futuregov

So we are back at the Chinwag towers after a great Digital Mission to Washington, and I’ve found myself reflecting on the goings on of the past week, who we met, what we saw, where we went and what we came away with. I think it is safe to say the trip was a huge success and we caused just the right amount of havoc.

I am going to try and fit in the weeks activities into one blog post…wish me luck.

The companies joining the Digital Mission to Washington are gearing themselves up for a packed week in and around the US capital meeting with numerous federal agencies, major corporates and a host of movers'n'shakers in DC.

We're delighted to announce a VIP Digital Mission Company Showcase (Mon 11th July - RSVP here) to close the first night of the mission. It follows a highly successful event organised by UKTI to promote TechCity a few weeks earlier. 

Working closely with FutureGov, UK Trade & Investment, Fairfax County EDA and Deloitte, the guest list will feature senior staff from across DC including speakers from sessions later in the week and key influencers in this sector from government and industry.

After the official presentations and introductions there will be a spot of speed networking with some of DC’s leading digital agencies and government officials continued with a casual networking session, with a chance to relax with a beer and carry on the all-important conversations.

OpenAir Summer, a night of networking, engaging conversations, cocktails and a rooftop sunset, what more could you want from an evening?

The event, taking place at 6pm on Thursday14th July, fits nicely with the end of the Digital Mission to Washington and is being organised by Tech and Innovation advisor Justin Herman and Director of FutureGov Dominic Campbell. 

Congratulations to the 10 leading UK digital companies that have been selected for the Digital Mission to Washington, DC 2011.

This trip will see the companies travel out to Washington, DC for a packed five day trip. To find out more about what the companies will be getting up to while over in DC, check out the Digital Mission Activities page.

Each of the companies is listed below, don't hesitate to drop them a line directly to arrange a time to meet up in Washington, or follow their progress via their Twitter accounts below. You can follow the coverage of the mission on Twitter @digitalmission and we've put together a Twitter list (@digitalmission/dc11) for all the companies and speakers taking part.

We have some very exciting new events to add to the already packed full Digital Mission to Washington. 

Not only will mission companies be visiting The US State Department on Thursday morning, we have also arranged an afternoon of very exclusive government briefings with World Bank (tbc), U.S. Department of Agriculture, The Federal Communications Commission, White House Deputy CTO Chris Vein and General Services Administration’s Sheila Campbell. 

We’re delighted to announce more additions to the Digital Mission to Washington DC line-up including: a breakfast session at Affinity Lab, with great new speakers from iStrategy Labs, Big Window Labs, as well as final night event sponsors Beekeeper Group and Rock Creek now on board.

Affinity Lab is a startup incubator space for the booming community of Washington based businesses, non-profits and start-ups. Affinity Lab describes it as a rather cool “shared office space that meets incubator that meets entrepreneurial club-house.”

Combined with events at the US State Department, the State of Maryland, Microsoft and Deloitte the mission programme will expose UK firms to the full breadth of the digital scene in Washington, from the US government’s top digital players through to start-ups and agencies, potential partners and collaborators, building links between Washington and the UK.