Technology conferences can make a huge difference for your company. There is no true substitute for the face-to-face networking and professional development a good conference can offer. If you are in the Jacksonville area, you can attend some fantastic technology conferences, ideal to give you and your employees what they need or to sell your product to your target audience. Or both!
Here are our three favorite technology conferences in the Jacksonville area.
Tech Coast Conference
First on our list of technology conferences in Jacksonville is the Tech Coast Conference from the Jax Chamber IT Council. This year, it will take place on Thursday, August 29. The one-day conference helps bring together technology leaders, offering high-quality speakers from business, education, and other spheres. The 2023 Keynote Speaker was Frank Mantz from LG Electronics. Meanwhile, other speakers included representatives of the University of North Florida, Truesec, Pinnacle Communications, and Blacks in Technology.
They have yet to release the 2024 rates, however, early bird registration for 2023 was only $35 per person, making it easy to send multiple team members. The IT Council’s goal is to make this remarkable and useful conference available to everyone who might find it useful and to leverage the local talent pool, in support of their overall goal of promoting a culture of innovation and creativity in Jacksonville.
This person-only event is conveniently located at the UNF Herbert University Center. This makes it easy for anyone in the Jacksonville area to get to. It even attracts some people from the wider region.
The focus of this tech conference is innovation and leadership. Thus, it is useful for everyone in IT and for people who need to understand IT developments. It is not only recommended for IT pros but also for people in product development or sales and marketing. This makes it a good place to advertise an IT offering, but an even better place to go or send your team to learn about the latest IT developments.
It is also a good networking conference and many attendees plan to continue networking activities after hours. On top of that, attendance supports the Jacksonville IT Council’s educational scholarships, meaning you can feel good about the use of your membership fee.
How to Register
Registration is not yet open for 2024. However, you should watch this space and try to get in early, as rates go up closer to the conference. Last year, early bird rates were available through mid-July.
The conference will take place at the Adam W. Herbert University Center, on Alumni Drive. It is on the south end of the UNF campus with ample parking and is pretty easy to get to. We strongly recommend all tech leaders attend this wonderful conference.
SQL Saturday
Second on our list of technology conferences in Jacksonville is SQL Saturday. The 16th annual SQL Saturday event will be on May 4, 2024. Organized by the Jacksonville SQL Server Users Group, a local non-profit, and sponsored by the UNF College of Computing, Engineering & Construction, the event provides training and education on Microsoft SQL and the wider Data Platform surrounding it.
It’s part of a wider chain of events, but in 2022 and 2023, Jacksonville hosted the largest SQL Saturday in the world, and they are hoping it will grow further. The event is free to attend, with a $15 charge if you want to get the on-site lunch. Oh, and there’s a free t-shirt, too!
Companies and individuals can also sponsor SQL Saturday and get a table to promote their products, with sponsorships starting at $25 for individuals and going up to $2,500 for the platinum package that includes the table and your logo in a bunch of places. The deadline for sponsorship payments is March 4. What’s more, they are also taking speaker applications and submissions for agenda items.
How to Register
Again, registration is not yet open for this event. Registration is handled through the organization’s Meetup page, where you can also find some of their other events. The event will be in Building 51 and Building 4 on the University of North Florida campus, with parking in Garage 38 near the baseball fields.
This conference is intended specifically for SQL developers and superusers. However, with SQL as popular as it is now, that covers a lot of ground in the IT space. SQL specialists may also find some of the organization’s other events useful.
Dynamic Con
Dynamic Con is not specifically a tech conference. However, it is of interest to tech leaders who are involved in HR or business planning. This one-day conference will take place on March 1, 2024, at the Aloft Hotel in Jacksonville. You should also pass this on to anyone in your company for whom HRCI/SHRM credits are important, as the event gives a minimum of four credits.
It’s useful, again, for tech leaders, or get HR to go. All participants get breakfast and lunch and there is a happy hour for networking at the end. Also, if your product is used by HR people, you can get a table at the con and get a targeted audience for HRIS.
This is the most expensive of the conferences at $199 a person (but again with breakfast and lunch provided), but is worth it for leaders and planners. The fairly heavy focus on HR means that it is of particular interest if you are involved in the HR technology space and want to gain a better understanding of what HR teams are currently prioritizing.
How to Register
Registration is open for 2024 and you can Register For Dynamic Con here. The hotel is located on W Deer Lake Drive, just off Route 202 south of downtown Jacksonville.
Get in Touch With NetTech Consultants
These three technology conferences in Jacksonville can help you, as a tech leader, learn and develop. They are part of what makes the area great for IT, and we recommend attending all three if you can manage it.
For more information about technological conferences and innovation in Jacksonville, or to find out how NetTech Consultants can help your company grow, contact us today!
