We’ve left little picture postcard clues down below , and on our twitter, and facebook pages.

Fame, glory and sun tans await…

Piece them together and either tweet your entry followed by #RevolverPR or guess away on our blog or facebook page. The first to guess the location correctly wins our grand prize!

Here’s the first piece of the picture!

Good luck folks!

You lot are far to well travelled for us ! You guessed Barcelona correctly! (well done to @eventsatstark and @ChrisCathcart).
To keep you smarty pants on your toes, we’ve got another picture for you….see if you can guess where we are this time?

find your next two clues on our twitter and facebook pages!

Drum roll please…..this week’s second iSpy location was Disney World!
The first winning answer (again) came from…..@ChrisCathcart!

And the prize Chris? A postcard from Mickey and Minnie!

Have a great weekend!!

The event brings together start-up tech companies, angel investors, venture capitalists and a variety of interesting new people from across the online, digital media and emerging new technology sectors.

It’s always good to see innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial flair being showcased and celebrated in Scotland and this year’s event was no exception. The combination of exhibition and conference lets you meet the companies, get up close and personal with tech demos and network to your heart’s content – before heading into the conference and hear from some seriously clever people.

The 2011 EIE highlighted a number of intriguing new areas and technologies. First up was a gratifyingly large proportion of companies working on new areas of gaming. From the creation of new online, multiplayer virtual worlds – tied into social newtworks (Huzutech) , through to a new AI-driven solution which allows game developers to increase the emotional engagement with their games (Musemantik) , location-based gaming (Tigatag) and an interesting new technology I can only really describe as ‘reverse augmented reality’ (Peekabu) .

Similarly, a raft of companies were taking the concepts of social media and making it work in a variety of new ways. One company has created collaborative online platform which allows collections of data to be accessed and manipulated by specified groups of users (Zendit) , another was using social channels to create a new way for users to find other people to car pool with.

The mobile side was also well represented, with companies offering new technology to increase the image quality and introduce new capabilities into phone cameras (Rikatek) and use mobile cameras in a variety of ways for input, search, image recognition and a variety of consumer apps (Mobile Acuity).

Plus there was a company demonstrating holograms. HOLOGRAMS (Holoxica) . Forget the 3D thing – this is the future! OK, current technology is focusing on static displays for advertising and venues, but the company had a technology demonstrator runnign on screen, which shows how the technology can move forward and be used on screens – as active holograms.

I love living in the future.

The conference side of EIE didn’t disappoint either. Investors and analysts pointed out that the investment sector in Scotland is widely misunderstood, ignored or generally considered non-existent, irrelevant or insignificant. While I did make notes of a sort, they were all tweeted live (hey, it’s the 21st century…) Search for the hashtag #EIE2011 if you’d like to see what people in the audience were saying.

We contacted a number of the exhibitors and asked them for their thoughts on the EIE experience…

Stephen Shepherd (SourceRail)
Revolver – What does SourceRail do?
Stephen Shepherd: SourceRail is an advanced media monitoring tool with the capability to monitor the online press for specific mentions of companies, clients, competitors, products, services or topics. It allows you to promote the very best coverage to your intranet, website or even social networks. That gives you a competitive advantage in managing your brand, turning a resource-consuming need to monitor the press into an efficient, active solution which frees you to capitalise on the good coverage and deal effectively with the bad.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
SS – I was at EIE11 to raise awareness of SourceRail, meet potential partners as well as drum up some interest from the investment community.

R – Did it work?
SS – I think one of the biggest surprises for me is the ongoing collaborative and support network startups have in Edinburgh. It’s a small community but we are very keen to help each other out and the EIE event really reiterated that. I found quiet a few potential partners, was inundated with contacts, product suggestions and even met a few potential customers.

R – Any feedback on the event itself?
SS – It is a long day so be prepared for it.

R – Sum your EIE experience up for us.
SS – EIE is one of those rare events where everyone you want to meet is in one place. If your a start up you need be there and if your an investor you have to be.

