EVENT DETAILS

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Tech Connect is a half-day fully interactive online conference that delivers great learning and networking opportunities from MnTech’s in-person events to your desktop. Tech Connect is packed with content from more than 50 presenters and is free to all employees of MnTech member companies. The morning includes keynotes, tech showcases, community conversations, and connection opportunities with other attendees.

KEYNOTE SESSIONS

Announcing three can’t miss keynotes for all conference attendees!

                              OPENING CONVERSATION

Joan  Gabel | President, University of Minnesota

Jeff Tollefson | President, MN Technology Association

MID-MORNING: THE HUMAN IMPACT OF DATA LITERACY

Dr. Paul Barth | Global Head of Data Literacy, Qlik

                                 CLOSING CONVERSATION

Geoff Martha | Chairman & CEO, Medtronic

Jeff Tollefson | President, MN Technology Association

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WHAT WILL THE MORNING LOOK LIKE?

DETAILED AGENDA
CLICK TO EXPAND:

TECH SHOWCASES

Minnesota companies will share impactful ways they are leveraging technology to address business needs and power tech-enabled business models. These 25-minute showcases will be grouped by industry within six different tracks as below.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

Community Conversations are 25-minute live Zoom rooms designed for audience participation. Conversation leaders will provide an overview, then invite further conversation and questions from all attendees in the room.

See below for conversation leaders.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

  • CATCH the conversation between Joan Gabel, President of the University of Minnesota, and Jeff Tollefson, President & CEO of the Minnesota Technology Association.
  • HEAR from Geoff Martha, Chairman & CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company.
  • LEARN about the human impact of data literacy with Accenture and Qlik.
  • CHOOSE from 30 stories of Minnesota companies using technology to solve problems for customers and grow their businesses.
  • PARTICIPATE in community discussions on digital accessibility, managing disruptions, ethics in AI, vendor risk management, AI of Things, Cloud migration, and much more.
  • CREATE your agenda on an easy-to-use platform with no downloads/installs necessary.
  • CONNECT with your community via the conference messaging app.
  • GAIN new ideas and solutions throughout the conference.
  • DOUBLE your learning power by catching replays of other sessions post-event.
REGISTER NOW!

COST TO ATTEND

  • FREE to all employees of MnTech Member Companies and sponsor guests.
  • $50 for non-members.

TECH CONNECT 2021 IS SPONSORED BY:

Presenting Sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Conference Agenda

8:30 Conference begins
Welcome and keynote
9:00 First Educational Session and Community Discussion Series
9:25 Break
9:30
Second Educational Session and Community Discussion Series, Sponsor Expo
10:00 Fireside Chat
10:25 Third Educational Session and Community Discussion Series
10:50 Break
10:55
Fourth Educational Session and Community Discussion Series, Sponsor Expo
11:25 Panel
Welcome Welcome by Jeff Tollefson, President & CEO of the Minnesota Technology Association and Jade Denson, Director of Community Engagement
Keynote Keynote by Marty Resnick, Sr. Director Analyst, Gartner: “5 Trends Drive the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2020”
Educational Sessions Hear from a variety of Minnesota companies using technology to solve problems for customers and grow their business.
9 a.m.
  • Ecolab:  Virtual Support: a Real Solution in a Locked-Down World
  • Optum: The Cutting Edge of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
  • Slack: Modern Secure Collaboration with Slack
  • Target: Target Circle – Behind the scenes of one the nation’s largest loyalty programs and it’s positive impact on our local communities
  • AT&T: 5G- An overview of the basic principles of deploying a 5G network. Basic use cases will also be discussed.
  • SportsDigita: The NEW sales tech stack: Helping a remote workforce navigate with Digideck
  • Entrust Datacard: Driving digital transformation: Subscription revenue model for a global portfolio
9:30 a.m.
  • AerisWeather:  How Weather Data Coupled with Machine Learning Optimizes Business Outcomes
  • Self Esteem Brands: Mobilizing a product team into action in Covid times
  • SportsEngine: From Background Screens to Safety Programs: How SportsEngine Defined Eligibility and Changed the Market
  • Starkey Hearing Technologies: Disruptive Innovation and the Hearing Aid Industry
  • Structural: Building a Future of Work that is Better than Ever
  • Xcel Energy: Customer, data, technology: Nucleus of the future clean energy economy
10:25 a.m.
  • CHS:  Using “Lean” methodology to align to business needs
  • Medtronic: Driving change in the healthcare lifecycle through technology solutions
  • RSM: Covid as a Catalyst of Health Care Disruption
  • SPS Commerce: Stories and strategies for building and adopting Kubernetes-based engineering platforms
  • TCF: The intersection of Great Culture and Technological Innovation
  • Thomson Reuters: Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Legal Technology: The Next Frontier is Already Here
  • Unisys: Modernizing Legacy Applications
10:55 a.m.
  • Allianz Life: A journey to increasing business value with test automation
  • C.H. Robinson: How C.H. Robinson and Microsoft are Partnering to Build the Supply Chain of the Future
  • Fairview Health Services: Rising to the challenge of Covid-19
  • Jamf:  Work, Learn, and Care from Anywhere: How Jamf is Driving Digital Transformation
  • Livefront: Using performance design to make digital products appear faster than they actually are
  • Microsoft: The Evolution and Realization of the Intelligent Edge
  • Securian: Evolution of the technology innovation lab at Securian Financial
Community Discussions Connect with your community during small group discussions on a variety of issues important to you. Interact with the conversation leader and one another via a built-in Zoom feature
9 a.m.
  • Prime Digital Academy: How can non-traditional talent sources help diversify your tech team?
  • MN-DOT and VSI Labs: Connected and Automated Vehicles: Heaven or Hell?
  • 26 Letters: How Do We Center People When Building Technology?
  • MentorMate: Why Design is a Strategic Advantage in Product Development
9:30 a.m.
  • AI Practitioners in Manufacturing:  Seagate, Boston Scientific, Entrust Datacard will share results of their benchmarking to date and ways to get involved
  • Baker Tilly:  What’s your data done for you lately?
  • LucidLift:  Has Agile failed?
10:25 a.m.
  • Lab651:  The Internet of Things: Should I Be Happy, Sad, or Scared?
  • NCXT: Can Technology Save Dining?
  • Optum & Target: What’s your role in fostering an effective and high-performance remote product engineering culture?
  • Crossfuze: IT Support CX in the new normal
10:55 a.m.
  • Lighthouse Software:  Low Code vs. Pro Code: Which One is Best?
  • AI AppStore: How will AI Change the Future of Tech and Tech Careers
  • University of St. Thomas: Preparing Business Leaders for a Digital World
Sponsor Expos Meet Tech Connect’s amazing sponsors, who helped make the conference possible, and enter a chance to win prizes
Fireside Chat Join Jeff Tollefson for a conversation with Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’Lakes
Closing Panel “Not All Super Heroes Wear Capes.” Hear from large venue tech leaders as they discuss new “Game Day” realities.