Tech Week GR to provide showcase of Grand Valley & West Michigan tech innovation

Grand Valley will be among the community partners showcasing growth and innovation in West Michigan’s technology sector as part of the second annual Tech Week Grand Rapids.

Tech Week will take place Sept. 18-23, and include a community kickoff featuring best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, a technology showcase from companies and educational institutions throughout West Michigan and the return of the Confluence Festival, which combines music, art and technology into a unique interactive experience.

“GVSU is thrilled to collaborate with The Right Place on Tech Week GR, which will celebrate the world-class innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration that takes place every day in West Michigan,” said GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella. “Our students and faculty are excited for the opportunity to showcase how their hard work and creativity will change lives for years to come.”

Teams from GVSU will showcase XR (extended reality) technology at GR in XR on Sept. 21. The demonstration at the downtown Blue Bridge will allow participants to use devices to see a future vision of the city based on proposed development plans.

Other GVSU-sponsored programming will include a Tech Showcase Sept. 19 at the GVSU Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center, a Tech Talks event Sept. 20 at the Consumers Energy John G. Russell Leadership Center, and an esports competition and Future Innovations Zone on Sept. 23 as part of the Confluence festival at Rosa Parks Circle.

GVSU is among more than 25 community partners that are collaborating to host Tech Week Grand Rapids, with support provided by premier sponsor, Bank of America. A full list of events and community partners can be found at techweekgr.com.

“Our region’s tech sector has experienced exciting growth this past year and we’re looking forward to highlighting this success during Tech Week GR,” said Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The Right Place, Inc. “The momentum behind Tech Week GR continues to grow, and we expect to welcome thousands of attendees this fall to experience the thriving tech and innovation community we have here in the Greater Grand Rapids region.”