NC headliners: FusionConf, Barings-UNCC Economic Forecast, SBIR/STTR Seminar & more events through Dec.

Here’s our latest wrapup of upcoming conferences, contests, workshops, application deadlines and socials happening across North Carolina through the end of 2018.

Included are upcoming meetups, conferences, workshops, socials and networking events happening in Asheville, Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, Wilmington and other areas across North Carolina.

To find out what’s happening this month in the Triangle, check out part one of this week’s column.

Another post previews events coming in January. Recurring monthly meetups are listed here. And, we made a special holiday events guide for this festive season.

These columns are an extension of our interactive calendar of tech and startup events. If you’d like to suggest an event to be added to the calendar, feel free to send me an email.

Startup Grind Winston-Salem: Fireside Chat with Demming Bass

November 26, 5:30-8 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

The Winston-Salem chapter of Startup Grind is hosting a fireside chat with Demming Bass, CEO and founder of New Marketing Makeover and speaker for Google’s Get Your Business Online program. He will be leading a course, Reach Customers Online with Google, at Flywheel the following day.

How to Start a Startup (Davidson)

November 26, 6-8 p.m. @Flywheel – Davidson

Flywheel Coworking is offering a weekly course on startup business development, covering lean startup methods, best-practices, validation, business models, and more. The curriculum is developed by experts from Stanford University and Y Combinator.

UNCW Innovation Concept Pitch Competition

November 26, 6-8 p.m. @UNCW, Cameron Hall Auditorium

The fourth annual Innovation Concept Pitch Competition features a series of five-minute business concept pitches by six UNC Wilmington students. A prize of $500 will be awarded to the winner. Second and third place winners will get $250 and $150, respectively. Applications are due November 12 at 11:59 p.m.

ReCONNECT to Community Forum

November 27 @Renaissance Asheville Hotel

The theme for the next Emerging Issues Forum is “ReCONNECT to Community: Increasing Civic Engagement and Dialogue.” It will highlight the different strategies that can be used to engage and connect citizens across the state. (More coverage here.)

Reach Customers Online with Google

November 27, 8-9:30 a.m. @Flywheel Coworking

Google’s Get Your Business Online program covers search engine optimization, online advertising, Google Analytics and Google Trends, among other important topics business owners need to know when advertising their brand online.

Collider Lunch & Learn: Building a Company Culture of Sustainability

November 27, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider

Sarah Fraser of Asheville-based New Belgium Brewing will lead a workshop on environmental stewardship and sustainability in the workplace.

Winston Starts Inform Speaker Series: Sarah Lupton – DIY Video Workshop

November 27, 12-1 p.m. @Winston Starts

Sarah Lupton, filmmaker and founder of Shift Creative Agency, will show workshop participants how they can make quality video content for their brand using just a phone camera and laptop.

Charlotte Chamber Annual Meeting 2018

November 27, 5:45-9:30 p.m. @NASCAR Hall of Fame, Crown Ballroom

This annual event brings together around 2,000 members of the Charlotte business community for an evening of networking, celebrating the year’s accomplishments and looking forward to the future.

Intro to Programming for Business People: Part 1

November 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m. @Advent Coworking

Learn the jargon, functions and tools of programming in this two-part course hosted by Tech Talent South Charlotte. Part two of the program is on December 4.

SBIR/STTR Seminar for Science & Tech Startups

November 28, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. @Winston Starts

Hosted by First Flight Venture Center’s LiftOff program, this event is part of a series of upcoming training sessions covering SBIR/STTR grant programs for entrepreneurs.

Behind the Scenes: Powering AI/ML and Blockchain in Lake Norman

November 28, 5-7:30 p.m. @The Hurt Hub@Davidson

Go behind the scenes with LaunchLKN’s blockchain interest group as they work to creative innovative solutions to both local and global problems.

Facebook Community Boost – Charlotte

November 28-29 @Mint Museum Uptown

Facebook’s Community Boost program is coming to Charlotte, offering small businesses digital skills classes and one-on-one assistance for any questions they might have about expanding their brand using Pages and Ads Manager, among other Facebook features.

Greensboro Chamber Economic Forecast Luncheon

November 29, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. @Greensboro Marriott Downtown

This annual event provides expert insights profiling the future of the Greensboro/High Point economy. The speaker for this year’s program is Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Senior VP and Charlotte Regional Executive Matthew A. Martin.

