At Friday’s TECHpalooza, expect insights from Magic Leap founder, 50+ more speakers, flying cars, robot dogs & more

By Riley Kaminer

Art week might have come to a close. But in our regional tech community, the events keep coming!

One of the largest is South Florida Tech Hub’s TECHpalooza, happening this Friday at the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale. This location is ideal for Miami and West Palm Beach tech enthusiasts, as it is just steps away from the Brightline train.

Formerly known as ITpalooza, this is the event’s 10th year – and its first after a three-year pandemic-induced hiatus. The theme, “rediscovering innovation,” aims to have attendees approach STEM topics with a childlike wonder.

TECHpalooza attendees can meet FPL’s robotic dog SPOT this year.

“What started over a decade ago as a simple holiday party with tech friends has since become one of South Florida’s signature tech expos highlighting tech and innovation in the region attracting 1,000 people each year,” Nikki Cabus, CEO of South Florida Tech Hub, told Refresh Miami.

Since then, South Florida Tech Hub merged with TechLauderdale, which was one of Broward County’s most prominent tech communities.

“As a newly unified organization, we hope to grow this event ten fold over the next few years into a true tech conference that attracts people from all over the world and puts a spotlight on South Florida,” commented Cabus.

Highlights of TECHpalooza 2022 include a handful of keynote sessions from prominent South Florida entrepreneurs: serial entrepreneur and inventor Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap and MAKO Surgical; Sam Jaddi, SVP and chief information officer at security firm ADT; and Chuck Miller, global SVP of publicly traded AI-powered cloud platform Dynatrace.

Beyond these keynote presentations, there will be over 50 additional speakers and 15 panel discussions that aim to educate the South Florida community on the major trends in our innovation ecosystem. Topics include everything from web3 and cybersecurity to smart cities and climate tech.

The web3 panel will feature a variety of prominent enthusiasts such as Sharon Holm, founder of the Sisterverse and former COO of GenoBank.io; and Ignacio Lopez of Rocket Art Labs.

The event will also feature a variety of interactive exhibits. For one, Doroni Aerospace will bring its cockpit for attendees to experience what it is like to travel in its proprietary eVTOL (electric vehicle takeoff and landing) flying car. Three executives from the company will also appear on a panel discussing the future of eVTOLs.

Doroni simulator.

Participants can expect to witness – and perhaps take part in – an augmented reality dodgeball game. After that, attendees can decompress by trying out some of the latest and greatest 3D printing technology.

Has TECHpalooza piqued your interest? Attendees can get 25% off any ticket option by using REFRESH25 to register!

WHAT: TECHpalooza 2022
WHY: Learn about all the technology that drives South Florida’s innovation ecosystem

WHERE: Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale (taking the Brightline? Save 25% with promo code BRIGHTLINE25)

WHEN: December 9th

HOW: Learn more and register via Eventbrite

This photo and the photo at the top of this post are from ITpalooza in 2019. The event is now called TECHpalooza and is returning Dec. 9.

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Riley Kaminer