The Virtual Enterprise Conference was a treat ( unfortunately I wasn’t quite south enough to hear a Welsh accent – but the thought was there!)  Matthew has wrapped it up nicely in a little post over here.

I met some really fantastic folks – it was a pleasure to see Ande ( the founder of media140 ) again and I really loved the phrase he shared with the audience…

“It’s always morning somewhere”

How very true. Next time I’m frustrated at myself for getting up in the middle of the night I will remind myself that somewhere it’s morning and somebody somewhere will be excited to hear my ideas!

Paul Smith is a character and an inspiration. The story of @twitchhiker is one everyone should follow. It is so good Paul has written a book about it and a film is in the pipe line! To cut a long and exciting story short Paul traveled the world using twitter as his only method of accepting travel offers. It really made me think about the generosity in the world and the community spirit that something like this highlights. Although, Paul did remind me that it wasn’t all sweetness and light with people setting up twitter campaigns to leave him stranded and even putting bets on his death!

Alex Tewy talked about the concept of internet phenomenon’s – something that is impressive and extraordinary. It’s safe to say his Million Dollar Homepage fits the bill. He talked about failure being feedback. Spot on. Oh, and the next time someone tells you your idea is crazy it’s probably a good one.

There was only one design student in the audience so this was a brilliant chance for me to explain the value of my work in plain English and show it’s relevance.

I think it’s worth noting that all these chaps I met work mainly on their own. We chatted about feeling isolated and the reality of work pressures – now more than ever I’m grateful to be doing what I’m doing alongside Sarah.  I truly believe we have only just begun to tap into what we could achieve together so I am super excited about the next year.

What did I learn? The importance of walking the talk.