The 2019 GeekWire Summit is just a few days away.
After months of planning, we’re thrilled that more than 800 business, tech, media and government leaders will join us for the annual conference, taking place in downtown Seattle on Oct. 7-9.
Now in its eighth year, the GeekWire Summit is one of the premier technology events in the country, exploring what’s next in the innovation economy and discussing big technological trends that will shape society — everything from artificial intelligence to the future of health care to privacy.
Things will get rolling Monday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. with a must-attend welcome party for all Summit attendees at the wonderfully geeky Flyhomes headquarters along the revitalized Seattle waterfront. If you’ve not yet secured your spot for the 2019 GeekWire Summit, a limited number of tickets are available here.
Here’s everything you need to know about next week’s big show.
Dates and Location: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7-9, with a Welcome Party at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7 at Flyhomes (1201 Western Ave, Seattle) and the main conference at the Hyatt Regency (808 Howell St., Seattle) on Tuesday and Wednesday Oct. 8-9.
Welcome Party at Flyhomes: Meet Summit attendees, speakers, and other VIPs at this warm-up party hosted and sponsored by Flyhomes. The Welcome Party, at 5:30 p.m., is open to all GeekWire Summit attendees, and it will feature retro games, prizes, raffles, beverages and an awesome mac-n-cheese bar.
Conference start time on Oct. 8th: Registration, located on the seventh floor of the Hyatt Regency, opens at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, followed by a welcome at 8:55 a.m. Be sure to grab your coffee before our first session, featuring the always inspiring and entertaining Steve Ballmer.
Do I need to bring my printed tickets? No. If you’ve purchased tickets, just pick up your Summit pass at the 7th floor registration booth at the Hyatt Regency on Oct. 8 or Oct. 9. Registration will open at 7:45 a.m. NOTE: Badges will not be available at the welcome party on Oct. 7.
Are tickets available to purchase? Yes, a limited number of tickets are still available, so make sure to invite a friend, colleague or co-worker to join the fun. Tickets available on the registration page here.
Agenda: We’ve lined up two days of great content, featuring technology leaders from across the industry, including fireside chats, panel discussions and in-depth power talks. You can see the full agenda on the event site here, or via the GeekWire Summit events app here.
Health Tech Stage: Back by popular demand, the Health Tech stage will explore how data science, cloud computing and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing how healthcare is delivered. The Health Tech stage, presented by Regence Blue Shield, will take place on Oct. 8 , and feature speakers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Adaptive Biotechnologies and many others. Check out the full agenda on the Health Tech tab in the schedule on the event page here. These sessions will take place in the Clearwater room, room #702.
Finals of GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch: Over the past two months, 12 entrepreneurs competed in this unique challenge, presented by PACCAR, pitching their concepts in the elevator at Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower. Now, four finalists will present live onstage in front of the GeekWire Summit audience on Oct. 9 where they will have just 32 seconds for their pitch before our judges announce this season’s winner. Binge-watch all episodes of this fun, fast-paced and GeekWire exclusive startup pitch competition here.
App: All of the essential info you need for the GeekWire Summit from speaker bios to session schedules and maps, is now available in the GeekWire Summit 2019 App, sponsored by Alaska Airlines. The app also includes live polls, an “Ask a Question” feature during key sessions, ways to engage with fellow Summit attendees and more. It’s accessible available for download in the Google Play store and iOS App store under the moniker GeekWire Events. Go here to install the app.
Pre-Summit Survey: Tell us what you’re hoping to get out of the Summit, and submit questions for our speakers, in this pre-event survey.
Food & Drink: No need to search for your own meal — we’ve got you covered. Light breakfast will be served on both mornings, and boxed lunches will be available to all attendees. We’ve also sprinkled coffee and beverage breaks throughout the day to keep the energy flowing, and you’ll stay hydrated thanks to water station sponsor University of Washington Foster School of Business.
Wi-Fi & Power: Free Wi-Fi will be available throughout the Summit. Power also will be available at select tables during the Summit.
Executive Coaching Sessions: Sponsor ICF (International Coach Federation) is the global body for professional coaching and will be offering complimentary coaching sessions at the event. If you would like to experience a 30-minute personal coaching session with a ICF accredited professional coach, you can schedule here. The coaching sessions will take place in Newaukum room, room #704.
Visual Strategist: Back by popular demand, visual strategist Guillaume Wiatr of MetaHelm will be recreating the Summit activities with his custom graphic facilitations. Follow along as Guillaume recreates the Summit in real time creating dynamic visuals from the exciting content on stage.
Fun surprises: GeekWire socks from our partners at Evo3; Robotic photographer from OCCO; and musical guest Whitney Monge at the Oct. 8 happy hour, provided by Hughes Law Group supporting the Seattle Music Commission.
GeekWire Studios: A new addition to the GeekWire Summit, this second stage — an offshoot of GeekWire’s sponsored content arm — will featured live recordings of unique content in front of a small studio audience. On Oct. 8 at 2 p.m., Ann Torres, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Synapse Product Development will deliver a talk titled Stop Yelling at Alexa, She Doesn’t Get You… Yet and on Oct. 9 at 10:20 a.m, WestRiver Group will host a panel discussion titled How to scale: Entrepreneurs Share Secrets to Success. The GeekWire sessions will take place in the Clallum Room, room #701.
Social Media: We’ll be using the hashtag #gwsummit for the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GeekWire Special Coverage: GeekWire reporters will be on site chronicling the action throughout the GeekWire Summit. Follow along with our special coverage section. Have a tip or want to meet one of our reporters at the conference? Email us at tips@geekwire.com.
Videos & Slides: Did we mention we’ve got two great days of content across two stages in store for the 2019 GeekWire Summit? That’s a lot to take in! After the event, all attendees will receive access to session videos and select slide decks so you can relive a favorite moment or watch a session from the other stage.
Prizes and giveaways: Plenty of fun prizes and giveaways will be happening throughout the Summit.
Parking: Paid parking is available at garages in the vicinity. We encourage you to bus, bike or use other alternative transportation.
GeekWire’s Impact Partners: Inspired by many of the organizations profiled in GeekWire’s weekly Impact Series, we wanted to engage some of these overlooked groups at our events. We’re doing this with help from the community and would like to thank our partners for helping us to make even more complimentary tickets available.
Accommodations: For availability at the Hyatt Regency, please contact the hotel directly.
Attire: Business casual.
Still have questions? Email us at events@geekwire.com.
