8th Annual SciTech Festival Kickoff Conference and Community Stakeholder Summit

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (September 24, 2018) — This year’s 8th annual SciTech Festival Kickoff Conference will focus on bringing together Arizona’s key stakeholders in what will be the largest collaborative STEM conference in the state.

The conference is expected to draw more than 1,200 leaders in business, industry, academia, government and community, whose mission is aligned to grow Arizona’s position as a world leader in science, technology and innovation. This year’s program will feature three entire floors of hands-on STEM exhibitions, and more than 50 STEM-related sessions, interactive panels, workshops, displays and more.

There is still time to register and reserve a spot for you or your organization.

This year’s conference takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa. One of the Kickoff Conference’s main goals is to support the Arizona SciTech Festival, one of the largest science and technology festivals in the nation with more than 2,000 STEM events statewide each February and March.

“There is no better place to see Arizona’s robust STEM community than here at this conference, which brings together industry, academia and innovators to spur excitement and important discussions about growing our STEM ecosystem,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Increasing STEM opportunities and inspiring future generations of STEM innovators is critical to meeting the needs of Arizona’s workforce and advancing our state’s competitiveness in the global economy.”

“As a founding sponsor, we’ve always believed in the promise of exposing students to STEM learning found at the Arizona SciTech Festival, and are proud that we continue to support it,” said Susan Anable, Southwest Vice President of Public Affairs, Cox Communications. “We are committed to elevating the educational experience in the communities in which we serve and see no better way than to build a celebration whose mission is to focus on how technology is impacting people’s lives.”

This year’s keynote speaker will be “The Human Calculator,” Scott Flansburg, who is an educator, speaker, Guinness World Record holder, bestselling author, and TV host. As a featured keynote speaker across the world, Flansburg’s mission as an “edutainer” is to help people improve their basic arithmetic skills regardless of their age.

Media Contacts
Dr. Jeremy Babendure, Arizona SciTech Festival [email protected], (480) 250-7764
Connie Weber, [email protected], (602) 845-1243

2018 Sponsors:

PLATINUM: Cox Communications, Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, Immersive Teaching STEAM Academy

GOLD: Viasat, ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society, idloom events, Project Lead the Way

Early Bird Festival Sponsors:

PRESENTING: Cox Communications

PLATINUM: Arizona Commerce Authority

GOLD: State Farm, Arizona Board of Regents

SILVER: SRP, Univision Contigo, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, Intel, Arizona Renaissance Festival, MAC6, Accountability

BRONZE: Arizona Parenting, PADT, Grand Canyon University, Green Living Magazine

COPPER: Phoenix Business Journal, Arizona State University, idloom events, Arizona Technology Council

TITANIUM: Midwestern University

FOUNDATIONAL PARTNERS: Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona State University, Arizona Science Center, Arizona Technology Council Foundation, University of Arizona

About the Arizona SciTech Festival
The Arizona SciTech Festival is a statewide celebration of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) held annually in February and March. Through a series of expos, workshops, conversations, exhibitions and tours held in diverse neighborhoods throughout the state, the Festival excites and informs Arizonans age 3 to 103 how STEM will drive our state through a grassroots collaboration of more than 800 organizations in industry, academia, arts, civic, community and K-12 education. The Festival is anchored at the Arizona Commerce Authority, in collaboration with additional foundational partners including the Arizona Technology Council Foundation, Arizona Science Center, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). Visit azscitech.com for more information.
 

About the Arizona Commerce Authority

The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create - attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter at @azcommerce.