Forward Technology Conference 2011

The 2011 Forward Technology Conference represents the summer's best opportunity to spend a day networking with some of the area's top entrepreneurs and hearing from experts on a wide range of topics relevant to your technology business. Whether you're thinking about launching a startup business or you're an experienced entrepreneur, you'll find this conference relevant and insightful.

Conference Schedule

Location: Memorial Union, Tripp Commons (2nd floor)
Parking recommendation: State Street Campus Garage (aka 'Lake Street Ramp')

9:00 am - Registration opens

9:15 am  - Continental breakfast and networking

10:00 am - Conference kick-off: Brief (very brief, we promise) remarks from the conference organizers.

10:05 am - Lessons Learned Panel
Moderator: Rebecca Ryan, Founder: Next Generation Consulting
Panelist: Preston Austin, Co-founder: murfie.com
Panelist: Rimas Buinevicius, Chairman: Sonic Foundry
Panelist: Mark Gehring, Co-founder: Asthmapolis, CEO: Sharendipity
Panelist: Max Lynch, PerBlue
Failure is often a better teacher than success. We've assembled a panel of successful entrepreneurs willing to share stories about their biggest, most costly mistakes and how they recovered from them.

11:00 am - Be Inspired
Emcee: Jody Jacobson, PhD, Jody Jacobson & Company
Greg Tracy, Co-founder: Asthmapolis
Jusin Beck, CEO: PerBlue
John Besmer, Principal: Planet Propaganda
We've invited some of Madison's brightest minds and most engaging speakers onto the Forward Technology Conference stage to inspire us with short talks on trending topics.

"Be Inspired" is sponsored by:

12 noon - Lunch break (lunch not provided)

1:00 pm - Pitch Your Biz
Moderator: Pete Johnson
Chris Lukolyo, TargetMobi
Claus Moberg, SnowShoeFood
Ben Seigel, MusiciansConnect
Jeremy Shafton, Door-6
Dan Voell, KnockDown Ninja
Tim Wright, Aquapacity
Here's the chance for a few lucky companies to pitch their new biz or big idea in front of their peers at FTC for some no-holds-barred feedback. Biz-pitchers have exactly 5 minutes to sell the audience on their concept. After each pitch the floor is opened for feedback, compliments, and criticisms.

2:00 pm - The End of the (Startup) World as We Know It
Speaker: Brant Cooper, Founder: Market By Numbers, Author: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development
The lean startup method is one of the hottest topics among entrepreneurs today. We've invited Brant Cooper, a leading consultant, author and advisor on this topic, to share his insights on customer development -- one of the pillars of the lean startup method.

3:00 pm - Ice cream break
Sponsored by:

Build a custom sundae for that all-important afternoon sugar high going into the Keynote.

3:30 pm - Keynote Speech
Keynote introduction: Toni Sikes, General Partner: Calumet Venture Partners
Keynote speaker: Laurie Benson, Cofounder and Former CEO: Inacom Information Systems

Laurie approaches her work and her life by helping individuals and organizations realize their full potential. As a consulting associate and former executive, her focus is helping executives and business owners through executive coaching and board service. Laurie's 35 year career includes her role as a nurse, Xerox sales and sales management, and co-founder of Inacom Information Systems (now CORE BTS), where she served as CEO for 25 years until the time of sale in 2009.

Evening Reception - 5 pm

Forward Technology Festival Presenting Sponsors:

Location: Memorial Union, Union Theater Deck

The Memorial Union Terrace is second to none as a summer venue for a party. We've booked some prime outdoor space overlooking the Terrace for a fun networking event that will bring together conference attendees and other participants in the week-long Forward Technology Festival. Enjoy appetizers and beer while they last, with a cash bar available for any desired additional indulgence.

Contact us for more information, and follow us on Twitter: @fwdtech