BALTIMORE, MD (9/24/08) – The Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) is pleased to announce that Live!@ TechNite, a new multimedia platform from R2integrated (R2i), will debut at the 19^th Annual TechNite on October 2 to an estimated crowd of a thousand.

R2i’s new solution, Live!@, is a multimedia platform used for content sharing and attendee interaction at conferences and events. Large plasma screens will prominently display live Twitter and text feeds, photos, and video featuring red carpet interviews hosted by technology personality Mario Armstrong. Mario Armstrong hosts a technology show on XM Radio and is a regular contributor to NPR and other broadcast outlets.

At TechNite from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m., Mario will conduct personal interviews with featured speaker Frans Johansson, Baltimore’s Extraordinary Technology Advocate, Aris Melissaratos, Spotlight Organizations iBiquity, Metastorm, Millennial Media, CSA Medical and many others.

“We look forward to demonstrating the Live!@ concept at TechNite,” said Matt Goddard, Principal at R2i. “Live!@ is a natural extension of our social media expertise, and we’re confident that the attendees will appreciate the unique, interactive experience the platform will provide.”

“Live!@ TechNite is a great way to supplement the evening’s program and engage TechNite attendees. With almost a thousand attendees, this is an optimal way to know who’s at the event and the great things happening there. For those who aren’t able to attend they will be able to see what happened at TechNite and experience it through photos, video and twitter feeds” said Jennifer Gunner, Director of Marketing and Communications at GBTC. “The GBTC is excited to be partnering with R2i on their inaugural launch of this multimedia technology platform – it’s just another great way to support technology growth in our community.”

BALTIMORE, MD (9/17/08) – The Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) is pleased to announce that Bill Me Later, CSA Medical, iBiquity, Martek Biosciences, MetaStorm, and Millennial Media have been chosen as Spotlight Organizations for TechNite 2008.

“These companies embody the entrepreneurial spirit of Greater Baltimore. They represent six, of the many, stars of this region… they’ve got the killer app, they’re getting VC funded and their growth is explosive. They’re the companies that everyone, for a variety of reasons, is talking about. We are very excited to have them as a part of our improved line up for TechNite this year”, stated Steve Kozak, GBTC Executive Director.

Each of these six companies will be highlighted during a special “spotlight” segment of the TechNite show. Executives, and others from these organizations, will be on hand during the reception to meet attendees and answer questions. Additionally, these companies, and a few others, will be highlighted on the TechNite website and in the program guide. The GBTC asked select members from their membership, including Board members, for a list of companies they viewed as “the stars of the region”. The lists were compiled and then the GBTC’s Strategic Advisory Committee voted for and determined the final list.

“It’s only 14 more days for TechNite and we cannot wait. Between the six spotlight companies, Frans Johansson, the BETA and Connector awards and the new format, it’s going to be a great show. People are going to leave that night feeling energized about our region and feeling proud to live here”, concluded Kozak.

To learn more about the six companies, visit our news section: http://www.gbtechcouncil.org/news/index.asp#spotlight

GBTC NAMES aris melissaratos AS BALTIMORE’S EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGY ADVOCATE (BETA) AWARD WINNER FOR 2008

BALTIMORE, MD (8/13/08) – The Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC) is pleased to announced that Aris Melissaratos, Senior Advisor to the President for Enterprise Development at John Hopkins University has been named the 2008 BETA (Baltimore’s Extraordinary Technology Advocate) award winner. The BETA Award is presented at the GBTC’s annual TechNite celebration to an individual whose words and actions have had an outstanding impact on the Greater Baltimore technology community.

“Mr. Melissaratos has been a force for growth in the Greater Baltimore community throughout his entire career and has continuously devoted his efforts to expanding and fostering technology in the region,” explained GBTC Executive Director Steve Kozak. “He has been involved with numerous organizations that have helped make a difference in our area, from Westinghouse Electronics to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. He’s a true testament to the advocacy and promotion of economic activity in the state and beyond. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to honor him at TechNite.”

Melissaratos, a 1966 Johns Hopkins graduate and longtime member of the Whiting School of Engineering’s National Advisory Council, currently has overall responsibility for building the university’s relationship with business and forging new connections between the research and corporate communities.

Melissaratos, whose undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins is in electrical engineering, spent most of his career with Westinghouse Electronics in Baltimore, eventually becoming vice president of science and technology and chief technology officer at corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh. Before joining state government in 2003 as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, he also served as vice president of Thermo Electron Corp. and founded Armel Private Equity Investments.

