A local technology group is planning its first-ever technology festival in August, an event that organizers plan to host annually in hopes of bringing together various communities.
The two-day summit, called TechFest, is hosted by Technology Association of Louisville Kentucky, a volunteer-based organization that is working to transition into a paid-membership council, said Dawn Yankeelov, the executive director and CEO of TALK. Yankeelov also is the founder of business consultancy Aspectx Inc.
The summit beings on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Kentucky Center. It will feature speakers and sessions on four topics: health care, management, the "Internet of Things," and a general session that includes the cloud, e-commerce, games and security. The first day will end with a battle of the bands as a fund-raiser at the Belvedere. A trade show and workshop will be held on Friday, Aug. 21, at The Brown Hotel, which will include exhibitors, networking and demonstrations.
Dave Mat-tingly, the chairman of Tech-fest, said he hopes the event will bring various types of people together to collaborate and learn. The targeted audience of Tech Fest includes programmers, executives, data analysts, designers, makers and government officials, for example.
"We have a bunch of strong micro communities," he said, "... who don't interact as much as they should."
Louisville's festival is inspired by festivals in other cities, such as Austin, Texas. The festival will host national, regional and local speakers, who will be announced at a later date. Tickets cost $199 for one day and $299 for both days, according to the event's website. The battle of the bands is $30
Yankeelov said TechFest is part of TALK's efforts to become a trade association or council, rather than a volunteer-based organization. Becoming a paid-membership council would allow TALK to better support economic development efforts as well as employ a paid staff to host ongoing programming, she said.
This effort to become a council also includes TALK's application for a $120,000 federal grant that will help the association identify every technology company in Kentucky and assess each company's resources and future needs. Yankeelov is in the process of applying for the one-year grant, which would yield a public database of companies.
TALK is composed of about 45 volunteers and a board, which includes chairwomanKaren D. Siers-Hartlage of Churchill Downs Interactive and TALK treasurer Norman Schippert of BluegrassNet.
For more about TALK, visit talklou.com. To learn more about TechFest or to register, visit techfestlou.com..
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