South Sound Technology Conference Touts Tech Future
By Dana Greenlee, co-Host WebTalkGuys Radio
Business leaders, industry experts and politicians will
convene in Pacific Northwest for the May 30 event.
 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 Washington
Governor converge on Tacoma, Washington to explore tech’s latest developments.
Tacoma was
voted one of the Top-5 "Tech Towns" in America by Industry
Standard Magazine and Number 1 mid-sized city to do business in Year 2000 by Entrepreneur Magazine.
The local technology industry has traveled a sometimes bumpy path since the late
1990’s, 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 & 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:
Security and Privacy Strategies
Tying Technology Issues to the Bottom Line
Media Coverage of South Sound Technology
Infrastructure: Are We Using Our Capacity and If Not, Why Not?
Tomorrow's Technology Visions
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 website at SST2002.com. Conference Coordinator
VonMarie Melanson can be reached at vonmarie@seanet.com
or by phone at 253-222-2227.
 Video highlights from last years SST 2001 conference can be viewed at http://www.sst2002.com/2001_prg.cfm.
These include speakers such as US Senator Maria Cantwell, Jesse Berst, formerly with
ZDnet Anchor Desk, Washington Governor Gary Locke, Karen Worstell, CTO of Atomic Tangerine
and Howard Schmidt, formerly Chief Security Officer at Microsoft Corporation and now
Bush-appointee to the Office of Homeland Security.
~ WTG
(Dana Greenlee is producer and co-host of the
WebTalkGuys Radio Show. WebTalkGuys, a Seattle/Tacoma-based talk show featuring technology
news and interviews. It is broadcast on CNET Radio in San Francisco and Boston, on the web
at CNET Radio, WebTalkGuys Radio, Sonic Box and via the XM satellite network and on NexTel's
Wireless Web. Past show and interviews are also webcast via the Internet at http://www.webtalkguys.com). |
