Ideas on Tap Returns to Vancouver

About eight years ago Yaletown was a silicon wasteland with regular office furniture auctions held for leftover desks and office supplies from sunken tech startups. If you were aware of the technology world or the stock market at that time you probably remember this as the Canada’s version of the “dotcom crash”. Just years before there was a thriving tech community in Vancouver, and Yaletown was the startup mecca. As such, it was home to regular networking events called “Ideas on Tap”, which unfortunately also went the way of the web world stock market in 1999.

In October of 2000 I was working at the streaming media company that soon turned into the world’s largest webcaster of financial audio and this dismal time for web 1.0 actually helped my company grow (because others still had to deliver their bad news to shareholders somehow – thanks RegFD!). However Vancouver’s technological landscape had shifted from networking events with brews and good spirits into a struggling crater from which (luckily) a bigger and better scene has emerged.

The other day I was contacted by Chris Breikss of 6sMarketing to participate in an upcoming event. John and I signed on to attend yet it wasn’t until this morning that I realized it was for a resurrected Ideas on Tap.

Ideas on Tap is a light business networking event for hi-tech professionals in Vancouver plus internet advertisers, social media marketers, bloggers, video game developers and other fans of the tech community.

This free event will feature a competition where 5 contestants deliver a 60 second pitch, idea, recruiting message, or elevator pitch from a milk crate. This could be talking about their company, a start-up idea, new technology, hiring, or raising capital.

The audience will vote for their 2 favourite pitches and prizes will be awarded. The event is being held in the Yaletown Brewing Company, Vancouver’s favourite brewpub. In sticking with the theme of the venue, voting will be done by tapping beer glasses on tables or bars.

I’m pleased to be a part of this community that is once again thriving and to me, Ideas on Tap means a lot as it was something I encountered at the very beginning of my online career. Consider coming by on October 16th as we celebrate this event, the companies, and the people who have helped grow Techcouver into what it is today. Brains, Business, and Beer. The first event is October 16 at 5pm. Register Now.