And they're back - Digital Mission

It is hard for me to believe, but the last day of the Digital Mission to NYC has arrived and the 21 digital companies represented are all back home.

After the "Separated @ Birth" panel, everyone headed across New York town, rapidly followed by the other Web 2.0 Expo attendees. The destination was the rather trendy Hudson Hotel, home to the Expo "Birds Of A Feather" sessions, designed to bring together people with similar interests.

The "Britain's Got Digital Talent" BOF gave attendees the chance to meet with the Digital Mission companies away from the hustle and bustle of the Expo show floor. It was very encouraging to see it draw quite a crowd, with US folks wanting to meet with the UK companies, and a number of expats also dropping in to share their stories of getting going in the US.

I might have mentioned the pace in New York once or ten times previously, but it really is fast. Most of the companies have already held follow on meetings with contacts they made during the week.

Talking to people on the journey back, the common theme (apart from jetlag) was a strong sense of community. Not just the chats across twitter, which helped keep us in touch during the trip, but there a real buzz from the shared experiences, newly discovered common interests. Everyone felt they had come back with a useful set of new contacts both in the US and at home, and a much deeper knowledge of the US.