Skookum Volcano Tour

November 29, 12-1 p.m. @Skookum Charlotte

Join an open tour of the Skookum office to get an introduction to the tech and ideas powering the community. The Skookum team will be available for any questions or comments participants may have. Lunch will be provided.

An Award Winning Entrepreneur, an Investment Leader & an Ecosystem Leader Invite You to a Brewery

November 29, 4-6:30 p.m. @Ironclad Brewery

NEW (Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington) invites local entrepreneurs to join for an evening of discussion on the several types of resources offered to accelerate businesses in North Carolina. Speakers include Mesur.io CEO Tom Rump, East Carolina University Innovation and New Ventures Director Mark Wdowik and NC IDEA Senior Director John Austin.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

November 29, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Café event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

Triad YP Connection

November 29, 5:30-8 p.m. @Steak Street Restaurant, High Point

Business High Point Chamber of Commerce and synerG are hosting a networking dinner for the Triad’s community of young professionals. Join for drinks, appetizers and business connections.

Venture Cafe ‘Pitch, Please’ Competition

November 29, 6-8 p.m. @Wake Forest Biotech Place

This annual competition features a selection of five of Winston-Salem’s top emerging ventures. Entrepreneurs/teams will present their startups in front of a panel of five judges (local business and startup professionals).

Blockchain LKN Labs: Crypto Talks Thursdays

November 29, 6-9 p.m. @Jay Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

This weekly meetup is an opportunity for fellow blockchain enthusiasts in the Lake Norman area to join together for beer, coffee, tea or food to discuss all-things-blockchain. Topics rotate every week.

PercCollider Climate Coffee Hour

November 30, 4-5 p.m. @The Collider

The weekly PercCollider event convenes Collider members for networking and collaboration over drinks.

Application Deadline: NC IDEA Ice House Launch Partner

December 1

NC IDEA seeks 20 launch partners to join in supporting a statewide roll out of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program (IHEP). More about NC IDEA’s ambitions for Ice House here. Partner application here.

Expand Your Brand Summit

December 1, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. @Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship

Chisa Pennix-Brown, small business facilitator and CEO of Lady Bizness, will guide participants through the best strategies for building and marketing their brand online. Details and agenda here.

How to Start a Startup (Davidson)

December 3, 6-8 p.m. @Flywheel – Davidson

Application Deadline: CED Life Science Featured Company

December 4

Entrepreneurs: Now’s the chance to apply to have your company featured at CED’s 2019 Life Science Conference, coming up in February. The deadline is December 4.

CIO Peer2Peer Meeting

December 4, 7:30-9 a.m., location to be announced

NC TECH members are invited to join local CIOs and senior IT leaders to discuss relevant topics at the next CIO Peer2Peer meeting. Location, topic and facilitator to be announced.

Collider Lunch & Learn: Spatial Data 101

December 4, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider

Mike McDougall, founder of Blue Spatial, will lead a session covering open spatial standards and their applications for vector data.

Charlotte Chamber: Speed Networking at the Speedway

December 4, 4-7 p.m. @Charlotte Motor Speedway

Come network with the business community while getting a sneak peek at the Speedway’s Christmas light decorations at the next “Speed Networking at the Speedway” event, held by Charlotte Chamber. Beverages and appetizers will be provided.

2018 Holiday VIBE

December 4, 5-7 p.m. @Linville Team Partners, Winston-Salem

Join for music, networking, food and beverage tastings at this holiday-themed social, presented by the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, Linville Team Partners, Allegacy Federal Credit Union and the Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce.

Intro to Programming for Business People: Part 2

December 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. @Advent Coworking

Learn the jargon, functions and tools of programming in this two-part course hosted by Tech Talent South Charlotte. Part one of the program is on November 27.

2018 NC TECH CIO Online Auction

December 5-7

The winning bidder of this online fundraiser gets the opportunity to facilitate a one-on-one lunch meeting with a CIO and an executive at a North Carolina tech company.

Asheville Chamber Smart Series

December 5, 8-9 a.m.

For the latest in Asheville Chamber’s “Smart Series,” Anna Buys of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP will show participants how they can boost community engagement among employees.

Tech Talk Live Greensboro: Ransomware

December 5, 8:30-10 a.m. @UNIFI

Greensboro’s business community is invited to attend this informative discussion covering the impacts of ransomware and how companies can protect their data from attacks.

1 Million Cups CLT

December 5, 8:30-10 a.m.

Held every month, 1 Million Cups Charlotte features a presentation from a local startup followed by a Q&A from the community. Free coffee is included.

