AT&T is one of the largest operators in the US, and they hosted a development summit the first day of the CES. It is obvious that the operators are more and more open to working with smaller development companies. An interesting day, ending with a great party!
I arrived in Las Vegas (one day late due to flight delaysL) for the first time to participate at AT&T’s developer conference and the CES show. Due to the delay Olav and I missed the first few hours of the AT&T conference including the keynote, but Nils who arrived the previous night was able to give us a quick recap. He had also managed to run into the only other Norwegian participant (more than 500) during breakfast and after a quick intro in English they soon realized they were both from Norway. Nils then introduced us and that’s how I met Kine from Os and we have quickly become friends. Kine works for the American company Thumbplay which is actually founded by a Norwegian guy called Are Traasdahl. I’m supposed to meet him for coffee while I’m in Vegas. I’m sure he has tons of advise on how to start up in the American market.
I truly enjoyed all the interesting sessions and was impressed by the format and how we got the opportunity not only to establish important connections, but also participate in discussions and access to high level executives. We had also pre-booked a few meetings with AT&T executives and had some interesting and informative talks during the day as well.
After a day of meetings and sessions, we move on to networking, drinks and dinner, all arranged and paid for by AT&T! They had even rented the playboy club for a few hours and arranged for casino night (no real money) but it allowed for everyone to “gamble” and have bunny dealers explain the secrets to becoming good blackjack players, something both Nils and Olav found to be very helpful J. After a few hours of gambling the event is moved to Moon nightclub where ATT are showcasing some new products and people network and talk over drinks and snacks. They also have a few giveaways and team Bipper manages to walk away with several handsets. We also established several new and important relationships so this was a truly amazing event that I applaud AT&T for putting together. This was a great start to a productive and interesting week in Vegas!
A few of the handsets we won at the AT&T development summit.
Perfect gifts for a start-up company!
Not exactly sure why AT&T put a sheep on the roof of
the Palms, but he/she looked great in pictures....
Olav and Nils enjoyed gambling at The Playboy club....
The bunny might be the reason why?
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