For those who must have missed the news somehow, the Imagine Cup has commenced, and in fact the formal parts of the proceedings are in full swing with only a couple more hours of the Yokohama Round of the SDI to go.  As one of the judges for the competition I thought that I would drops down some thoughts so far.

Most teams arrived in Yokohama either Tuesday or Wednesday morning, being welcomed at the airport by the ever friendly staff from Microsoft Japan.  We then had a 90minute or so bus ride to the hotel (accompanied by the funniest commentary on Yokohama city that I've ever heard) where we were able to check in and relax until the evening.  Unfortunately the Indian team were delayed due to torrential rain.  We are expecting them later this evening and with a bit of luck they will still be able to take part in the competition.

Wednesday evening saw us take a bus to the Welcome Party.  The Microsoft staff gave us all a welcome and we saw some traditional Japanese dancing.  Although the evening was cut short as all the competitors were expected to go back and get a good night’s sleep, it was a great opportunity to meet some of the teams.

As per last year the format of the Software Design Invitational, for which I am one of the judges, is in a number of stages.  Yesterday after the official welcome the students were all given the rest of the day to setup their stands and ensure that all their equipment was ready for the first (Yokohama) judging round.  At 2pm each of the teams were asked to give a 10 minute presentation to the judges that they were to see in the first round.  This acted as an ice breaker and also helped to ease the nerves for the students.

After a good night’s sleep (or a late night getting in final rehearsals) the first session in the Yokohama round started at 8:30am this morning.  While we had a few minor technical issues the presentations have been going smoothly all day.  Overall the quality of the presentations has been a cut above those from last year.  While there is still a mix between those that present well and those that don’t, the average is much higher.

Anyhow, I’m due to go back in and listen to the remainder of the teams……..