A couple weekends ago, Digital Trends threw a party.
It wasn’t really your normal party, though. Instead of live music and a dance floor, we brought out some of our favorite tech toys and invited the public to come check ‘em out with us — and have a few microbrews in the process.
On display at this inaugural TechPop event, we had a veritable smorgasbord of gadgets and gizmos for everyone to enjoy. There were VR games running in one corner, 3D printers pumping out party favors on demand, and a fleet of tiny demo drones zipping around above our heads. It was the most bombastically nerdy event we’ve ever thrown, and it was an absolute blast.
We’re honestly not sure who had more fun: us, or the innocent bystanders who stumbled their way into the crazy silicon circus we had going on. Based on what we heard at the confessional booth, everyone in attendance had a great time — but the crew who put gave everyone demos seemed to have just as much fun blowing everyone’s minds with high-tech show-and-tell presentations.
Thing is, us DT staffers get to play with new tech every day of the week, so over time, all these amazing gizmos tend to lose their luster to a certain degree. But watching people experience all this stuff for the first time —flying drones, shooting virtual zombies, and watching 3D printed Bulbasaurs get made— was a thrilling and rejuvenating experience for us. Everyone’s enthusiasm and excitement was totally infectious, and we all left the event feeling just as stoked and excited about tech as we did when we first started working at DT. We also walked away with a few business cards, new friends, and awesome project ideas — so we definitely got more out of this party than we bargained for.
By all accounts, our first TechPop was a resounding success, so we’re definitely going to keep this gravy train rolling and throw some more parties like this in the future — and not just in PDX, either. We’ve got offices all over the US, and plan to take this show on the road in the not-so-distant future. If you’re interested in joining the fun, head to TechPOP.com to check out our schedule of upcoming events. You can also tell us what kind of tech you’d like to see by chirping at us on Twitter using #TechPOP and tagging @DigitalTrends on your tweet. Trust us, you don’t want to miss the next one!
