AEA Seattle
Published 17 years, 4 months pastWith AEA Austin looming just ahead, it’s probably well past time for me to say something about AEA Seattle. Hey, what’s a couple of months between friends?
I’ve only been to Seattle once before, not counting a plane-to-car connection on my way to Vancouver, and that was four years ago for Web Design World. I didn’t get a lot of time to see the city back then, so I was glad to get in a day early for AEA and hang out with Jeffrey. As it turns out, we spent most of that Sunday exploring the Pike Street Market. You might think that wouldn’t be a particularly lengthy or interesting activity, but for Jeffrey and me, there were many and varied delights to be found in the nooks and crannies of the sprawling complex.
Also, we were there just at the height of the Fifth Annual Buskers’ Festival, so there was quite a variety of entertainment to be had. All in all, I had a great time drinking in some of the local flavor of Seattle, even if I passed on drinking coffee at the original Starbucks. We put some photos up on Flickr, though not so many of mine as of Jeffrey’s. There is also the usual event Flickr pool, if you’re in to that sort of thing.
The event itself was great. The venue, the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, was flat-out fantastic. I had no idea there was a venue possessing an entire auditorium filled with Aeron chairs and stable wifi, but there it was, and we were in it. Lights, sound, projection—everything was top-notch and seamless. For anyone who wants to do an event for 200 – 300 people, I’d definitely look at Bell Harbor. They have some smaller rooms as well, and while they might not be quite as sweet as the main auditorium, the professional service would be no different.
Our feedback indicates that people liked what they heard, except me during the critiques. Apparently, I came off as something of a jerk. I’d been aiming for humorously blunt, which in retrospect was a mis-step—not because it came off wrong, but because it’s a poor fit for my public demeanor, which is why it came off wrong. Live and learn.
So belated thanks to everyone who came down to the waterfront to see us do our thing, including one person from deep in my past… but that story will have to wait for another time.