MIAMI—Oct. 21, 2014— Tech Weekend @ The Dolphins, a two-day event being held at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium from Oct. 25-26, will bring together major players in sports tech, investors and budding entrepreneurs to share and build new ideas in the digital sports arena. A second event, Tech Networking @ The Dolphins will take place on Nov. 13. Both are supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Related Link
“New events combine Miami’s love for sports with technology” by Frank Haggar on Knight Blog (10/21/14)
The inaugural event aims to establish Miami as a hub for sports tech startups by connecting the South Florida technology and sports communities with each other and investors in the space. In addition to Knight, the event is supported by the Dolphins, as well as several other sponsors.
“These events will leverage South Florida’s diverse talent to add yet another layer to our growing idea ecosystem—blending Miami’s love of sports with its tech momentum,” said Matt Haggman, Knight Foundation program director for Miami. “By connecting and fostering local innovators, the events will provide an outlet for stronger collaboration, while attracting new ideas to this emerging space.”
“Tech Weekend @ The Dolphins is yet another example of how Miami’s growing ecosystem of information technologists are coming together and having an impact on real-life events, such as sports. This particular venue encourages the combination of sports entertainment with technology, including web and mobile,” said Frank Haggar, lead organizer of the event. “This event’s hackathon has the potential to generate new concepts for web or mobile apps that could be used to enhance the in-stadium experience for sports fans in stadiums across the world.”
Tery Howard, chief technology officer for the Miami Dolphins will kick-off Tech Weekend with a keynote speech. The event will further host meetups and networking opportunities throughout the day and offer participants multiple training courses, including IT and coding. Additionally, budding entrepreneurs will have the chance to participate in the Fin Tank hackathon in which developers will create sports apps designed to change the in-stadium sporting experience. These apps will then be reviewed by Dolphins IT experts, as well as potential investors from Citrix Venture Capital Group.
The event will also include a teach-a-thon collaboration between the tech community and Miami-Dade public schools. Students interested in computer science and technology will join sessions on HTML design and game development, with the goal of preparing them as future innovators in the space.
As a follow-up to Tech Weekend, Tech Networking @ The Dolphins will take place on Nov. 13. Participants will have the opportunity to reconnect and attend the nationally televised Thursday night game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Sponsors will present various opportunities to win tickets to the Tech Networking event during Tech Weekend.
Support for these events forms one part of Knight Foundation’s efforts to invest in Miami’s emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a tool to build community, while fostering talent and opportunity. Over the past 18 months Knight has made more than 90 investments in entrepreneurship in South Florida.
Tech Weekend @ The Dolphins and Tech Networking @ The Dolphins are being organized by volunteers and the event’s official producer is IT Pro Camp.
To learn more about the events, the sponsors and to register to attend, please visit http://www.thefintank.com
About IT Pro Camp Inc.
IT Pro Camp is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that organizes technical training events across the country. IT Pro Camp welcomes User Groups and Tech Groups to join forces and help each other with new members/attendees, group meeting/event promotion, guest/session speakers, and great networking opportunities at IT Pro Camp events and your Group meetings.
Contact: Frank Haggar, Lead Organizer, 954-553-5356, [email protected]
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. www.KnightFoundation.org
Contact: Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677, [email protected]