Crain's: OhioX brings state's first tech summit to Cleveland this spring
Crain's Business
By Jeremy Nobile
February 20, 2022
https://www.crainscleveland.com/technology/ohiox-brings-states-first-tech-summit-cleveland-spring
Even South by Southwest had to start somewhere.
Of course, being its first year, the 2022 OhioX Tech Summit won't be remotely as expansive as the renowned, 35-year-old festival that brings together tech, film and music industries in Austin, Texas, each year.
But for organizers behind Ohio's first-ever tech summit, which comes to John Carroll University on April 23, it's the initial step in growing the tentatively annual event into something like a SXSW.
In that sense, the event could be a pivotal moment in the story of the state's expansive and growing tech industry.
"This has been many semesters in the making," said Chris Berry, president for OhioX, the state's first and only tech trade group. "It'll be an opportunity for people to come together, experience and celebrate tech across Ohio."
The one-day event will feature a variety of speakers, tech demos and networking opportunities. You can find more details about the event, including speakers and tentative itinerary, online.
"This is coming at a perfect time because there are so many exciting things happening with tech in our state," Berry said. "There's of course the news of the Intel plant coming to central Ohio, and that has its ripple effects. But that's just one piece. We have startups drawing more venture capital than ever. Really, from startups to Fortune 500 businesses, if there is tech and innovation going on, this is really the home for all of that."
So why host the event at John Carroll?
That comes down in large part to Berry's fellow event organizer Scott Allen, Standard Products—Dr. James S. Reid Chair in Management for the college who also teaches a class about technologies enabling disruption.
Through his college course, Allen takes students across Northeast Ohio to companies such as Goodyear, General Electric, the Cleveland Clinic and many others to witness disruptive technologies and to generally improve their tech literacy.
"We don't necessarily want the students to be the one developing, say, the sensor technology," he said, "but we want them to know how sensor technology is being used, monetized and how it can be a differentiator in business."
As those tours turned virtual during the pandemic, other interested parties have been invited to jump in. There are about 20 students in Allen's class, but he said upward of 80 people would often tag along for the virtual events.
Allen connected with Berry after the launch of OhioX in December 2019. It wasn't long before they latched on to the idea of collaborating on a statewide summit that could convene people and companies engaged in the tech scene.
Thus, the concept for the OhioX Tech Summit was born with John Carroll serving as the venue.
This idea blossomed just as COVID-19 flared up, so plans were put on the backburner. With the pandemic seemingly amidst another fade, the duo said the time is right to bring an event to fruition.
One of OhioX's core goals is to promote the state's often unsung tech industry and innovation — not just that coming out of the most high-profile companies, but also what's being developed by startups and within other businesses that might not always draw mainstream attention.
The summit certainly will serve that purpose.
Speakers lined up for the event so far represent a wide variety of companies, including Park Place Technologies, Color Coded Labs, KeyBank, Hyland, Proformex, University Hospitals Ventures, Microsoft and many others.
For Allen, the event will be required attending for his college course, which has otherwise been conducted remotely amid surges in COVID.
Berry said that people will come to him asking about what's happening in different pockets of the state with respect to tech. He is often asked, "What is Cincinnati doing versus Columbus or Cleveland?" The joke, he said, is that there is always this rivalry between the big cities and the smaller ones around them that inspire this line of thinking.
But it's part of Berry's job to think about the big picture.
And therein lies another purpose of the summit.
"There are different strengths in our various cities and sectors. But there are also many similarities and parallels, and in that is future opportunity," Berry said. "One of the things we are trying to do better is connect what is happening in these regional ecosystems."
"When you look at all levels of business, whether that is the Fortune 500 companies or startups, we could stack up our stories with a lot of other people," Allen said. "I think we need to step back and get really proud of what is happening in our state right now and take a look like, wow, Ohio is a player in tech, and build a mindset based on that — just like what Chris is doing everyday with OhioX."
Berry is still compiling a list of possible speakers for the tech summit, as well as companies interested in providing demos. Anyone interested in either is encouraged to contact Berry via team@ohiox.org.
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