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Michael P. Bruno, eNaugural.com Ball Photo Gallery | Interviews Videos There were people in cowboy hats, tuxedos and gowns, but newly sworn-in President George W. Bush was not exactly the first thing on their minds. Instead, the hundreds of attendees who turned out for the first-ever eNaugural.com Ball at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Saturday night seemed more to be celebrating - and networking - the area's high-tech community. While an exact number of attendees was not immediately available, a Ball spokesperson said in an interview that about 1,000 tickets were expected to be sold for the five-hour event. The official Ball Web site Sunday said it was sold out. A tally of how much was raised also was not immediately available, though portions of the proceeds from the event are to benefit digital-divide charities. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second human to walk on the moon, served as honorary master of ceremonies. Aldrin, who experienced the rush of technology in the 1960s as the United States raced the Soviet Union to land on the moon, said in an interview that he is still amazed at the march of technology but that the challenge of disseminating it to "the masses" still lies ahead. Of course, with any gathering of Washington-area technoscenti, there appeared much business card swapping, gossiping and high-tech talk among the revelers. But in an example that the region's tech prowess is growing, the eNaugural.com Ball attracted business-seekers from as far away as Africa who hoped to start lining up technology deals for their countries. "I'm here because I hope to meet people and discuss how their businesses can help bring more technology to my country, especially with Internet connectivity," said Jerry Sonny Ugokwe, a Nigerian Congressman. "This is a great place to be to meet a lot of technology of people." And while technology and business were the topics of choice, some partygoers did mention their happiness about Bush taking the Oval Office. Most often they cited the new president's tax cut proposals and general hands-off attitude to business regulation as possible boons for the Internet economy, as well as Washington's high-tech and biotech ventures. And a few even expressed a prediction that at the next presidential inauguration, the president will have put the eNaugural.com Ball on the list of official balls to visit. Reported by Washtech.com, http://www.washtech.com |
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