Guest Author Bio: Vikash Shah is a Twitter hashtag fiend that recently started hashtagd. A website dedicated to being the “reality TV trash of Twitter”. When he isn’t infront of a computer he is either; tearing up the dance floor, eating more food than is adequate or reading about economics. You can follow him at @vikashnshah.

For three days Eastern Market, a vibrant marketplace in downtown Detroit, was transformed into the epicenter of Tech Socialites. Hundreds of attendees including seasoned marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and digital creators. The marketing professionals frantically wrote notes in hopes to better understand the role of social in the new age of media. The venture Capitalists could be identified as the only attendees wearing either Dockers or suits. Digital creators swarmed around conference speakers to thank them for their work in their field. And entrepreneurs showed off their pride and joy.

One of the reasons why FutureMidwest 2010 is important for our economy is because it is one of the first events out of several that will spark a social media revolution in Michigan. Detroit, Michigan is a city that is 12 miles away from the conference, which brought a sentimental vibe to the event. Everyone knows that the city of Detroit is down, but not out.

We will be live blogging for the FutureMidwest 2010 conference between today and Saturday. The event starts tomorrow at about 10AM EST. Stay tuned. For more information, check out www.futuremidwest.com.

Update: The WiFi connection on my computer is struggling, but I have been taking some notes, videos, and pictures, will update this post tonight and update the time stamp so it will be at the top of the Pulse2.com homepage. I’m actually updating from a coffee shop nearby right now.

Michigan may be facing tough times with economic recession. In a recent Eminem music video, there is a fact that says: “In 1950 Michigan was 1 of 8 states in America that collectively produced 36% of the world’s GNP.”  However tough economic times, corporate executive greed, and political chaos sent the city into a downward spiral.

But that does not mean that the city has given up on innovation and embracing social media. This is why I’m looking forward to an event called FutureMidwest. FutureMidwest 2010 is a conference being held between April 16th and 17th. The conference was founded by Adrian Pittman, Jordan Wolfe and Zach Lipson.

Presenters include Blagica Bottigliero, Ken Burbary, Evan Gotlib, Beth Harte, Scott Monty, Tim Schaden, Shiv Singh, Samuel Valenti IV, and Scott Hauman. The event is being sponsored by GM, Ford, and Downtown Royal Oak.