sasha (or any real dj) next time…
Thanks Mike, we had a blast. Looking forward to the next one.
Here’s a link to our preliminary post on the PerkettPR blog featuring a video interview with Dave Cruser of Survivor China:
http://perkettprsuasion.com/20.....la-meetup/
More to come soon.
-Jeff
How about a random plug for OpenID support in Google App Engine. Using Google Accounts is where developers can be locked in - those accounts aren’t leaving the GoogleCloud.
Mike: Great idea, but poor execution. Too loud and too dark. It was next to impossible to network. The sponsors were great, but many were woefully unprepared to market their wares.
Lot’s of fun!!! I think idea with live messaging would be awesome
To me it was neither a party nor a networking event. Music too loud to talk to people and too many people trying to do business to have a real party.
I had an excellent time, Michael - thank you for this. Come back anytime.
Hey Mike,
It was good briefly meeting you. My only complaint with the event was the club lighting which was too dark for what I considered to be more of a networking event.
All in all, good people and good drinks is always a good time.
-Blake
We had an awesome time as well (thanks Techcrunch and Popsugar!), the music didn’t bother us at all — enjoyed the selection and the energy it produced.
We put up our pictures and commentry at the following places (for those that got laser etched):
http://www.etchstar.com/blog/e.....-popsugar/
http://www.etchstar.com/blog/l.....edit-card/
http://flickr.com/photos/laser.....480584826/
I actually spent the last hour outside, where there was no music and plenty of lighting. Only problem was people were smoking out there.
Damn!!! I wish i was there… YOU BASTAADZ!
Nice event. Wasn’t able to stay long, but very glad that I happen to be in LA and was able to attend. Very well produced. Great crowed. Liked the upstairs lounge area. Kudos.
Not only was the TC LA Party fun, but it was valuable because I made a lot of good contacts, met new like minded people and caught up with friends in the tech community. We don’t have too many Tech events out here in LA, so it’s great to see a vibrant community of geeks out here. There were a lot of people, but if you really wanted to talk, the upstairs lounge or outside patio was a perfect place. Who needs a messaging system when we got text msgs / emails?
Agreed Deep. It was fun but a bit loud to chat. We had a good time. Looking forward to the next TC event this summer.
DEMOPiT
Not the “charity” I was expecting, but I like it!
I suppose Engage paying that UCLA sorority to attend was charity as well?
Again, no complaints here…:)
Steve from Dimdim here. Thanks Michael and Heather for a great night. Dimdim had the good fortune of having a TechCrunch post the same day of the event so it was easy and fun for us to showcase Dimdim to everyone. And lots of people signed up for Dimdim Free at our stand! (’cuz it only takes 20 secs)
I was struck by how many people asked us how we’re making money (answer: subscription fees for Enterprise & Pro editions) and how many also congratulated us on our same-day launch. Thanks again TechCrunch.
http://www.dimdim.com
E.Factor is linked to the wrong place again. It should be http://www.efactor.com.
You can find our photos at http://flickr.com/photos/efactor/ or on our facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/photo_.....p;view=all
Please feel free to tag yourself. Thanks for a great evening! I will see you on the E.Factor.
Looking at the pictures, those attending were the ugliest people I have ever seen. For LA, this is sad. I can see why male geeks need the Exotic section at Craigslist….bout the only way to laid in the shade. And the geek women? Can you APW? African pig women. Next time hold this at the zoo, LOL.
Michael - sorry it has taken me so long to post - No connectivity where I am - can you believe it!
Thanks very much for your kind donation to the DataPortability project! It is a much needed and much appreciated gesture!
As for the party, it was awesome. It was big and noisy and flashy - exactly what an LA party should be.
Well done to Heather for all the logistics - fantastic work!
The Techcrunch/ Pop Sugar Party was a fantastic event that featured a lot of great companies. For video coverage of the event check out (http://tinyurl.com/4owvw5)
Mike, Heather and Jeanne,
Thanks again for another great MeetUp. I felt compelled to write here - even though I’m a bit late (and perhaps I’m avoiding late night work) - after reading the comments above - because as you know, we’ve sponsored several of these MeetUps now. From Silicon Valley to NYC, Boston to LA, they each have a unique feeling. And that’s part of what makes them so great. A passion for technology and innovation brings different folks together from all around the country - heck, the world. It’s an excellent thing.
The complaints about the music and the inability to network couldn’t be more inaccurate. Like I said, we’ve been at almost every one of these parties and this by far was the best for us from a networking perspective. People were so friendly, approachable and interesting. We met a ton of great new contacts - from tech companies to chefs, celebrities to TV hosts. Maybe it was just our light up glasses but it was a great night for networking from our perspective. And great to see you all as well, of course. See you again soon.
Chris