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Official Banners at ExpandSF
On March 16th and 17th, Engadget held their first Expand event at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Lucky for me, the ticket price was within my budget! Did it matter that none of my friends were available to go, so I would have to go alone? No, because this event sounded awesome!
Engadget Expand 2013 was packed with panels of knowledgeable industry experts, interactive displays, and a ton of generous giveaways.
After checking in at the registration table, and putting in my raffle tickets for giveaways, I grabbed a complementary cup of coffee and headed towards the stage. The speakers which stood out to me were: the panel on 3D printing, Matt Rogers (founder of Nest), Yancy Strickler (co-founder of Kickstarter), Julie Uhrman (founder of Ouya), and Tamar Yehoshua (director of product management, Google). I was fascinated by the process each speaker described as their product went from an idea to an innovative reality, and in the case of Google it was Google Now.
Julie Uhrman shows the Ouya to Editor-in-Chief Tim Stevens.
During the breaks, there was plenty of exhibitors to see! Knowing it would be a popular attraction, I hustled outside to the Tesla Model S that was on display to snap some photos and sit in the driver’s seat. The car looked beautiful inside and out, and it was fun giving the display pad a spin. There was also a monster storm chasing truck parked outside and it was thoroughly outfitted with tons of weather tracking tech. Inside the building, there were impressive displays from companies such as Lenovo, Toyota (two electric cars), and MakerBot. The most popular areas seemed to be the Da Vinci surgical robot, the line to give it a try never stopped the entire time I was there, and the Indie Corner featuring products like the ZBoard. In between these two areas were the finalists in Insert Coin, Engadget’s startup competition. Each booth was unique in its setup and I wandered the floor, snapping photos and soaking up information.
Seeing the Tesla Model S in person was great!
I congratulate Engadget on a successful first Expand event! Everyone I encountered there seemed to be having a fantastic time, and its not hard to understand why. Expand was brimming with interactive displays, intriguing speakers and panels, and best of all, copious amounts of free food and generous giveaways! I will definitely be attending next year.
More coverage of Engadget Expand can be found here.
The Weekender is a series covering travel done within the span of a weekend. This includes any time Friday thru Sunday, or in the case of holiday weekends Friday thru Monday.
Hi, I'm Heather! By age 17, I had visited all seven continents and fully developed an obsession with traveling. I feel most alive when I'm learning about other countries and cultures, meeting locals, and discovering beautiful places. My goal of this site is to help you get the most out of your adventures!
