The GeekWire Summit will look a little different this year. But in this unusual time, there’s one thing that won’t change: Amazing speakers and insightful commentary on where technology, science and innovation are driving us as a society.
Over the course of a three-week period in October, we are convening some of the planet’s top thinkers for the 9th annual GeekWire Summit. This virtual experience will provide insights and inspiration on topics relevant to the tech industry and our broader lives in these unprecedented times: travel, education, the future of work, computing, politics and policy, leadership, startups, health, vaccines and much more.
Early-bird tickets are on sale here, ranging in price from $29 for students, startups, non-profits and government entities to $149 for VIP level access. In addition, given these unprecedented economic times, we are making a pool of tickets available for free for those who can’t afford the regular admission price. To access these tickets, please email us at events@geekwire.com.
The 2020 Summit will feature more than a dozen in-depth sessions during the month of October, with the fireside chats and panels taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. (PT).
By spreading the conference over three weeks, we hope to eliminate Zoom/Teams/Hangouts/Webex fatigue, allowing attendees to tune into sessions in bite-sized chunks. All of the sessions also will be made available to conference attendees on-demand, allowing our guests to watch live journalistic-based interviews on their own schedules. Our event platform will make chat and other networking opportunities a breeze, allowing attendees to get to know one another and drill down on the key topics of discussion.
The Bank of America Main Stage will feature fireside chats with some of the top leaders in technology and business, while the Regence Health Tech Stage will go deep into COVID-19, telehealth and how technology is transforming an antiquated health care system.
Some of the highlights from the agenda so far:
- The Race to a COVID-19 Vaccine: Experts in viral diseases will discuss the progress being made toward a COVID-19 vaccine just as an autumn spike is predicted. The esteemed panel includes Dr. Deb Fuller, professor of microbiology at the University of Washington; Dr. Lynda Stuart, deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr. Melanie Ivarsson, chief development officer at Moderna, one of the major biopharmaceutical companies with a vaccine candidate in Phase 3 tests.
- Expedia CEO Talks Travel: Perhaps no industry has suffered more than the global travel business, and millions of business and leisure travelers are wondering when it will be safe to hop on that flight to New York or cruise to the Caribbean. We’ll discuss the prospects for a rebound and how the travel industry is innovating during these trying times in a fireside chat with newly-appointed Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern.
- The Future of Education: Remote learning. Virtual commencements. Equitable access to technology. The challenges facing educators, institutions, parents and students are drastically different this fall as many campuses and schools remain empty. Hear from Dr. Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College; Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning; and Diane Tavenner, co-founder and CEO of Summit Public Schools. Moderated by Tyra Mariani, president of Schultz Family Foundation and former deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Education.
That’s a small glimpse of the lineup. A full agenda will be released in the coming days, and we’ve got a few surprises in store for what will make this a memorable and informative Summit. Check out our confirmed speakers on the GeekWire Summit event site, and look for more to be added as we approach the event.
Sign up here or below. We hope to see the entire GeekWire community — albeit virtually — at the 2020 GeekWire Summit. Please email us with any questions: events@geekwire.com.
A huge thanks to our sponsors for helping to make the GeekWire Summit possible: Bank of America, Regence, EY, ALLtech, Slalom, Wave Business, Wilson Sonsini, PayScale and ExtraSlice.
