The first quarter of 2016 has come and gone, and we’re happy to share some of what we’ve been up to in the first months of the year.

WTIA’s mission is to be the unifying voice for the technology community in Washington. Our goal is

•      To engage with our members and greater tech community,
•      To help them connect with others in the community,
•      To support individuals and member companies, and
•      To educate their employees and help them further their professional lives.

How do we do all of this? A big part of it is our always-busy events calendar.

We started 2016 with a splash!

The WTIA Polar Bear Plunge – Annual Event

“Ringing in the New Year by taking a dip into the Puget Sound is nothing unfamiliar to those who live near it. This year WTIA hosted its own Polar Bear Plunge on the chilly shores of Alki Beach.” Read more

 

And Launched Three More New Events Series.

CxO Breakfasts – Quarterly Event

These events bring together C-level leaders in a small group, ‘speed peer mentoring’ format. In a round-table discussion format, guests and their tablemates have the opportunity to share their business’ problems, concerns, and challenges then receive feedback and advice from their colleagues.
Reviews of our inaugural event said it was a useful way to get quick feedback and to get to know others in the industry, and 80% of those questioned said that they’d definitely refer a friend or coworker to attend a future event.

Funny, useful, well done.

Jon Lisbin, Chairman and Founder, Point It

Keeping Small Businesses Healthy (KSBH) – Quarterly Event

The KSBH series is meant to help small business owners and first-time entrepreneurs. During the events, a panel of experts conducts interactive workshops that focus on the issues and concerns specific to each event’s topic. For example, our inaugural event focused on the world of finance. Four industry experts discussed questions like

•      How to prepare for your audit
•      How to apply for loans
•      Tips for designing a financial forecast
•      State and local tax tips
•      Business Entity tax tips
•      Taxation strategies for small businesses
•      How to choose a business banker

Attendees told us that this format was easy to understand and was a useful way to get helpful, practical advice for their business.

We’ve got three more events this year. Upcoming topics include HR (May 24,) marketing (July 12,) and legal (October 25.)

Member Happy Hour – Monthly Event

Our member-only happy hours have been a hit! Each month more WTIA members join us to get to know fellow members, hang out, talk shop, and connect with others in our local tech community.

Join us for our next Happy Hour Tuesday, April 19th, where appetizers and your first glass of wine or beer are on us! Not a WTIA member? Learn more about joining WTIA so that you can partake in the fun!

Continuing Events Series

We’ve got some popular, longstanding events that continue to engage and support our Washington tech community.

Executive Women in Tech (EWiT) – Quarterly Event

WTIA is proud to support the growing number of women working in the tech sector in the greater Seattle area. One of the ways we do this is by hosting quarterly EWiT events, which are vendor-neutral, invitation-only events specifically for women executives in the tech field.

Our first event of the year—Multigenerational Leadership—was a great success. Women of three distinct generations came together to discuss the challenges and best practices of working in a multigenerational work environment. Read the event recap.

Tech in Focus (TiF) – Quarterly Event

Staying on top of the latest innovations is a must for people who work in the tech industry. That’s why we gather industry experts and audiences for a quarterly Q&A to talk about what’s new, what’s coming, and how it all fits into our work and daily lives. So far this year we’ve covered the topics of cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Check out upcoming TiF events later this year!

•      September 13, Secrets and Insights of the Dark Web
•      November 15, What Robotics mean for business & next generation of driving

 

Want to stay up to date on what’s happening on the WTIA Events Calendar? Sign up to get notifications, including our bi-monthly Events Bulletin, and get involved!