The battle for the hearts and tech minds of the Puget Sound business community looking to advance technology will be in full swing next month at the South Sound Technology Conference, when tech execs, congressmen and even the governor of Washington converge on Tacoma to explore tech’s latest developments.
The local technology industry has traveled a sometimes bumpy path since the late 1990s, at times celebrating tech business with the E-Business Day street festival and other times defending its viability in the press during the hibernation trend over the past year.
“To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the tech communities demise are greatly exaggerated,” said Paul Ellis, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce Director for Metropolitan Development.
There’s no place where Tacoma tech is more in evidence than the SST 2002 Conference, as it is called.
The well-attended conference, organized by sponsors like the Chamber of Commerce, is held every May at Tacoma’s Sheraton Convention Center. The conference is slated for May 30.
“Another indication of the life in the technology community here is the SST. This is our third year running for this event,” said Ellis.
Co-hosted by Congressmen Adam Smith and Norm Dicks, the forum showcases the continuous growth of technology in the South Sound region and provides information about global technology issues.
Notable technology industry analyst, Frank Catalano, Principal of Catalano Consulting, Puget Sound Business Journal columnist and Fox Q13 tech editor, will moderate the SST 2002.
The conference features events that attendees have come to expect: programs on a variety of topics of interest to information professionals and business leaders and a wine and cheese networking event.
The keynote speaker is Howard Schmidt, Office of Cyberspace Security with the Office of Homeland Security, Washington, DC.
A series of hour-long tutorials, seminars, and breakout sessions are planned.
These cover subjects such as:
n Security and Privacy Strategies;
n Tying Technology Issues to the Bottom Line;
n Media Coverage of South Sound Technology;
n Infrastructure: Are We Using Our Capacity and If Not, Why Not?;
n Tomorrow’s Technology Visions;
n The Institute of Technology at the University of Washington Tacoma.
Based on previous SST conferences, the impressive facilities of the Sheraton Convention Center is a good setting for the large exhibit stands, the pulsing crowd of attendees and the eager exhibitors.
It might be a good place to contemplate the progress of our local tech industry, and the constant buzz of activity fuels the enthusiasm while allowing opportunity for reflection on the tech future.
Tech businesses and services can register for exhibition space for the conference. The booth fee is $500.
For more information or to register online, visit the Web site at: www.sst2002.com. Conference Coordinator VonMarie Melanson can be reached at vonmarie@seanet.com, or by phone at 253/222-2227
This Saturday the local radio and Webcast technology show, WebTalkGuys Radio, will talk with Paul Ellis, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce Director for Metropolitan Development. Ellis will talk about the results of a Tacoma Technology census on the state of local technology firms. Ellis will also update listeners on the South Sound Technology Forum (sst2002.com). The broadcast can be heard locally on KLAY 1180 AM at 11 a.m.
Dana Greenlee is a Web designer and co-host of the WebTalkGuys Radio Show, a Tacoma-based talk show featuring technology news and interviews. It is broadcast locally on KLAY 1180 AM Saturdays at 11 a.m. The show is also on CNET Radio in San Francisco and Boston, on the Web at www.CNETRadio.com, www.WebTalkGuys.com and via the XM Satellite Network and on NexTel’s Wireless Web. Past show and interviews are also Webcast via the Internet at www.webtalkguys.com