Digital Transformation and Collaboration
Thanks to our sponsor Think Dutchess we have in-person component this year!
October 28th
Day One (In-person & Virtual):
At: Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon, NY
- 1:00 PM: Festival Opening Ceremony
- 1:30 PM: Creating a cloud-ready culture to support digital transformation in the age of Covid (Keynote)
- 2:30 PM: Digital Divide and Digital Inclusion (Panel)
- 3:30 PM: Conversation Cafe on Digital Divide > Digital Collaboration (Facilitated Networking)
- 4:30 PM: Hudson Valley's Women in Tech: Movers and Shakers / Charting Your Fearless Path (Panel)
- 5:30 PM: Wrap-up
- 6:00 PM: Networking Cocktail and Dinner (in-person!!! tickets available here)
October 29-30th
Day Two and Three: Workshops and Talks (Virtual)
Friday, October 29th:
- 10:00am - Video Killed My Data Plan: Delivering video that doesn't break the web (Talk)
- 11:00am - Journey to the Cloud: Demystifying Cloud Technologies using Storytelling (Talk)
- 11:30am - Firebase: Backend as a Service (Workshop)
- 12:15pm - Python for Developers (Workshop)
- 1:00pm - What's Being Taught in K-12 Schools & Why That Matters (Talk)
- 2:00pm - Design Thinking (Workshop)
- 3:00pm - NYS Open Data (Workshop)
Saturday, October 30th:
- 10:00am - How Putting Shoppers First Helped a Floral Technology Company Deliver Game-Changing Solutions for Local Florists (Talk)
- 11:00am - Using Sensors for Maker and Education (Workshop)
- 12:00pm - Become a Content Marketing Rock Star with Zero Content (Workshop)
- Soft Skills for Career Development
- Networking with Purpose: Liberating Structures (Virtual Networking)
- Digital Navigators
- Addressing Digital Divide
- Digital Resilience use cases and solutions
*While we plan to address these topics, agenda is subject for change till the last moment.
We know we can not fit all amazing speakers and activities into one festival, and we promise: once started -
Conversation will continue!
We will not stop here, and plan to continue the conversation through a series of webinars that will carry us through fall and winter. You can also expect more Networking With Purpose sessions. Interested in participating? We want to hear your thoughts. We’re looking for transformative seminars that will inspire our next decade of solutions using technology, data, and design for the public good. Below are topics to be considered in your proposal within a 45 minute session:
Topic: Untangling the “Education-to-Workforce” Pipeline
- Addressing skill gaps schools are unable to fit in preparing students for the working world
- Current workforce: Upskilling or pivot to a new career
- Drivers behind the current labor shortage “gaps”
Topic: Challenges for Remote Education (Public and Higher Education)
- Digital Divide at home --literacy, --affordable broadband, --dedicated learning space, --the only device for the family, --engagement, --2 working parents, --mental health
- Remote relationship-building - creative solutions
- Lack of socializing: impact on celebration, social interaction and transition to future
- Quality of remote university
Topic: Small Business Recovery
- How to take your business to the next level online.
- Tools for digital transformation
- How to onboard with tech - creating a tech plan: outsourcing vs in-house?
- Data tools for business growth and insights
2020 was a blast while a challenge
We skipped a big in person event, but we learned a lot switching to remote webinars and even Hackathon!
The Pivoteers and Pioneers Webisode series presented by OpenHub and HVTechFest was our prelude to the theme of HVTechfest 2020, a theme of divining opportunities for individuals and business within the Hudson Valley in the new normal. With the pandemic lockdown we’ve initiated our own pivot to continue the theme and momentum. HVTechFestival — which originally consists of a one-day conference and one-day Hackathon — continued with the two-day youth Hackathon on October 23–24, 2020.
Inaugural 2019 was an ignitor
HVTechFest 2019 was the largest gathering of the HV Tech ecosystem to date, with 250+ participants and 120+ Hackathoners in attendance. With 40+ speakers, 23 sponsors and 30+ volunteers on board, we were able to achieve our three primary objectives:
- Brought HV Tech ecosystem together to connect, collaborate, find jobs, hire talent, and create new partnerships and engagements
- Increased energy and excitement about the HV Tech ecosystem
- Established HVTechFest as a signature annual event for the ecosystem
Founded by OpenHub, Hudson Valley's premier tech education program, the two-day event will continue to be a major conference in the region's burgeoning tech space.
