Guide To Philly Tech Week 2015
Whether you're a fanatic or merely a fledgling, you can always afford to brush up on your knowledge of technology. Get your crash course in all things innovative at the annual Philly Tech Week, coming to our city this April. –Chelsea Karnash
THE BASICS
What: The fifth Philly Tech Week, organized by tech news site Technically Philly, is a series of events held at various locations. Last year, Tech Week hosted more than 100 technology-related events across the city, including seminars, workshops and happy hours.
When: April 17-25, 2015
Why: Philly Tech Week's goal is to celebrate and grow technological innovations in the Philadelphia area.
SCHEDULE
Philly Tech Week has nearly 100 events planned in different genres, including a pop-up Arcade at Dilworth Park and "Track Days," or one day conferences on different topics.
Friday, Apr. 17 *MOVED TO 4/18 DUE TO RAIN*
Arcade @ Dilworth Park
Broad & Market
6 – 9 p.m.
Celebrate the start of Tech Week with the Arcade at Dilworth Park. Games, live music and even giant Connect Four are all part of the al fresco fun.
Philly Startup Crawl
Various locations
4 – 8 p.m.
Drink a beer or two with some of the city's most successful businesses. Twelve startups are scheduled to participate in this crawl, including TicketLeap and Sidecar.
Saturday, Apr. 18
Rad Girls Rad Awards
The Dreaming Building
618 N Front St
7 – 10 p.m., $15
Woman in tech are being feted at this first-ever event. Pony up a small fee to get access to food, drinks, live music and invaluable advice at this awards ceremony, which is hosted by Rad-Girlz.com.
Philly Women in Tech Summit
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut St
8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Women in tech, unite! This all-day conference features speakers and discussion groups, hands-on workshops and more, all geared towards helping us succeed in the field. Proceeds benefit Techgirlz.org, which works to get middle school-age girls interested in technology.
Monday, Apr. 20
Tech Week Mayoral Forum
Free Library
1901 Vine St
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
While the primary's not until May 19th, you can get a peek at some of the mayoral candidates' ideas and attitudes towards tech at this forum, which focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation and retaining the city's creative class.
Tuesday, Apr. 21
The Future of Digital Marketing
Impact Hub
1227 N 4th St
10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Digital trends and marketing challenges are just some of the topics covered at this marquee media conference.
PhillyCHI 9th Annual Design Slam
Artisan Mobile
234 Market St
6 - 9 p.m.
Challenge yourself at this "design slam," which pits teams of competitors tasked with solving a problem via tech against each other. The event is a chance for students of all levels to work alongside pros in the tech industry. Spectators are welcome, and a panel of judges will choose the winning design.
Wednesday, Apr. 22
#Failfest: A Conversation in Failure
University City Science Center
Quorum
3711 Market St, Suite 800
3 – 5 p.m.
It's no secret: Sometimes, startups fail. Hear from some of the region's most successful tech honchos about a topic you might think is foreign to them: failure.
Thursday, Apr. 23
Speed Date with Think Brownstone
Think Brownstone Philadelphia Studio
111 S 15th St, Mezzanine
5 – 8 p.m.
No, you're not meeting like-minded peeps for a romantic relationship. This professional version of speed-dating will allow potential employees to find out if they're a "match" for tech company Think Brownstone.
Friday, Apr. 24
CityStreets: Race Through History – Philly!
Start at Beech Interplex
1510 Cecil B. Moore
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
This is Philly's first-ever youth led tech race, and it involves four miles and 10 challenges using one app. Oh, and this event is family-friendly, so feel free to bring the kids.
Philly Tech Week Signature Event
Comcast Center
1701 JFK Blvd
7:30 – 10 p.m.
This cocktail party-cum-tech expo takes place in the city's (current) tallest building and includes a mix of regular peeps as well as Tech Week organizers, sponsors and participants.
Ongoing
Philadelphia Independent Film Festival
Box Office: 2401 Walnut St
Friday, Apr. 17 – Saturday, Apr. 25
This annual eight-day film fest features filmmakers and creatives "you most likely never met before" as well as discussions, screenings and parties.
Track Days: Have a specific interest or two? Check out Tech Week's Track Days, which are each geared towards a different topic, such as "Media," "Business" and "Creative." For more info, click here.
For more information on Philly Tech Week or any of these events, please visit the Philly Tech Week website or follow @PhillyTechWeek on Twitter and Facebook.