Alexander Cole (Peekabu)
Revolver – What does Peekabu do?
Alex Cole – Peekabu is simple and cheap motion control that can reach anyone. With a wave of the hand in mid air, people can control and interact with dynamic media without expensive hardware. Online content comes to live, games get more physical, your own hand becomes the controller, and you don’t have to spend a penny to make it happen.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
AC – EIE is a great chance to meet people on both sides of the market – the potential clients with business and projects that Peekabu can help transform, and the investors who have the funding and connection to make that happen. Peekabu is looking for both to make sure this is a market-driven technology with the resources to succeed.

R – Did it work?
AC – There were several new contacts I made over the course of the fair in R&D, PR, mobile carriers, analytics, game development, and investment. It’s a mountain of leads to follow up on, but that’s always a sign of success.

R – Any feedback on the event itself?
AC – EIE is about putting a public face on a business that’s often stuck in meeting rooms and at desks, It’s a great chance to stumble on unexpected people whose interests dovetail with yours. Even people in wildly different fields can have great feedback and unexpected opportunities for you. It’s also great to catch up with other entrepreneurs and compare notes – there’s a kind of extended family of start-ups in Edinburgh, and these fairs always feel like a reunion.

Ioannis Nousias (RICAtec)
Revolver – In your own words, what does Rikatek do?
Ioannis Nousias – RICAtek enables a promising future for mobile photography. We are developing hardware for inclusion in the application processor or camera sensor of future mobile phones, bringing next-generation image processing and camera systems to reality. This helps phone manufacturers improve the level of image quality and add new capabilities that make it easier to take great pictures first time.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
IN – Our presence at this year’s EIE was mainly to seek investment in order to scale our business to service potential customers. At the same time we were looking for companies to partner with, especially ones specialising in imaging algorithms.

R – Did it work?
IN – The event was quite successful. Our presentation seemed to attract attention and we made a few useful investor contacts and met some interesting people.

R: Any feedback on the event?
IN – EIE is a unique opportunity for young companies for networking and early exposure to the investment community. It is well organised and put together. If asked about areas for improvement, the only thing that comes to mind is helping people to identify affiliations: colour-coded name tags to distinguish between exhibitors, company scouts, attorneys/advisors, and investors would have been very helpful.

R – Sum it all up for us…
IN – “The best camera is the one you have with you. We want to make it even better.”

Jonathan Millin (Zoomatelo)
Revolver – In your own words, what does Zoomatelo do?
Jonnathan Millin – This depends on how many words I’m allowed to use! :p As you can imagine, I’m happy to talk for hours on the subject. But in about 60 words: At Zoomatelo, we help the world commute better. Our flagship product, Zoom2work, is an easy-to-use and customisable carpooling solution. It’s built for businesses which want to improve employee benefits, reduce parking costs and cut carbon emissions. Using a proprietary route matching solution Zoom2work uncovers connections between people, geographically and socially, and uses this information to make creating and managing a carpool easy. Find out more at Zoom2Work.co.uk.

Revolver – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
JM – In short – Clients, Contacts, Partners and Advice. EIE was a fantastic arena to meet innovative individuals in large organisations – exactly the kind of clients we are looking for. Further, there were a number of entrepreneurial individuals connected to these large organisations, who have become valuable contacts. We also found a number of green companies, particularly those involved in carbon accounting and reducing emissions within organisations. It was great to chat to these companies as we could add value to their proposition and strike a strong partnership. Finally we always welcome advice from the seasoned veterans of entrepreneurship. Although we’ve been in this for two years – we have a lot to learn and are ready to learn it!

Revolver – Did it work?
JM – EIE exceeded our expectations in all of the above. It attracted people who are passionate about entrepreneurship, and almost everyone we spoke to wanted to help us out regardless of their position or proposition.

Revolver – Any feedback on the event?
JM – We found EIE well organised, in a stunning location and with spectacular food. The guests were of the highest calibre, and the diversity of the exhibitors shows the true innovative nature of the startups. I’ll be sure to apply for next year’s event!

Revolver – Sum it all up for us…
JM – Very rarely does one get the opportunity to pitch and talk to so many people of such a high calibre. I recommend every startup attend EIE next year, they’re bound to find something useful!

