TechFest North Carolina Agenda

#TechFestNC2026

Day One

1:00 - 1:40 pm – Kickoff at Durham Armory

• Welcome Remarks
• Opening Keynote Speaker: Tony Kerrison, Head of Group Technology Infrastructure + Head of Technology, Data and Innovation Americas, Deutsche Bank

1:40 - 2:15 pm -  Executive Conversation at Durham Armory | Serving Securely: AI, Cyber Risk, and Public Trust, Sponsored by Accenture

2:15 - 4:15 pm – Tech Expo Time at Durham Convention Center 

• 2 TurboTech Speakers
  • 2:45 pm - SI 360 and AI - How Can AI Improve Your City's Water - Jeremiah Radabaugh, CGI
  • 3:30 pm - AI at the Speed of Trust - Greg Boone, WalkWest
• Interactive Engagement with Tech Exhibitors
• All-Access Lounge

4:00 - 6:00 pm – Opening Reception + NEXT TECH Awards Celebration at Durham Armory 

• Featuring Dead City Radio

6:30 - 8:30 pm – Leadership Dinners (dutch treat) around Downtown Durham

8:30 - 10:30 pm – Late Night with NC TECH at 3 locations around Downtown Durham

• West End Billiards sponsored by Callibrity
• Pour Taproom
• Velvet Hippo

Day Two

8:00 - 9:00 am – Coffee Pop-up + Breakfast

9:00 - 9:45 am – Welcome Remarks at Durham Convention Center

• Opening Keynote Speaker | AI for the Rest of Us: Turning Principles into Practice in a Purple Sate | Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM Consulting’s Global Leader for Trustworthy AI, IBM

9:45 - 10:00 am - Break

10:00 am - 12:00 pm – Innovation Labs (Breakout Sessions) at Durham Convention Center

• AI Track
  • AI Across Industries: Innovating, Disrupting, and Transforming the North Carolina Landscape – Sponsored by Deustche Bank
  • From AI Pilots to Enterprise Value: What NC's Economy Has at Stake – Sponsored by CGI
• Cybersecurity Track
  • Words Matter:  Communicating Cybersecurity Readiness, Risk and Reality Panel – sponsored by Brooks Pierce
  • Making AI Defensible, Auditable and Compliant– sponsored BlueAlly

• Culture + Talent Track
  • Building a Data Driven Culture (Not Just A Data Team) Panel Discussion – sponsored by Blue Cross NC
  • Apprenticeships, Early Careers, and AI‑Ready Skills: How NC Is Building Its Next‑Gen Tech Workforce Panel Discussion - sponsored by Dell
• Tech in NC Track
  • AgTech in North Carolina

12:00 - 1:45 pm – Lunch + Expo Time at Durham Convention Center

• Grab + Go Lunch Provided
• 3 TurboTech Speakers
  • 12:20 pm - The Product That Rewrites Itself: Marketing AI in Real Time - Brandon Walker, HOAi
  • 1:00 pm - The Forgotten Economy: The Multi-Trillion Dollar Opportunity Nobody's Talking About - Mark Bavisotto, RDULabs
  • 1:25 pm - The Future of Tech is Human Access - John Samuel, Ablr

1:45 - 2:45 pm – Startup Showcase at Durham Convention Center

• Participants:
  • Fixxr
  • NexStratus
  • Nuream
  • Roboro
  • Tesslate

2:45 - 3:15 pm – Closing Executive Conversation at Durham Convention Center

• Omar Santos, Distinguished Engineer, Cybersecurity and AI Security, Cisco
• Paul Giralt, Distinguished Engineer, Cisco

3:15 - 5:00 pm – Closing Happy Hour

• Featuring A Restoration Project Jazz Trio

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