TECNA Summer Conference 2024

August 7-9, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Get Connected

This annual conference for technology council and association staff is a great opportunity to connect, learn and share with your counterparts from across the US and Canada.

The 2024 TECNA Summer Conference is hosted by TECNA Member, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MTLC). This year, experience Boston, a unique blend of historical charm and innovative spirit.

Registration is Closed

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View Schedule

Keynote Speakers

Conference Resources

Insights. Connections. Expertise.

This conference will deliver best practices and impactful information and will include tours of Boston’s innovation tech scene. The 2024 Summer Conference will run throughout 2+ days with 3 simultaneous tracks focusing on Operations & Deliverables, Workforce, and Serving Startups/Entrepreneurs. The agenda will be posted soon.

Keynote Speakers

Featured Speaker

Joseph B. Fuller, Professor of Management Practice and co-head of Managing the Future of Work Project at Harvard Business School

The Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work focuses on research that can arm companies in anticipating rapid change they face as it pertains to talent attraction and retention. Fuller will be speaking to the impact rapidly advancing technology – specifically artificial intelligence – will have on companies and their quest to find and keep the best talent possible. Fuller will be providing information on ways TECNA members can be anticipating their ongoing work with member companies, policymakers, and educators to enable the best ecosystem for their companies to hire, grow and thrive.”

Joseph B. Fuller, Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School

Featured Speaker

Chris Heivly, author, “Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide.”

Chris Heivly is a life-long entrepreneur and multifaceted investor who spent forty years working as, for, and with entrepreneurs. Prior to becoming a successful startup community builder and consultant, Chris co-founded MapQuest—which sold to AOL for $1.2 billion. He currently serves as a managing director of The Startup Factory. Heivly’s book, “Build the Fort: The Startup Community’s Field Guide” helps forward-thinking leaders and builders understand and support their community’s specific needs in supporting a thriving, vibrant startup ecosystem. Attendees will also receive a copy of “Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide.”

Keynote Panel

Defense Innovation and the Role of Start-Ups in National Security

Defense officials specifically charged with identifying and cultivating dual-use technologies from the small business and start-up communities will explain how TECNA members can enable startups and small business tap into billions of dollars in non-dilutive capital to support dual-use technologies in robotics, autonomy, and AI (among many other areas of interest).

Panelists include:

Moderator: Brian Kennedy, Senior Vice President for Operations and Government Affairs, Pittsburgh Technology Council

Featured Speaker

Shaping the Future of Grand Rapids: Becoming a Midwestern Tech Hub
Jennifer Wangler, Executive Director, Technology Council of West Michigan

There's no denying it - technology drives the future. The businesses of Greater Grand Rapids are at the forefront, and our region's path forward depends on continued technology growth and innovation.

Their vision is ambitious - to transform Grand Rapids into a major Midwestern tech hub by growing the technology sector to account for 10% of regional employment over the next decade.

Achieving this vision will require the creation of 20,000 new technology jobs across the region in the next 10 years. It's an audacious goal, but one they plan to attain by working strategically in collaboration with business and community leaders.

The path forward involves:

Talent - Developing pipelines for tech talent and upskilling our workforce
Ecosystem - Cultivating a robust startup/tech ecosystem and culture
Business Growth - Supporting and attracting high-growth tech companies
Opportunity - Capitalizing on emerging opportunities across industries

Jennifer will share the successes and pivots to date in their journey to turn this vision into reality. Together, Grand Rapids will shape the region into a true hub of innovation and technological excellence.

Countdown to the 2024 TECNA Summer Conference

Day

Hour

Minute

Second

What does my registration include?

Access to TECNA Summer Conference sessions (some sessions may be for TECNA Members only)
Connections, learning and networking with leaders from technology councils, associations and incubators from across North America

Registration Costs

Summer Conference Registration excludes travel expenses, hotel stay and Thursday dinner.

Member Registration
(for TECNA Member Organizations in Good Standing)
TECNA Member Early Bird: $375 USD/person (deadline April 15)
TECNA Member Registration: $500 USD/person

Non-Member Registration
Non-TECNA Member Early Bird: $550 USD/person (deadline April 15)
Cost: $750 USD/person

Registration Deadline: Friday, July 19, 2024

Cancellation Policy
You may request to cancel your registration in writing for a full refund, up to July 19, 2024. Cancellation requests after July 19, 2024, may not receive a refund. When you register for this event, you agree to these terms.

