startups

We didn't take much persuading by the folks who'd been on the Digital Missions that a gathering might be in order to mark the end of the Summer. 

We've hooked up with the Digital Mission alumni and Bootlaw regulars to gather, mingle, chat and sup a cold beverage. Let's face it, we don't need much of an excuse and it's a great opportunity to meet interesting people doing interesting things.

Tickets cost £15 (+VAT and booking fee), but there's still a few tickets available at the discounted rate (use code: 'dm' to get a 3rd off), but they're being snapped up quickly. At the time of writing there's already 100 people on the list, so make sure you grab your ticket soon.

Can it really be that time of year already? The PanelPicker for South by South West Interactive (SXSW), the annual mass-gathering of digital types in Austin, Texas is open for votes and we're building a list of all the panels submitted from the UK.

The lengthy journey to Austin hasn't deterred an increasing numbers of Brits from making the trek, with initiatives like the Digital Mission to SXSW organised by Chinwag, which involved nearly 100 companies this year mixing with over 14,000 delegates from the US and beyond.

It's like a never-ending stream of free stuff round here at the moment. First the Hubbub competition, next up Shell LiveWIRE for young entrepreneurs and now the chance for a mobile SME to score some high-profile stand space at Mobile World Congress.

The Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network (DCKTN) and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) are running a competition for lucky UK-based SMEs with an innovative new mobile or wireless solution or product to showcase their wares.

The UKTI stand will be located on the Avenida at the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona from 14 - 17 Feb 2011 and offers amazing chance to target more than 60,000 key industry decision makers that are expected to attend.

There's still time to get an application in for the UKTI Mission to Tokyo Games Show designed specifically for UK-based games companies targeting the Japanese market with a detailed insight into the challenges of working in Japan, and highlighting the opportunities available.

The team in Tokyo have confirmed that Enterbrain (Wikipedia entry) who publish Weekly Famitsu, Famitsu Xbox360, Famitsu PSP+PS3, Famitsu DS+Wii as well as compiling retail games charts will be attending the roundtable session and the British Embassy reception.

Is there a competition season? If not, maybe we've identified a trend here. Next up on the award trail is the Shell LiveWIRE awards which is now open for entries, and the £10,000 up for grabs is not to be sniffed at.