It’s been two weeks since FITC Toronto; and they’ve recently just released the highlight reel as well (at 2:37 you can totally see my arm!). This year was my fourth visit in the last 5 years, and it’s definitely my go-to event. Held in downtown Toronto, attending FITC not only gives me the chance to see some great presentations and attend nightly events, but it also allows me to “live the city life” for a few days. When you’re used to having to drive a car to get anywhere and having things close early on weekends; being in a big city is a great change. I love having the freedom to walk around (or take public transit) to wherever I need to go, and having restaurants and stores be open for longer.
But this post isn’t just about going to Toronto! It’s mostly about recounting the experiences I had at this year’s event. The last time I went to FITC, I was full of ambition and energy, wanting to take everything I had learnt and apply it to what I was doing, or at least start working on some great projects. While I was still enthused about going, this year was a bit different for me. Maybe it’s the whole “another year older, another year wiser” thing, or maybe I had learnt from my past FITC trips – in that, while I am really energized coming home, after a while, my excitement level fades.
Of course, it could just mean that I am a bit less naïve, and am taking all that I learnt (which was some great stuff) and putting it on the back burner, until I’m ready to use it. I’m pretty busy right now with less than one month to go until the wedding, so not wanting to start new projects right now makes sense. And, while I did update my website last time as I had wanted to, I am currently thinking of a new re-design (something along the lines of my older site, version 2).
FITC has definitely come a long way in the last 5 years. The first time I went with two of my friends, and it seemed as though we were the youngest, and almost the only female attendees there. Slowly there have been more and more females attending, which is great! But I also feel like there are more younger/students going (or maybe I’m just getting older, haha!) and also more people who don’t really fit into the traditional creative/technology field. Being from a “multi-media” background, I could easily attend lectures ranging from the creative/design (pink categories) to the more technology/programming aspects as well. And this year there were a multitude more categories than I ever remember, including game design, hardware, storytelling (the theme for this year), business and more!
So will I be attending FITC next year? Of course I will be! Actually, I am also thinking of taking advantage of some of the smaller/more specialized events they have (I think those would allow me to be more hands-on and focused). So for now it’s a countdown to next year, I can’t wait!