A Whole Lot of Somewhat's Going On

Things got somewhat interesting recently in Washington DC with a whole of somewhat's going on. At a recent AOL book signing event for Sarah Lacy, BusinessWeek writer and author of Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0, SOMEWHAT FRANK'S Frank Gruber and DC Tech TV's Michael Tolosa were Sarah's escorts. The AOL Web 2.0 start-up's meeting at the Dulles Campus and an after party hosted somewhat by iStrategyLabs, SOMEWHAT FRANK, and TECH cocktail kept Sarah, Mike and Frank somewhat busy. Sarah talks about her whirlwind trip to DC in her post, Somewhat Frank and Somewhat Michael Are Somewhat Awesome. Watch video of the event here, at Episode 34 of SOMEWHAT FRANK TV. I was somewhat interested in this and I hope you are as well.

NOTE: For those who wonder, somewhatfortyplus adopted the name from the ever successful blog, www.somewhatfrank.com written by social media and tech expert, Frank Gruber.

Photo attribution: Jen Consalvo

Tornado Coming and This Isn't Kansas

The weather sirens suddenly started blasting their message, take cover, a tornado is coming. Chicagoland had been under a severe weather advisory and even a tornado watch, but that happens on a regular basis. Once the sirens start, however, the only thing to do is run for the basement, cell phone in one hand and flash light in the other.

So there we sat, in the southwest corner of the basement, waiting for the roof to be pulled off. Will it ruin the flowers? Will the closed blinds keep the window glass from flying about? Should I have grabbed my purse?

After a radar update from far away Arlington, VA., and a quick glance outside, time to head back upstairs. High winds blew several small branches onto the ground --- maybe 25 --- but the sky had changed from greenish grey to blue and another storm had moved east. Watch out Dulles, VA.
Photo attribution: somewhatfrank

TECH cocktail CONFERENCE: Huge Success

After months of planning, the first TECH cocktail CONFERENCE came off without a hitch last week at the Loyola University Water Tower Campus, in Chicago. Announced last spring by co-founders Frank Gruber of Somewhat Frank, and Eric Olson of Olson's Observations, the CONFERENCE was as an additional way for the continuously growing TECH cocktail community to meet and learn what the rock star speakers had to share. Almost 300 guests attended the 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. extravaganza! TECH cocktail bags in the photo were a big hit!

As the Event Planner for all things TECH cocktail, the day was thought out in advance, complete with itineraries for all the "players" to avoid any "situations" and the event came off without a hitch. At the 8 a.m. opening, there was extra food if needed, including fresh fruit plates with whole grain muffins and rolls, which were continually replenished, along with various unlimited beverages. No one went hungry. The box lunch was delicious and plentiful -- feeding 300 people in 30 minutes requires complete organization and an outstanding set-up, thanks to Dana Adams of Loyola University Catering. The afternoon snack of lemon bars, brownies, and blondies, with additional fresh fruit and berry trays, kept the audience full and alert until the 5:30 p.m. closing. As a fan of lemon bars, these were the best I've tasted -- lemony and tart.

Nine volunteers kept the registration line moving so guests could check in, get their TECH cocktail tee-shirts and bags, along with their programs, AOL pens and name badges. Co-founders Frank Gruber and Eric Olson were pleased with the first TECH cocktail CONFERENCE and look forward to next year's version. (Frank Gruber, Evan Brown and Eric Olson watch a panel speaking at the conference in the photo.) Event planning ideas will be highlighted this week as I share how to hold an event without a hitch. Stay tuned. TECH cocktail has not only opened my eyes to all things technical, but also allowed me to meet the fabulous technology community from Chicago and beyond. Thanks, TECH cocktail.