Registration is Closed

Hotel - Room Block Deadline July 16

TECNA secured a block of rooms at The Westin Copley Place, Boston - 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 02116. The Westin Copley Place Room Block Rate: $299 USD/night + taxes & hotel fees and is available through Tuesday, July 16, 2024, or until the block is filled.

The Hotel Block is Closed

2024 TECNA Summer Conference Schedule*

>Tuesday, August 6, 2024

TECNA Board of Directors Meeting

>Wednesday, August 7, 2024

at Westin Copley Place
10 Huntington Ave

1:15pm – Registration Opens/Badge Pick Up Begins
St. George Room (3rd Floor)

2:00pm – Welcome & Opening Keynote
St. George Room (3rd Floor)
Joseph Fuller, Harvard Business School, Co-Head of The Future of Work
read description

3:15pm – Breakouts

3:15pm – Breakout 1 - Making the Pitch to Employers on Workforce Programs
St. George Room (3rd Floor)
Employers tell you their employment needs. You craft a creative potential solution to their issues…but you can’t get back in the door to engage them on the solution.Explore best practices in pitching employers on workforce solutions, what has worked and what hasn’t.
3:15pm – Breakout 2 - Best Practices in Membership Retention & Engagement
Adams/Parliament (7th Floor)
Learn best practices from two TECNA members (with retention rates of over 85%) on how they know, engage, and renew their members year after year.
3:15pm – Breakout 3 - High Impact Entrepreneur Programs with Low Resource Drain
Great Republic (7th Floor)
So many needs you want to serve with too little time/staff to do it?That’s where high impact programming with low resource drain comes in.This session will focus on identifying and capitalizing on programs where you can make a big impact with low resource investment.

4:30pm – TECNA 2024 Membership Survey Results Presentation
St. George Room (3rd Floor)

5:30pm - Break

6:30pm - TECNA Innovation Awards
Essex South
Dinner and 2024 Innovation Awards presentation

>Thursday, August 8, 2024

at Northeastern University
Alumni Center, 716 Columbus Avenue
and ISEC, 805 Columbus Avenue

8:30am – Continental Breakfast
Main Pavilion

9:00am – Welcome & Opening Keynote
Main Pavilion
Chris Heivly, author, Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide
read description

10:15am – Breakouts

10:15am – Breakout 1 - Building the Fort with Chris Heivly
Main Pavilion
Chris Heivly will lead a deeper dive session on helping forward-thinking leaders and builders understand and support their community’s specific needs in supporting a thriving, vibrant, startup ecosystem.
10:15am – Breakout 2 - The Workforce Evolution & How AI Plays a Role
ISEC, 805 Columbus Avenue
Technology is rapidly changing as are the needs demanded of the workforce.With AI now front and center of every new product conversation, a workforce with a distinct skillset and a new regulatory dynamic is on the table. This panel will discuss AI policy’s impact, preparing the employers for these changes, and provide creative solutions for a constantly evolving workforce.
10:15am – Breakout 3 - Efficiencies in Event Planning
Meeting Rooms 2 & 3
This session, facilitated by a 35-year professional event planning expert, focuses on efficiencies in event planning from venue negotiation, staffing/volunteers, event pricing, content/speaker acquisition and more!

11:30am – Box Lunch & Tabletop Discussions
Events: Yellow Tent Cards
Workforce: Green Tent Cards
Membership: Red Tent Cards

11:30am – CEO Breakout Part I - The Current State of Play: Rethinking What We Thought We Knew
Meeting Rooms 2 & 3
Jim Daniel, CEO of Revol, and board member of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, will lead CEOs through a two-part session on the shifting landscape organizations are facing with rising inflation, regional competition, shifting revenue models, and changing member/client needs.

