Over the past several days, you may have seen us quizzing our Twitter followers on some Washington tech trivia. We are lucky to live and work in an area with such a rich technology history, and are proud of the local companies who have helped our region grow into what it is today. Without further ado, here are some fun facts about our state’s technology history and this year’s TechNW conference:

Q: Which panelist ordered a beer onstage at last year’s TechNW conference?

A: Zaarly founder, Eric Koester.

Q: Which 2011 TechNW panelist predicted Apple will shake up game consoles?

A: Valve co-founder, Gabe Newell.

Q: Which major Northwest tech company has not yet spoken at TechNW – Amazon, Zulily or SalesForce?

A: That’s a trick question – they all have!

Q: Who is the second largest technology employer in Washington State?

A: Amazon (approximately 69,100 employees).

Q: Who is the largest private (i.e., not a public company) technology employer in Washington State?

A: Zones, Inc. (with a peak number of 559 Washington employees and 846 employees worldwide).

Q: This year’s TechNW venue is Town Hall. What organization occupied the venue before it became a cultural center?

A: The building was occupied by the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist for 82 years, before it was sold to Town Hall in 1998.

Q: What year was Seattle’s Town Hall built?

A: The building was constructed in two stages, from 1916-1922.

Q: Aside from new venue, what other major change has been made to this year’s TechNW conference?

A: The most notable addition is this year’s “Meet the VCs” program – a “speed dating” like session where eight companies have been selected to pitch their ideas to four different VCs in 15-minute sessions.

We’ll be talking about these topics and more at tomorrow’s TechNW conference. There are still registration spots open, so please join us!

Photo courtesy of Geekwire.