Comments on: TechCrunch20 Now Live

By: jim Forbes

jim Forbes — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:15:50 +0000

I wish TechCrunch20 well. Oh, since when did making a profit out of a conference business you produce with up-front money from your own pockets become a bad thing. “Payola my ass.” Life is pay to play and only in someone’s dreams do they get to strut for free just because the founders are “smart,” “connected” or know how to “pitch.” As a former Demo producer I’m obviously prejudiced, but let’s see Arrington make numbers with his model. I made my numbers and worked myself nearly into the grave–one heart attack and one stroke, doing Demo and the newsletters. I use to interview up to 95 companies for every one slot, and i did this because I believed in the industyry and because i knew my product had value. I deeply resent the use of the word “payola” to describe Demo. The only money I received was a paycheck from the parent company, IDG, and I didn’t do anything unethical or criminal in the nearly 10 years I worked as a Demo producer or writer for the newsletter. The descriptor “”payola” in the context of Demo really annoys me. Unlike at least one other conference producer who appears on panels at industry panels, I never once demanded that the conference pay for first class air fare in order for me to attend, or asked for or received any renumeration from companies i selected, other than the same fees I charged other companies (I know, how egalitarian of me). Oh one other thing, when a name rporter brought their daughter to Agenda, I personaly volunteered to watch her daughter while she schmoozed up attendees. Furthermore, I regularly provided discount passes when it seemed a company needed such passes to present its products to my audiences. If Demo had been “Payola” My retirement boat would be a lot longer than its current 18 feet and I would now be living on a piece of property much bigger than my micro-grove here on a little mountaintop in rural SanDiego County next to Camp Pendleton. Finally, very rarely would a company blink when I explained what our business model was, and not one company ever told me that felt as if they had been held up or taken advatnage of. I am extremely proud of my time at Demo and I wish TechCrun20 all the best in the world. Sincerely,

Jim Forbes (retired DEMO producer, turned farmer)

By: BobsYourUncle

BobsYourUncle — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:48:30 +0000

“Does the world need another American Idol-style pitch conference for startups? …Anyone who’s been to any of these launch conferences knows how unproductive they can be…”

Can anyone give me feedback on the “Under the Radar” conferences put on my Dealmaker Media? The above comment has me wondering.

Our company was invited, but I’m still trying to figure out if it’s anything special.

Link: http://www.undertheradarblog.com/under_the_radar_conference.html

By: vDemo Blog » Blog Archive » Techcrunch20 creates free ‘DEMO’ for start ups

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:48:11 +0000

[...] Arrignton of Techcrunch excitedly announced the launch of Techcrunch20 on Monday, after hinting on this conference earlier in [...]

By: Ajax Girl

Ajax Girl — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:31:50 +0000

[...] submissions and attendee registrations. The dedicated blog is published at techcrunch20.com/blog. GigaOm was the first to write about this, followed by Jessica Gwynn at the San Francisco [...]

By: TechCrunch20 Conference Site Live

TechCrunch20 Conference Site Live — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:47:11 +0000

[...] submissions and attendee registrations. The dedicated blog is published at techcrunch20.com/blog. GigaOm was the first to write about this, followed by Jessica Gwynn at the San Francisco [...]

By: Techcrunch20 Details | New Web Order - Nik Cubrilovic

Techcrunch20 Details | New Web Order - Nik Cubrilovic — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:22:43 +0000

[...] Katie at GigaOm just broke the news that the website and details for the much-anticipated Techcrunch20 conference are now live. The conference is an idea put together by Mike Arrington and Jason Calacanis who both shared a sentiment that there was a clear potential for a conference where startups are able to participate without outlaying thousands of dollars. While there are similar models out there, Techcrunch20 promises to be a premier event with a very high profile audience and will be accessible for startups looking to make a break but might not necasserily have the financial clout to attract attention. [...]

By: Somewhat Frank

Somewhat Frank — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:14:14 +0000

TechCrunch 20 Conference Details Released...

Mike Arrington of TechCrunch has just announced the details of the TechCrunch20 conference at the VC 2.0 session he moderated at the Web 2.0 Expo. The conference is being co-organized by Jason Calacanis and Mike Arrington and sponsored by Sequoia...

By: Dean Collins

Dean Collins — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:13:04 +0000

Yeh I think this is a great idea, I’ll definitely be submitting http://www.Mexuar.com as a candidate.

Cheers, Dean@Mexuar.com

By: Ali

Ali — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:15:46 +0000

Good luck to Arrington and Calacanis.

By: P. G.

P. G. — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:17:45 +0000

It will be interesting to see the final outcome of the conference. Goodluck to Arrington and Calacanis.