WILSON – The City of Wilson is hosting its third annual Gig East innovation and technology forum on Tuesday, continuing its efforts to boost entrepreneurship in eastern North Carolina.

The lineup features keynotes and panels exploring strategies to integrate emerging technologies such as blockchain into the future of work in micropolitan communities.

The headlining speakers include Wilson City Manger Grant Goings, who will open the event with a presentation, Singularity University Future of Work Chair Gary Bolles, who will present a keynote, and WRAL TechWire’s Head of Strategy and Business Development James Amato, who will deliver the closing remarks.

The panelists include Town of Cary Smart Cities and IT Project Manager Terry Yates, NC IDEA President and CEO Thom Ruhe, RIoT Director Tom Snyder, SAS Advisory Product Manger Sam Penfield (who oversees blockchain integration), Wilson Academy of Applied Technology Principal Krystal Cox and US Ignite Director of Technology Scott Turnbull.

The program is co-sponsored by WRAL TechWire, Wilson-based Barton College and Greenlight Community Broadband, the city’s municipal broadband internet system.

Now in its third year running, Gig East marks several additions to Wilson’s innovation roadmap in 2018.

Back in April, Wilson received a $1.1 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to support the construction of the city’s own coworking space. The facility, Wilson Innovation Hub, will offer gigabit internet service from Greenlight Community Broadband, events and networking opportunities, office suites and individual desks, as well as legal, financial and marketing services for Wilson’s growing startup sector.

Wilson also landed a $10,000 grant from US Ignite to develop a “smart city” application for the city’s emergency management departments. The app provides streaming and real-time analytics so that first responders can assess emergencies and plan accordingly before reaching the scene.

Renderings of Wilson’s Innovation Hub

Much like the city it represents, the annual Gig East event has also evolved toward a digital future-centered direction.

Will Aycock, general manager of Greenlight, notes that Gig East’s past iterations have focused on the ways infrastructure guides and supports community growth. But this year’s theme will explore broader topics that will impact micropolitan communities in the coming years.

“This is an intentional shift of focus that mirrors Greenlight’s evolving efforts to leverage technology and infrastructure assets to support our communities long term health,” Aycock added. “The new innovation hub will be a focal point of these efforts, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, being a front door for related programming, resources and opportunities for people who may not have had such exposure traditionally, and being a hub of smart city research and education efforts.”

Rebecca Agner, the City of Wilson’s communications and marketing director, also added that “Gig East has become a forum for us to discuss emerging technology and the opportunities it presents for micropolitan communities. We are proud to be hosting our third annual event, bringing together the Triangle and Wilson communities for shared discussion.”

Gig East will be held October 30 at the Edna Boykin Cultural Center from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $15, available on Eventbrite.

NOTE: If you were a WRAL TechWire Insider member before we discontinued the service last year, you can register for free using the email address associated with your subscription.

https://wraltechwire.com/event/2018-gig-east/