It is time.
The fifth annual Tech Week (fresh of a shiny new sponsorship by that li’l hometown company, Comcast) and organized by Technically Philly kicks off today and will draw in thousands of people from across the region. The annual holy-cow-there’s-so-many bunch of events fosters conversation around technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. The event has grown from about a dozen events in its first year to more than 100 in 2015.
Here’s what not to miss this year:
The Basics
What: More than 100 events celebrating technology and innovation ranging from talks to workshops to networking opportunities.
When: Today through April 25
Where: Across the city — here’s a map of the locations of the week’s events
How: Some events are free, others are sold out and others require attendees to purchase tickets. Explore the list of events here. You can purchase Philly Tech Week Signature Event tickets for $40 ahead of time here in order to attend the event next Friday held in the lobby and concourse of the Comcast Center.
The Highlights
(For a full list of the week’s events, click here.)
Arcade @ Dilworth
Um, has anything ever sounded more fun than playing in an “App Arcade” at Dilworth? There’s also games, food, live performances and a bike valet. This event was originally scheduled for tonight, but now there’s a rain delay until Saturday. Register for the free event here.
4th Annual Philly Women in Tech Summit
This sold-out event is taking place all day Saturday as part of the week’s Access Day. The theme of the event, which benefits Techgirlz.org, is “Inspiring Women to Take a Chance.”
Philly Tech Week Mayoral Forum
This public forum with each of the major mayoral candidates will tackle technology, entrepreneurship and innovation at the Free Library on Monday evening. Here’s a look at the questionnaire they were given, in which questions were brainstormed by Technically Philly and local tech leaders. More info here.
City Council Candidate Lunch on Tech
This informal conversation with some of this year’s Philly City Council candidates will take place Monday at Benjamin’s Desk and members of Philly Startup Leaders are invited to attend. More information here.
The Future of Digital Marketing
Interested in media? This event is the big one for you, and includes an all-day conference on Tuesday that will “focus on digital trends that marketers, agencies, content producers, and startups need to know.” Talk with Philly’s Director of Communications Desiree Peterkin-Bell and hear case studies from successful startups. The event is sold out, but grab tickets for the happy hour here.
Entrepreneur Boot Camp
Tickets are still available for this workshop and networking event for early-stage entrepreneurs on Wednesday. Get them here.
Dev Day Talks
This Thursday afternoon event loaded with workshops and networking opportunities is sold out, BUT you can still register for the after party.
Philly Tech Week Signature Event
It all leads up to this. This cocktail reception in the Comcast Center takes place next Friday night. Register here.
The Speakers
To check out more of the speakers for this year, click here. We’ve highlighted a few:
Wil Reynolds: Reynolds’ company SEER Interactive has grown from being just him to employing more than 100 people. SEER works to help companies improve SEO and analyze the effects that it has on their bottom lines. In November, Wil was named to Philly Startup Leaders‘ board of directors and has led SEER to be named one of Philly’s 100 fastest-growing companies.
Robert Moore: Moore is the co-founder and CEO of RJMetrics, a business intelligence company based in Philly that aims to inspire data-driven people.
Morgan Berman: Berman is well-known in the startup community for the work she did creating MilkCrate, a digital hub for the sustainability community which just released its second version. The app brings together news, events, lifestyle tips and business listings to help Philadelphians be healthier and more sustainable.
Desiree Peterkin Bell: Currently the city’s Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Peterkin Bell works to consolidate communication platforms available to Philadelphia City Government.
Tom Olenzak: Olenzak is Director of Innovation and Corporate Development for Independence Blue Cross, as well as Managing Director of the Independence Strategic Innovation Portfolio.
Stephen Tang: Tang is President and CEO of the University City Science Center, the nation’s oldest and largest urban research park.
Kristin Hodgson: Kristin Hodgson leads the Communications team at Meetup, an app that helps people join together around common interest.
Thomas J. Wlodkowski: Wlodkowski is the Vice President of Accessibility at Comcast.
How to follow along
You can follow along all week on Twitter via the #PTW15 hashtag, at the official Twitter account and on Facebook. Technically Philly also set up a public Slack community that’s meant to “continue and extend the conversations” started during Philly Tech Week. You can find more information on that here.