Le Zhang (TriVault)

Revolver – In your own words, what does TriVault do?
Le Zhang – TriVault is the next-gen backup and recovery technology that enables managed service providers to deliver a complete cloud backup solution with up to 40% cost saving compared to others.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
LZ – I’m there to meet potential investors and paying customers in order to gauge interest in seed investment.

R – Did it work?
LZ – A handful of people are interested in TriVault with follow-up meetings planned for next week, which is great!

R – Any feedback on the event?
LZ – A great time to see many different high-tech projects in one day.

R – Sum it all up for us…
It’s a fun day presenting TriVault at this year’s EIE. And even more exciting is that I actually met people who were genuinely interested in TriVault, which hopefully will lead to seed investment in the future.

Ben Panter (Blackford Analysis)
Revolver – What does Blackford Analysis do?
Ben Panter – We make radiologists lives easier by presenting them with data in the right orientation so they can get straight to work.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
BP – We were there to update future investors on our progress, and to look for talented new employees.

R – Did it work?
BP – Absolutely!

R – Any feedback on the event?
BP – We’ve exhibited at the event for the past three years, and really value the opportunity to meet investors and network with other young technology companies to help each other grow.

R – Sum it all up for us…
BP – EIE ’11 demonstrated, yet again, the value of bringing together so many tech companies, investors and supporting organisations under one roof. Blackford Analysis had an extremely productive day, and we look forward to following up on many conversations.

Bruno Panara (TigaTag)
Revolver – What does Tigatag do?
Bruno Panara – Tigatag is a way of making checkins fun. Instead of repetitively trying to become a foursquare mayor, you check-in as part of playing games with your friends. This way you can have fun, discover new places in your city, and land some nice deals and prizes. Companies can use Tigatag to promote their brand and venues, as well as to engage with the local community.

R – Why were you at EIE, what did you hope to achieve?
BP – EIE was a great opportunity for a small company like ours to show off our product to a new crowd. We went in looking mainly to receive feedback from people new to Tigatag, but also to hopefully start some conversations with potential investors and partners. Last, but not the least, we wanted to interact with some of the other local startups: this is our first company, we have loads to learn from people who have been through it already!

R – Did it work?
BP – We did get some nice feedback and collected quite a stack of cards! The other companies there all had really interesting things to show, so that was fun as well. Sadly, we didn’t get the chance to really engage with investors, it felt like no one was interested in our kind of product.

R – Any feedback on the event?
BP – I found the event to be positive overall. I attended the first and third day, and there were delegates from a variety of different backgrounds that made the networking very interesting. Some of the sessions on the third day could’ve been more useful or engaging for startup founders, but I do understand that the event has to cater to entrepreneurs and investors alike.

R – Sum it all up for us…
BP – EIE was a fun event for us, and we were able to show Tigatag to investors, corporates and other entrepreneurs. Feedback from multiple sources was exactly what we were after!”

Juliebee Writing & Photography was born a year ago when I left behind a long career at the BBC. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made but the outside world is proving to be full of opportunity!

I love telling stories with words and pictures. On the words front, I currently concentrate on copywriting, proofreading and web content, and plan to push my journalism shortly. When it comes to wielding my camera, I focus on events, live music, people, parties and pets. Photographing cute animals is really just a cover so I can spend a couple of hours cuddling them but please don’t tell my clients.

I constantly take photos of mistakes in shop signs and menus, I’m addicted to the internet, and regard Twitter as my office.

What inspires you?

Creativity, success, passion and positivity. People who have built something from nothing and successful self-employed folk who show me it can be done.

I’m inspired by something new every week, whether it’s a random conversation with someone on the train or a smart illustration. The latest sparks have come from The Ministry of Stories, The Dialogue Project, Mark Stevenson, Mark Millar, and The Oatmeal.

In your opinion what are the biggest issues that digital could be used to address?

Changes in communities and politics. The internet is opening up lines of communication that were unheard of even a couple of years ago. Social media has changed mainstream media from a broadcast tool to a conversation, it’s giving us opportunities to talk to people in power, and businesses are engaging with their customers. I hope the evolution of these tools will give everyone a voice and a chance to make a difference.

Who/ What is the next big thing?