1:00pm – Keynote Panel - Defense Innovation and the Role of Startups in National Security
Main Pavilion
read description

2:00pm – Breakouts

2:00pm – Breakout 1 - CEO Breakout Part II
Meeting Rooms 2 & 3
Follow-up on session from Part I.
2:00pm – Breakout 2 - Helping Your Members Forge Their A-team: Attracting and Retaining Top Talent
Main Pavilion
With digitization, cloud migration and a flood of AI-related tools emerging onto the scene, tech skills gaps are widening. This complicates an already complex array of ever-evolving business priorities for technology leaders and teams threatening their ability to meet evolving demands. This session will focus on labor trends, how to manage a multigenerational workforce and how you can support your member companies with their future-forward tech teams.
2:00pm – Breakout 3 - Organizational Efficiency-Enabling AI Software and Marketing Tools in Data Storytelling
ISEC, 805 Columbus Avenue
Meeting your organization’s mission and articulating how you’ve done it isn’t always easy to do when you’re spinning twelve plates, not letting one drop. This breakout will provide best practices in utilizing data-backed storytelling when talking about your organization’s value proposition while incorporating some efficiencies along the way.

3:15pm – Keynote - Jennifer Wangler, Executive Director, Technology Council of West Michigan, “Shaping the Future of Grand Rapids: Becoming a Midwestern Tech Hub”
Main Pavilion
read description

4:00pm – Breakouts

4:00pm – Breakout 1 - Dues Structures & Organizational Funding
Meeting Rooms 2 & 3
A top discussion topic in 2024 among TECNA members. This discussion will benchmark TECNA members’ varying dues structures, sponsorship and fee for service.
4:00pm - Breakout 2 - Funding Your Workforce Programs: Best Practices in Securing Federal, State and Private Funding
ISEC, 805 Columbus Avenue
You have great workforce program solutions…but how are they funded?This breakout will provide attendees with a panel of varying expertise on best practices in acquiring funding on all levels for these important programs for employers and the workforce.
4:00pm - Breakout 3 - Exposing Companies to International Markets
Main Pavilion
The world is flat…but exploring new markets internationally outside of one’s native country while growing a business can be overwhelming. This session will explore best practices for international exposure for your companies by a TECNA member that has had great success with markets outside of the country.

5:15pm – Adjourn & Dinner On Your Own

>Friday, August 9, 2024

9:00am - Tech Tours: The Innovation Trail
Meet at the Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, Cambridge*
*This is a 1.8 mile walk from the Westin or a short car ride.
**Wear comfortable walking shoes – the tour is expected to take approximately 90 minutes.

“The Innovation Trail focuses primarily on what happened after America became an independent nation, and after some of Boston’s early schools like Boston Latin (founded in 1635) and Harvard (founded in 1636) were established. Independence and access to education began to build a foundation for innovation—as did societal changes like the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, waves of immigration, and marriage equality—allowing a diverse group of people to collaborate on research and company formation. Add in a desire to make the world better, and money from investors, universities, and government agencies to set up labs and run experiments—and voila, you get a thriving innovation ecosystem that has helped shape the modern world.”

*Schedule subject to change

Conference Resources

Registration is Closed

See photos from the 2023 Summer Conference in Seattle below

Click here to see more photos from 2023 on Flickr

TECNA Innovation Awards

We will celebrate the 6th annual TECNA Innovation Awards in 2024 at the Summer Conference. The 2024 awards recognize TECNA member staff for their outstanding work completed with a milestone in 2023 on behalf of their tech association or council.

Winners will be recognized at the TECNA Summer Conference held August 7-19, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, at a reception held Wednesday Evening.

#techcouncils #tecna2024 #tecnainnovationawards

Learn More and Nominate Your Organization!

Deadline to apply: Friday, May 24, 2024.

Innovation Awards Details

About Boston

Summer is a great time to explore Boston. Affectionately known as "America's Walking City," you can stroll the city's sidewalks, wander its abundance of green parks, or just people-watch at one of the many outdoor cafés.

Discover Boston’s vibrant culture while strolling historic streets through diverse neighborhoods. The unique personality of each neighborhood can be found in the cuisine of the restaurants and in the style of the shops, galleries and open markets and above all, in its people.

A town of champions, Bostonian’s are always finding new ways to stay active. A three-mile trail runs along the Charles River offering a scenic route for walking, running, and biking. Bike lanes hug the street and the Hubway, a bike sharing system, provides more than 1,500 bikes at 155 stations to rent throughout the Greater Boston Area. Canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals are all available along the Charles River.

Surrounded by natural beauty, Boston’s 48 square miles are encircled by a bustling harbor, tranquil coastline and a strand of green parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted known as the Emerald Necklace. Two of the parks, the Boston Common and the Public Garden are back to back between the Back Bay and Downtown neighborhoods in the heart of the city.