5 Places to Visit for the Tech Savvy
There may only be one Silicon Valley, but there are lots of interesting tech hubs around the world ready to take up the competition. These places are attracting young, bright and hopeful minds who are transforming innovative ideas into real products: visiting these tech hubs can be as rejuvenating to the tech savvy traveler as lying next to the pool with an umbrella drink is to others.
If you're looking for inspiration, fresh ideas and maybe a new network, these travel destinations might be something for you:
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is a natural destination for the tech savvy traveler. It's never a far distance from one electronic shop to the next in this neon lit city, and you're sure to find technology used in new innovative ways. Japan's technological influences have reached far and wide - heck, you're probably reading this article from a Japanese-inspired device!
Tokyo Hackerspace: The Tokyo HackerSpace initiative was created from discussions at TokyoBarCamp 2009. It's a collective made up of programmers, engineers, IT administrators, artists, chefs, musicians, and people interested in geek culture. The goal of the group is to converge technology, arts, crafts, and music. They have regular events and meetups so check out their calendar for more info.
Pecha Kucha: PechaKucha Night was devised in February 2003 as a monthly event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.
Santiago, Chile
Santiago ignited started its startup scene with massive inflows of government funding to bring over one thousand companies to the city for six-month stints. This has lead to an emergence of two co-working locations, Co-Work and Urban Station, and a saturation of cafes in Lastaria, Bella Vista, and Providenca, all packed with internationals spinning ideas off each other over imported coffee. Want to get into some heated conversations about new ideas and pushing hte boundaries? Check out the many opportunities in this resource rich country (with ample funding to support new and big ideas!).
Hong Kong, China
Due to extremely fast and universal Internet connectivity, fast and seamless set up of new businesses and no Internet censorship, Hong Kong has become one of China's tech hubs. It's difficult to travel anywhere within Hong Kong and not pass an industrial center (or four!); tap into this budding entrepreneurial scene in a nation where their business is BUSINESS.
Wikimania2013 - Wikimania is the annual international conference of the Wikimedia community. It's organized by a different local team each year - in 2013 the conference is taking place in Hong Kong. Wikimania allows the community and the general public to learn about and share their experiences with free knowledge initiatives all over the world.
Web Wednesday: Mix with the movers and groovers in the digital media and Internet industries in Hong Kong (and across Asia). A regular get-together and business networking event held once a month in a nightclub in Lan Kwai Fong, where you meet a wide range of people and participate in casual but informative interviews with guest speakers.
Singapore
Singapore has been called the "Silicon Valley of Asia" and is a great hub for the tech interested. With an emerging startup-heavy city and easy access/cultural ties to a bustling Southeast Asia, Singapore is just beginning.
For a real hands on experience with the local start up scene, travelers to Singapore should take advantage of TouristPads, an iPad rental company dedicated to the tourism industry. Built on the foundation that travelers should be more tech-savvy, they've optimized this mobile device to help short-term visitors a convenient way to experience and explore Singapore.
Nairobi, Kenya
Check out iHub, located in downtown Nairobi, a community of creatives and technologists. Intentionally there are no spaces for offices or closed meetings, it's a place to learn, collaborate and share. The Kenyan government's recent initiative, Vision 2030, aims to transform the Kenyan lifestyle to be globally competitive and prosperous; the government has emphasized new technologies will help achieve a higher quality of life. Visit Kenya to experience a highly innovative and motivated startup culture!
Follow #KOT ("Kenyans on Twitter"), an extremely active and helpful group, for more details on what's happening and where to go.
What are your recommendations for traveling to other tech savvy cities like Stockholm, London, Bangalore, Berlin, Tel Aviv or others?
