After a flurry of festivals dedicated to food, the West coast will be the Tech coast thru January.
Both Southern and Northern California will play hosts to major technology events beginning in October.
Innovation Month
San Francisco has dedicated the whole month of October to tech. For the second year, Innovate SF returns with a multitude of offerings including the highly successful OpenCo SF. Up to 300 organizations will open their doors to attendees, providing intimate talks in their own offices. There’s no fee for those wishing to sign up though for early access to the roster, upgrades are available. Participating companies include the elite of the tech world such as Microsoft, Adobe, Bloomberg, Google, Wired, and Verizon. OpenCo events are also held in Detroit, New York, and London.
Mobile tech is the focus for Mobilize and San Jose’s MobileCon. Tech and “making” is delved into at Re:Make while Verge spotlights sustainability in buildings, transportation, and energy. Robotics is the focus for Robobusiness in Santa Clara and Pepcom’s exclusive press event which promises over 40 companies and fighting robots.
Entertainment Tech
Down in Southern California, October is full of entertainment tech events. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers holds their fest at Hollywood and Highland. Informative conference tracks are followed by full-fledged “let your hair down” parties including a jam session.
Prior to January’s huge International CES in Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Association holds court in Hollywood with its Industry Forum. Spotlighted this year are the intersection of technology and content, disruptive technology, and industry research. Highlights are discussions on UltraHD and a discussion with top Venture Capitalists who are building portfolios of top tech startups.
CEA’s conference coincides with Digital Hollywood and Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit. The co-located events attract execs ranging from Lionsgate, FX, Syfy, Youtube, Honda, and EW along with content creators such as Rob Thomas, Brad Bell, Mariel Hemingway, and Eric Darbleoff.
Other events include Createasphere’s Entertainment Technology Expo in Burbank; Asia Society’s US-China Summit; American Film Market; and Cloud Computing West in Vegas. AFI Fest holds a variety of panels along with film presentations. GDC Next debuts in Los Angeles in November concentrating on the future for game development. G2E, the Global Gaming Expo, occurs in September.
Automotive Tech
With an added press day and a conference, the LA Auto Show is making sure automotive technology is not left in the rear view mirror. Just announced was a third press day which will coincide with the brand new Connected Car Expo. Audi will highlight its first-ever 4G LTE-equipped vehicles, the Audi A3 and S3 sedans. Features in the new cars include picture navigation, read-aloud Facebook and Twitter alerts, access to more than 3,000 Internet broadcast stations worldwide, personalized RSS news feeds and a new Audi Connect mobile app that allows advanced functionality between an Audi driver’s smartphone and the car’s MMI infotainment system.
Ford, Verizon, and OnStar are just some of the other companies making presentations.
Along with an expo, CCE will hold panels on topics such as universal infotainment systems, distracted driving, and autonomous driving. A ‘fastpitch’ competition and the Motor Press Guild Motoring Invitational featuring classic and exotic cars fill a packed three days prior to the auto show opening to the public.
Also occurring in a short amount of time: Las Vegas’ SEMA show and Motor Trend International Auto Show; the OC Auto Show; Santa Monica’s AltCar Expo; and San Diego Auto Show.
Finally, January brings the largest consumer electronics show, CES 2014 followed by Macworld/iWorld, the ultimate iFan event.