More than 2,000 attend Delaware Innovation Week
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Topher Morcos, Philadelphia glass blower, specializes in the Millesiori Technique, an Italian technique
from the 1800’s and was one of the participants in the Demo Pit last week.
More than 2,000 attendees made their rounds of Delaware Innovation Week, a celebration of technology that included 22 events over nine days.
Organized by Technical.ly Delaware and presented by 1313 Innovation, the event is modeled after top tech events such as Baltimore Innovation Week and Philly Tech Week, a medley of mini-conferences, speakers, panel discussions and mixers that highlight everything from Delaware innovators to digital marketing and tech-based advancements.
Organizers from Technical.ly Delaware, the digital publication for all things technology, said that Delaware’s event is designed to show that the state is no longer a tech outlier but a leader.
“Delaware gets lumped in with Philly,” said Technical.ly Delaware’s events manager Catherine Sontag. “We are different, we’re not Philly but we’re great in our own respect.”
Since summer, Sontag said the Technical.ly Delaware Team partnered with Delaware contacts and community builders to line up a mix of technical and community participants for Delaware Innovation Week.
Six different tracks defined the event, allowing attendees to select the focus area that fits their role as business leaders or their interest in technology. Tracks included Create; Civic; Business; Media; Access; and Development.
On Nov. 18 the annual Tech2Gether conference showcased emerging technologies and networking opportunities, and featured keynote speaker Charlie Horn, founder of the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship and Venture Development Center at the University of Delaware. Horn was one
of 13 speakers at the event.
The Technical Forum of Delaware used the Tech2Gether event to launch their inaugural report about the state of technology in Delaware.
According to Ryan Harrington, education and nonprofit coordinator at 1313 Innovation, the conference was streamlined to a single day for a leaner event that works in concert with the Innovation Week conference.
Locations for featured events that were part Delaware Innovation Week were spread across Wilmington. They included World Café Live at the Queen, The CoIn Loft on Market Street, Wilmington University, The Grand Opera House, JP Morgan Chase Delaware Technology Center, Crowne Plaza Wilmington, University of Delaware, the Hercules Building, and Mount Pleasant High School.
“Delaware Innovation Week is aimed to be an annual open house for people to discover the tech and entrepreneurship community developing here. And that’s exactly what has happened,” said Christopher Wink, the cofounder of Technical.ly Delaware. “The events were held at many places around the state, but there was an intentional focus on Wilmington city, which is vital for Delaware’s future success in attracting and retaining smart young people. We must remember that inspiring work happens here.”
