Wrap-up of Casual Connect 2010 and Seattle

So it’s been a great AND busy week, so much that I haven’t had the time to update my blog! So here it is, a wrap-up of Casual Connect 2010 and Seattle, written while packing my bags!

Tuesday was rough as I had food poisonning. Let’s leave it at that.

BUT

Wednesday, the fun began. I was still feeling ill but had a great show to visit and a lot of meetings planned. It was my first time at Casual Connect so I didn’t quite know what to expect. Well it’s not called Casual Connect for nothing. Talk about doing business in a casual atmosphere. Really lovely.

I had the chance to meet with a lot of people from all over the globe and get the word around regarding MIGS. If only for that, it was totally worth it.

I also had the chance of attending of few sessions – my favorite being the Hype VS Real deal moderated by Joel Brodie.

At night, us Canadians were cordially invited at the Consulate for a Canada cocktail party, which was a total success. Kudos to Neil and Duane for organizing the whole thing. They even made us feel right at home with Quebec beer!

I then had dinner with Olivier from Fugitive Interactive and Jean-Robert from Monde Media at TASTE, the Seattle Art Museum Restaurant. Delicious wine, delicious food, delicious company. We had to eat a little before going to the HUGE FREAKING PARTY thrown by WildTangeant at the… Aquarium of all places! Gambling, open bar, prizes… all this among fish tanks and all. Really, really fun!

And today was the last day. Much quieter yet I once again got a really good vibe from the meetings I conducted. Things are looking good for MIGS! I even had the chance to attend the very last minute session offered by Marc De Loura, game evangelist for Google regarding the Chrome Web Store…

I enjoyed my last meal at Wild Ginger were I had an exquisite seven flavour beef with jasmine rice and porcini and shitake mushrooms paired with a californian syrah. DELICIOUS. And awesome service. The best way to end my trip, that’s for sure. But I was truly content once I saw the waterfront for the last time, with the sun slowly setting…

All in all, I found Seattle to be a lot like San Francisco for the hills, the tramways, the west coast atmosphere, the generous people… but with a much more local flare. I stopped counting how many restaurants mentionned on their menu that x% of the products used in their kitchen is grown locally or the ones only showcasing wines from the Washington valley or Oregon. Awesome! And a special mention to that multiethnic vibe, present all over the city but particulary at Pike Place Market. Like a certain Hilton would say… LOVES IT!