After a successful inaugural event that drew hundreds of attendees and more than 100 speakers, Maine Tech Week will be back in Portland this month.
The event, scheduled for Oct. 19-22, will take place at Aura, Mechanics’ Hall, the Portland Museum of Art and other locations.
It will offer conversations, panels, workshops, demonstrations and hands-on sessions.
Intersections
This year’s theme, “Intersections,” reflects the idea that some of the most interesting innovation happens when industries, disciplines and perspectives come together in fields from ocean sciences to the future of work.
“Maine Tech Week started with a belief that Maine needed a place where people working across technology, business, creativity, research and industry could find one another,” said Torie DeLisle, the event’s founding director. “Last year showed us how much energy there is for that kind of connection. This year, we’re building on that momentum and creating even more opportunities for people and ideas that might not normally share the same room to intersect.”
Tech, work, creativity
Monday’s theme, “Where Maine Industries Meet the Future,” will explore how emerging technologies are reshaping industries that have long defined Maine, including the blue economy, agriculture, health care, manufacturing and the built environment.
Tuesday will tackle “The Space Between Creativity (Art) and Technology,” giving artists, storytellers, designers and technologists a chance to examine how technology is changing creativity.
“Maine, Technology and the Future of Work” will be the theme for Wednesday, with conversations about AI adoption, workforce development, education, investment, entrepreneurship and the skills Maine will need as technology changes how work is done.
On Thursday, programming will focus on “Emerging Voices and What Comes Next” with a focus on entrepreneurs, investors, emerging leaders and new voices shaping Maine’s innovation economy.
Maine’s global advantage
Highlights include:
- Theo Balcomb, creator of the Daily at the New York Times and former senior editor at the Atlantic, in a conversation about storytelling, technology and human attention
- Beth Orcutt, vice president for research at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, exploring the intersection of Maine’s ocean economy and innovation
- Wade Merritt, president of the Maine International Trade Center, moderating a conversation exploring where Maine’s next global advantage might lie.
Additional speakers include Torey Penrod-Cambra of HighByte, TimberHP CEO Matt O’Malia, Nina Scheepers of the Maine Venture Fund, Startup Boston founder Stephanie Roulic and Austin Williams, founding director of the Maine Blue Economy Center at Maine Technology Institute.
Focus on AI
Sessions will tackle questions ranging from who owns AI inside established companies and how Maine prepares its workforce for rapidly evolving technology, to where Maine can compete globally, how technology is transforming the working waterfront and agriculture, and who gets to build, fund and own the next generation of companies.
A “90-Minute AI Sprint” will challenge participants to bring a real-world problem and use AI tools to build a working solution during the session.
Evening events include networking at Oxbow Brewery, an evening at the Portland Museum of Art and a closing party to wrap up the week.
