Tech Week Grand Rapids brings the entire Western Michigan community together to showcase and promote the region's tech industry. Grand Rapids’ regional tech strategy hopes to add 20,000 jobs to the tech economy, boosting the tech industry to 10% of the area’s economy. Large-scale events like Tech Week Grand Rapids directly support that cause and showcase the work being done in the community.
The six-day event is put on in an unconference style where participants and the community drive the event schedule. Tech Week Grand Rapids scaled its attendance by 270% from 2022 to 2023, and 2024 is poised to deliver the same community-led appeal with nearly 70 events scheduled from September 16-21, 2024. The week’s events aren’t just for people in technical roles or traditional ‘tech’ jobs, either. In fact, most of the content is for business leaders, says Andria Romkema, Lead Organizer for Tech Week and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The Right Place, the organization that puts together Tech Week Grand Rapids.
Attending Tech Week Grand Rapids? Here’s how to make the most of the week’s events.
Tips for Attending Tech Week Grand Rapids
People should first think about their favorite parts of other events they’ve attended, Andria says. Whether it’s networking events, hands-on tech demos and exhibits, how-to workshops, panel and Q&A discussions, or pitch competitions, there is something for everyone.
Image source: The Right Place
Event hosts create their event’s content, ensuring it is relevant, timely, and resonates with the audience and greater Grand Rapids community.
“Tech is such a horizontal and vertical industry,” she says. “There is content for software developers, but there is also content across industries like HR and marketing.”
Use Filters Wisely
On Tech Week Grand Rapids’ event page, filters are available for event type, category, and date, so attendees can better plan their week.
Andria suggests attendees pick their top three events to go to. And for someone who is getting a feel for the unconference, she recommends coming to one of the headline events.
“Pick one of the bigger events and maybe two smaller ones,” she says. “That will give you a good sense.”
Headline events at 2024 Tech Week Grand Rapids include:
- Tech Week Kick-Off with keynote speaker Stephen Dubner, co-author of the “Freakonomics” book series on Sept. 16. Note: This is a paid event.
- Tech on the Deck networking event on Sept 17.
- Demo Day entrepreneur competition on Sept 18.
- Confluence Festival on Sept. 20 and 21.
“So much of it is personal preference,” Andria says. “That’s the beauty of Tech Week. We have events Monday through Saturday.”
Events are held all over the greater Grand Rapids, Mich. area, hosted by various organizations, and scheduled throughout the day to cater to people’s differing schedules.
“It’s massively flexible,” Andria says. “Go to the events that interest you. Choose which ones you want to go to and which ones you don’t. Events are tagged and you can filter.”
Make Connections
Like any conference, Tech Week Grand Rapids is primed for making personal and professional connections. But because it’s an unconference, events are more casual and driven by community connection.
Image credit: The Right Place
“It’s a great place to network with other business leaders, especially if you go to a more specific event,” Andria says.
Each day offers various networking events, from happy hours to Tech Trails to Tech Talks on topics like health and technology, design and innovation, and AI and data.
Outside of the specific networking events, the Tech Week Grand Rapids app can be used to connect with others through the profiles and message boards. And the app can help attendees navigate the unconference and see the whole week’s events, Andria says.
Learn more about the events happening at this year’s Tech Week Grand Rapids and register for your favorite events today.
