Well, what a hoot.

There is nothing more satisfying after weeks of preparation and organising than seeing the Pop-up in action. As one of the organisers, it's a weird day when it finally comes. The work doesn't really stop until everyone has a drink in their hand and the murmer of conversation is filling the room after a full day of talks and tours, but the buzz takes over as soon as the first badge is handed over in the morning.

I have to admit, my main job during Dundee Pop-up was to make sure the minibus was at the right place at the right time so I saw very little of the tours during the day. Don't feel sorry for me though, I think I'm one of the few people who got to speak to everyone on the tour and hear the excited babble of conversation after each visit. The atmosphere as people are coming together between tours is like being on a school excursion where every stop promises to be a treat.

There are always folk who have never met before having a conversation, people who have never been to this place or that but have been living in the city for years, people who thought they'd come along for one stop to see what it was all about and ended up coming for the day and of course the people who had no idea what to expect but thought the day sounded interesting. The banter never disappoints.

The blogs from members who did go on the tours have been fantastic for filling in the blanks, some of the chat makes a lot more sense now!

I was asked a couple of times about when the tour would come back to Dundee or when it was going to Aberdeen or other cities. This is, of course, a huge complement and we're chuffed that people enjoy the Pop-up so much. Just in case you have been wondering the same thing, I'll let you know what I told these other members....the CenSta Pop-up is a very simple format that should be taken and run with and any member or members who are interested in organising one in their city are absolutely encouraged to do it. Stay tuned and I'll blog more on this later.

I'm going to now very quickly say thank you to a couple of people who do deserve a special mention: Lyall Bruce (aka Sooper_Double_D) for being the most connected and best Dundee guide ever; Laura Simpson for being able to do anything and everything all at the same time; Jon Gill for having Super Man qualities (I'm sure he's hiding the ability to fly as well) and Donna at the Hannah MacLure Centre who makes things happen. There have been so many people involved in creating the Dundee Pop-up. Thanks to all the venues and speakers - basically if I emailed, called or messaged you over the past month about the event, you are thanked in a big way.

It was an absolute joy to put a face to so many usernames and I'm looking forward to continuing our conversation online.

We'll be having another event where members can meet and mingle in a couple of weeks at the premiere of Art/Roc/Doc, and of course London Pop-up is coming too...

Genny.