Am I allowed to say me?! It may be the space I’m in at the moment but it feels like there’s a real rush of people doing their own thing and taking control of their lives. I like to think the next big thing is a bigger spotlight on individuals and small businesses… but that might be wishful thinking!

The best advice I was ever given…

“Only go for it if you really want it.” – a BBC Producer when I was desperately trying to kick-start my media career. I went for it. Fifteen years later, I say the same thing to myself in my new career, and I try to listen to gut instinct.

“You can only have one thought at a time, make it a positive one.”

“Life is not a rehearsal.”

Yup, you might think they sound like twee clichés but they help when I’m having a bad day.

In 5 years time …….

Five years?! I can’t imagine what next week will bring so I can’t think that far ahead at the moment! My business is still getting off the ground and I don’t know which areas will really take off but I’m going to give it my all and I will be successful in my chosen fields. As long as I’m happy I know I’ll be on the right path.

Julie Broadfoot Writing and Photography: http://www.juliebee.co.uk/

Twitter: @juliebee

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/juliebee.writing.photography

Now, I know a lot of men would *humph* and question, ‘Why do we need a bloomin’ Women’s Day? Every day’s bloomin’ women’s day in my house!’. Well that’s as may be in a lot of households in the UK, but really, if you honestly think about it, you would have to agree that there are a lots of pretty amazing women the world over who are struggling on a daily basis for better lives for themselves and their families. Or even cast a thought towards those women simply holding it all together, juggling work, family and home life which may be less newsworthy, but deserved of recognition all the same.

We’re not ones to preach, however it’s definitely worth being reminded that women across the globe in the developing world continue to exist subjected to difficult social and economic circumstances. Poverty, illiteracy and violence remain just some of the inflictions put upon women and the families which they attempt to provide and care for.

Image courtesy of Alex Martin

We opened Recoat in July 2007. We are a small independent art gallery, the only gallery in Scotland of its kind, exclusively exhibiting graphic art, illustration, street art and photography from the genres of Low Brow, Pop Surrealism and Urban Art. I set up Recoat with my partner, Ali Wyllie, and we now work with Ruth Hollywood and Mark Crilley. My name is Amy Whiten, I grew up in Fife, went to Art School in Dundee and now work as an exhibiting artist, illustrator, mural artist and lecturer as well as being managing director of Recoat.

What inspires you?
The artists we work with inspire me. I am constantly impressed by how hard some people work, both on their art, and their promotion, artists like INSA, Matt Mignanelli and FiST are good examples of this. Also there was a huge Street Art Festival in London last year called Moniker, it was very inspiring and well organised. We visited an exhibition last year called Art From The New World at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Festivals and exhibitions like this show that the art that we are showing is gaining popularity and support from the highest levels in the art world, it is very inspiring and exciting.

In your opinion what are the biggest issues that digital could be used to address?
I hope that digital media will force everyone, business, politics, everything, to be more transparent about how they work and why, there is still way too much bull shitting going on.

Who / What is the next big thing?
I think you’re going to see more and more public art galleries showing the kind of work we show, like the Bristol show I mentioned earlier. Artists we feel you should look out for who could go really big as the movement grows are Kirsty Whiten, Elph, FiST, and Matt Mignanelli. We are holding an exhibition called Black Lodge in March from three young Scottish artists called Estum, Macism, and Soul Relics. They are all ones to watch.

The best advice I was ever given ?
Ali once bought me a t-shirt that says- “Never Stop Never Give Up”, lately that has become my favorite statement, and my mum lives by the mantra “Seize the day”. I know they sound a bit cheesy, but the more I work running Recoat the more I see that when we push hard and take leaps of faith we get the most out of it and the artists we work with. You have to be relentless.

In 5 years time …
Apart from driving to work in a Porsche, we hope to be in a larger more prominent space, we’d like to be running regular tours of artists to other parts of the world, representing artists and running a print studio alongside the gallery.

Twitter: @RecoatGallery

Facebook: RecoatArtGallery

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/recoat/sets/

Recoat Gallery are showcasing a new exhibition ‘Apartness’: A Pop surrealism group show opening on Friday February 4th 2011.