Upstairs, men sip beer and banter about the hockey game on TV, while couples chat quietly over their meals. But downstairs, the vibe in the Clocktower Brew Pub is anything but ordinary.
The room is packed with about 60 people, their attention focused on the speaker. His name is Luc Levesque and he’s the general manager of TravelPod, a blogging company. He’s showcasing the Traveller IQ Challenge, a website application that tests a person’s knowledge of geography.
It names a city, and asks the player to pinpoint its location on a map. Using a laptop, Levesque shows the results on the big projection screen behind him.
He says some people find the game so addicting, they play it again and again. Hegives an example of a housewife in Long Island who played it 9,000 times; the room explodes into laughter.
Levesque is just one of the seven presenters at Ottawa’s DemoCamp. The event aims to connect entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in an informal setting where they can share ideas.
Richard Mayer, vice-president of marketing at Protecode, attends DemoCamp to promote his add-on utility to the software environment.
“Our product [Protecode] is new and we want to introduce it,” he says. “DemoCamp provides informal exposure and feedback. It’s a cross-pollination of ideas.”
Some attendees, such as Craig Fitzpatrick, CEO of Devshop, have been to every DemoCamp.
Held every two months or so, the event’s attendance is rising steadily, organizers say. January was its seventh installment. People spread the word through word of mouth, blogs, and e-mails.
“I’ve met more people in the last two years because of these events than I’ve met in my entire career in an office setting,” says Fitzpatrick, whose company specializes in software project management. “The networking is amazing.”
The pub on Bank Street is a favoured location, because participants come from all over the city, and Centretown seems to be the ideal place to gather.
Attendees sign up through
DemoCamp’s wiki website where they can also sign up to present their product.
This is done on a first-come, first-served basis. Each participant has 15 minutes: two – to be introduced by the MC, eight – to talk about their demo, and five – to chat with the
audience. PowerPoints are prohibited to encourage presenters to be as interactive as possible.
“DemoCamp rests on three principles: openness, inclusiveness and transparency,” says Ian Graham, organizer. “There are all sorts of projects bubbling up in the community. DemoCamp allows these to be brought forward.”
Presentations are diverse, and include but are not limited to software, animation, web development, cartoon production, and musical instruments.
Nicolas Papadopoulos, professor of marketing and international business at Carleton University, says there is a trend towards conducting business in informal environments, like DemoCamp.
“The ‘experiential buy’ is an idea that when a consumer wants to buy something, he doesn’t just want the product but the experience of the purchase as well,” Papadopoulos says.
“Today, presentation is very important. In fact, a lot of research shows that enhancing this experience makes the buyer happier.”
And the momentum is growing. Many new attendees say they will definitely be back with friends and colleagues.
Although no exact date has been finalized yet, the upcoming
DemoCamp is expected to take place sometime in the next few months.