(PHOTO BY STEVEN SEIDMAN)
If you have read my coverage here and on social media of MetaCenter Global Week, you know my thoughts. I really don’t hold back, do I?
As far as I’m concerned, MetaCenter Global Week in October could become a pivotal moment in Orlando’s tech history.
At the very least, it’s going to be a high-energy, jam-packed showcase of what Orlando tech does.
The organizers are rightfully crowing about this, reminding everyone that the sponsorships and partnerships are there to make this a special event.
Meta (or the artist formerly known as Facebook).
Unity.
Sony.
That’s a nice starting point.
I’m here to tell you that those crows are absolutely right.
Now, let’s get some context.
I have been embedded within this tech community since I arrived in Orlando in October of 2014.
Understand what that means, though.
As a reporter, you are constantly pitched the stories that are next-generation technology, young startups looking for crucial attention and researching the community to dig up those diamonds in the rough.
So you inadvertently get a look at what is being developed within the community.
Well, the sophistication of the companies that pitch me has consistently improved since I got here.
No exaggeration: We have got some diamonds in some socially relevant sectors.
This is where my confidence in MetaCenter Global Week comes from.
By the way, before you read on, you really should consider getting a ticket AT THIS LINK.
I don’t often lend my formal support to events in Orlando.
Don’t get me wrong.
I think it’s important that any event with the right approach and right motivations succeeds in Orlando.
That’s how this community will achieve its potential.
However, as a journalist, I have never picked winners and losers because, I mean, who the heck am I to do that?
I merely report what’s going on through the lens of a good story.
So don’t take this as a declaration that the Global Week should be the only thing in town.
However, what I will say is that I would love to write “5th annual MetaCenter Global Week” in 2027.
Now, I’ve seen these kinds of events come and go periodically.
We don’t have to rehash some of those that no longer exist.
But this does feel different.
Going back to what I said earlier, it’s nice to have the sponsors already on board.
Outside validation is just as important in an event as it is in a startup or young tech company.
However, the rocket fuel for an event like this is community buy-in, support and messaging.