• by Kelly Samardak , January 18, 2010

This Week In Parties and Events
January 18 - 22, 2010

You working today?  Yeah, me too.  You know who isn't?  The people in line outside Trader Joe's in NYC's Union Square.  Great idea, kids, no one else will have the idea to go grocery shopping on MLK day.  I know there is a line because I had to return to my apartment to retrieve my A/C adapter thingy for my laptop.  I realized it was missing when I sat down at my desk to plug myself in.  There is always opportunity in annoyance, as I was able to enjoy another 30 minutes or so out in the sun on a day that had actually called for rain.  So what's in store this week, event-wise?  Read on, my friends...

Tonight! NOTHING.  Well, in my personal life, I might actually check out a gym, but other than that, tonight is free and clear for things like podcast tutorials, becoming an FBML expert, and poking around at the Internet looking for pictures of animals in casts. 

Tuesday is the NY Tech MeetUp.  I haven't been to one in over a year, but this one sounds awesome.  It won't be the same people different day, nope, it's a whole UK contingent of nerdery and I'm excited.  It's giving me flashbacks to my IBM days when Englandlander Darren Shaw and I hosted a weekly podcast titled "The Week In Blogs" where we'd dissect language, inanities and insanities and Roo Reynolds, who is now with the BBC, and I would blather over more than one pint about the metaverse and other emerging technology (insert deep-throated guffawing and chapeau-tipping).  Anyway, peep the entire European lineup over at MeetUp.

Wednesday I'll be attending the AdClub's Great Debate.  Entering the ring are Lisa Donohue, CEO, Starcom US; Daryl Evans, Vice President, Advertising and Marketing Communications, AT&T; Frank Jules, President & CEO, AT&T Advertising Solutions; Laura Lang, CEO, Digitas USA; Ty Montague, Chief Creative Office and Co-President, JWT NA; Mari Kim Novak, Sr.,  Director of Global Agencies, Microsoft Advertising Solutions; and Shelly Zalis, President, OTX Research.  They'll duke it out in the Helen Mills Event Space (say what?) and hopefully Agency Spy's Matt Van Hoven will attend, too, so I can copy his notes and post a wrap-up before he does.

Thursday I am torturing myself  about reasons for my resolutions, of which I have about 1,000.  Yes, I need that much improvement.  Attending the 7:30 a.m. "Augmented Reality: What is it and why should I care?" panel hosted by SobelMedia and  the New York Media Information Exchange Group should satisfy my "get up early and get the learnins" resolution nicely.  I mean, sure, I know what Augmented Reality is, but do I know how it works, who the receptive targets are, and how effective it is at inspiring action? Nope.  Learnins.

Next Week is going to be packed as well, with OMMA Performance kicking off on Monday, Jan. 25^th in San Fran followed by OMMA Social on Tuesday the 26th. Thursday marks Digital DUMBO's digifabulous one year anniversary bash in DUMBO, of all places.  It doesn't matter where the crap your office is - get your digital butt to the Galapagos Art Space and see what's cooking in DUMBO.  This event is sponsored by Carrot Creative, so they'll be dropping some pureed knowledge on you in exchange for some snacks and beverages.

Also, I have nailed down my Social Media Week schedule (which occupies Feb. 1-5, 2010), but I don't want to overwhelm you.  Yet. 

See you around?

Plunk your event/party into my calendar: email invitations to kelly@mediapost.com (invitations only, please -  I do not need enhancements of any kind thankyouverymuch)