Here's the crib notes of the first 1.5 days of VIDfest. {Links coming at some point ...}

Wednesday night

Kick off party at the Vancouver art Gallery with the Krazy exhibit. This will take another look to digest the walls of graphic art and manga mania but the free drink ticket and VIP pass helped kick start the conversations on the busy night of Vancouver techie-related events (Launch Party 4 sounds like another noteworthy fest of interconnectivity). Krug and I represented at the party and chilled with presenters Darren Barefoot and Rebecca Bollwitt among other social media super-heros.

Thursday morning

I made the trek to Granville Island for the two sectors of the Fest. First the International Partnership Forum - the portion i described as "corporate-slow-dating" and it sorta is but we've met some interesting people for sure as well as catching up with some of the usual suspects like Megan, Phillip, and i met Jason Roks who is panelling tomorrow with Grateful Dead lyricist and EFF trailblazer John Perry Barlow. I talked with Jason's realistic view of the future of the tubes with the impending throttling and the slipping control of the "last mile".

So Kris met with Lisa Stockley, from the Trade Commissioner office for the Government of Canada in San Francisco and they exchanged some contacts in the the Valley and Vancouver.

Then poster boy KK and I both enjoyed a fun chat with Jasmine Antonick (presenting tomorrow) and Sarah Blue from Cambrian House (they are now working with wunderkind Will Pate too - w00t!) - we'll catch up with some social media tomorrow to get the low-down on what they are up to.

Thursday Afternoon

After lunch, we met with Isabelle Garriaud who is a Trade Attache for the Republique Francaise based here in Vancouver. We riffed ways for French companies to outreach into the Vancouver tech community through the myriad events and camps going on. With a strong Francophone presence at RCS, this could be an interesting relationship to build.

Now Kris is meeting with Monika Surma, another representative from the Government of Canada in the Information and Communications Technologies Investment, innovations and Sectors office in Ottawa and I've cruised over to the Arts Club Theater down towards the Market.

I am here for the Blogger Outreach panel with our aforementioned friends Darren and Miss604 along with MyNameIsKate (whom i only know virtually but know she is very tuned into the blogger outreach game from many perspectives).

The panel are talking about how marketing/PR companies should approach bloggers for product reviews.

A few notes:

• Expect honesty form reviewers
• Read their blogs and pay attention
• Approach in a personal manner
• Make sure they are into their stuff
• Link back to stuff
• Check your stats - see who sending traffic to ya and treat them nicely
• VIP treatment yo!
• They are already talking about you
• There are risks!
• Don't spam or you'll get blacklisted
• be humble and keep in mind ...
• (most) bloggers don't need you or your stuff

Lots of questions about Facebook, driving traffic, finding biggest blogs, checking stats ... the panelists made it clear that quality and fit is more important than size. The people clap, i head back to partnership meetings.

Back at the hotel conference, Kris is talking with Lynda Brown and checked in about a chat with Richard Brownsey, CEO of British Columbia Film and is bound on a trade mission to China soon.

Final two meeting slots coming up so i am gonna hydrate and get ready for the happy hour portion of the programming ;-).Plus i am out of batteries!

Photo credit: Raul P-V (Rolex)_on Flickr