He holds a master’s degree in engineering management from George Washington University and did graduate work in international politics at Catholic University of America. Melissaratos has also completed a program for management development at Harvard Business School.

Melissaratos will be presented with the BETA Award at TechNite 2008 which will be held on Thursday, October 2, 5:00 - 8:30 p.m., at the Baltimore Convention Center. Previous BETA recipients have included Paul Silber, InVitro Technologies, Frank Bonsal, New Enterprise Associates, Steve Walker, Steve Walker and Associates & Walker Ventures; former SafeNet CEO Tony Caputo; Frank Adams, Grotech Capital Group; Bill Streuver, Streuver Bros. Eccles & Rouse; Chris Foster, former Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and Jeong Kim of Lucent Technologies.

BETA nominees are submitted by the GBTC Board and by TechNite sponsors. The nominee list is then distributed to our past BETA award winners and it is narrowed down to three potential candidates. The final candidate list is sent back to the GBTC board for a final vote.

About TechNite (www.gbtechcouncil.org/technite2008)
Registration| Sponsorship | TechNite 2008
TechNite is the Greater Baltimore Region’s premiere night out to celebrate the business and technology community. The evening draws more than 1,000 attendees from tech executives and entrepreneurs, to Fortune 500 businesses, university and government officials and more. Frans Johansson, the thought leader who brought us the best selling book The Medici Effect, will be the featured speaker for the evening.

The GBTC is pleased to announce that Frans Johansson, best selling author of The Medici Effect, will be the featured speaker at TechNite 2008. TechNite is the Greater Baltimore Region’s premiere night out to celebrate the business and technology community. With nearly 1,000 attendees, from tech executives and entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 businesses, university and government officials, everyone will be out to support and celebrate the success of the region.

Recognized as a thought leader on the topics of innovation and diversity, Johansson provides a unique learning experience for those ready to embrace the lessons of The Medici Effect and shows companies why and how to use diversity to drive innovation.  The Medici Effect has been translated into seventeen languages and was selected as one of the ten best business books by Amazon.com in 2004.  To read more, click here.

MD TEDCO has ranked at the top of the Annual List for Early Stage Company Funding.  TEDCO conducted 19 deals in 2007 with early stage companies.  For more on this story visit Entrepreneur Magazine, Baltimore Business Journal and Maryland TEDCO.

GBTC is pleased to announce that TechNite 2008 will be Thursday, October 2nd!  For more information or to register visit:

http://www.gbtechcouncil.org/events/technite2008.asp

GBTC Summer Wine Tasting
Save the Date: July 10, 2008

If you are interested in pouring (cost is $350, you must be a technology company and a GBTC member, and preference for pouring is given to companies who have not poured in the last year).  Contact Alecia Farley, aleciaf@gbtechcouncil.org.

Registration will be opening in June. We hope to see you there to celebrate summer!

How Not to Approach Online JV Partners & Bloggers (5/16): Interesting post by Jonathan Fields on how you should use social media tools to develop joint ventures and also some etiquette rules to follow:
http://jonathanfields.com/blog/how-not-to-approach-online-jv-partners-and-bloggers/

Jumping Over a Mountain (5/22): Predictions of the future of social media and the way that it will be used in organizations.  Interesting thoughts on how he believes organizations are going to shift back to customer service and community management as the core of what they do:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

SocialDevCamp East was an amazing event.  Created in only 25 days (and having over 120 participants on a rainy Saturday) to bring together the innovators and entrepreneurs from along the Amtrak corridor, (from Boston to DC) it has truly created a buzz around Baltimore that was duly needed.  Although all of us who live and work in Baltimore know the talent that is here — it’s truly nice to actually see us creating a hub in our city.

Sitting in the auditorium you could feel the energy and the hunger of the participants — each and everyone had something to offer and they were willing to share openly.  A huge thanks to Dave Troy, Ann Bernard and Keith Casey for putting this together and of course to our own Melanie Kelleher for organizing the event.

Here are the links to some photos, videos, and blogs on the event (definitely worth checking out): Photos from Flickr, photo collage by Jimmy Gardner, recaps by Shashi Bellaknoda, Greg Cangialosi, Ann Bernard and Harry Chen and lastly video and more video of the sessions.

I’m looking forward to the Fall SocialDevCamp East and to our commitment to support this group of talented individuals.