2018 Year End Tax Planning Considerations

December 5, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. @Packard Place

Join this event to learn how the federal tax code changes can influence you and your business in 2018 and 2019.

The Climate of Trade & International Business Affairs

December 5, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. @Hilton Garden Inn

Charlotte Chamber’s Ballantyne chapter hosts Greg Sizemore, director of U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the Department of Commerce, for a discussion on Charlotte-area exports and the impacts of trade policy on the private sector.

‘Learning on the Job—Planning vs. Taking the Leap’

December 5, 5:30-7 p.m. @UNC Charlotte, Bioinformatics Building

The latest in UNC Charlotte’s Entrepreneurial Decisions Public Speaker Series features a talk from Christopher Moxley, Jerri Shephard and Scott Wooten of 704 Shop.

ScaleUp WNC Info Session & Happy Hour

December 5, 5:30-7 p.m. @Innovation Brewing Innovation Station

At this info session, Western North Carolina-based entrepreneurs and small business owners can learn more about Mountain BizWorks’ upcoming ScaleUp WNC program ahead of the January 27 application deadline.

Healthtech Women’s 1st Annual Happiest Holiday Party

December 5, 5:30-8 p.m. @Chima Steakhouse

At this holiday-themed networking event, Healthtech Women Charlotte will recognize the organization’s partners and volunteers, receive feedback on the year’s events and reveal 2019 programming. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided.

SciTech Lecture Series: Future of the Technician Workforce

December 6, 4-5 p.m. @Forsyth Tech Main Campus

This event features a lecture from Forsyth Tech Community College’s president, Dr. Gary Green.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

December 6, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

Wilmington Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Meetup

December 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m. @tekMountain

Come out to the next Wilmington Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Meetup to hear about the latest innovations and projects in the crypto world.

Blockchain LKN Labs: Crypto Talks Thursdays

December 6, 6-9 p.m. @Jay Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Venture 15 Awards and Venture Asheville Honors

December 6, 6-9 p.m. @Isis Music Hall

Venture Asheville’s “Venture 15 Awards” are positioned in recognition of the 15 fastest-growing startups in the Asheville area.

Get2Know NC TECH Webinar

December 7, 9-9:30 a.m.

This free monthly interactive webinar provides participants with an overview of NC TECH’s activities, resources and member offerings.

BABC Charlotte: Holiday & Good Cheer Luncheon

December 7, 11:15 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. @Charlotte Country Club

BABC Charlotte invites the community to join for a holiday party to wrap up the year.

Fusion Conference: Community Edition 2018

December 7, 12:30-5 p.m. @Camp North End

This quarterly mini-conference features sessions from Charlotte professionals working in web design, user experience and development.

PercCollider Climate Coffee Hour

December 7, 4-5 p.m. @The Collider

The weekly PercCollider event convenes Collider members for networking and collaboration over drinks.

Charlotte Chamber South Chapter Brews & Bites

December 10, 5:30-7 p.m. @Legion Brewing Company Southpark

Chamber members and non-members will gather to celebrate year’s end at the last South Chapter event of 2018. Registration includes two drinks and appetizers. Tickets are free for members, $20 for access-level members and $40 for non-members.

How to Start a Startup (Davidson)

December 10, 6-8 p.m. @Flywheel – Davidson

Collider Lunch & Learn: Principles of Ethical Marketing

December 11, 12-1 p.m. @The Collider

In this workshop, Justin Belleme of JB Media Group will discuss the fundamentals of ethical marketing and the common decisions and strategies involved.

IoT Charlotte: HMI & Interconnect for Your IoT Designs

December 11, 12-1 p.m. @Advent Coworking

At this lunch and learn, Tim Sweet of DNA Group will lead a session on human-machine interface and connectivity solutions that can be applied to IoT designs.

Tech Talk Live Wilmington: Competing w/ Urban Markets for Top Talent

December 11, 3-5 p.m. @Ironclad Brewery

NC TECH will be hosting top IT employers for a discussion on talent acquisition and competing with more urban areas in North Carolina. The panel features Harold Zeishner of APC (moderator), Thomas Eggleston of Live Oak Bank and Chris Bartosik of Castlebranch. This event is free and open to the public.

Brews + Bytes Wilmington

December 11, 5-6:30 p.m. @Ironclad Brewery

NC TECH welcomes Wilmington’s tech community for a laid-back networking event over beverages and some light bites. This event is free and open to the public.

Flywheel Idea Tap

December 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

Idea Tap is an opportunity for local startups to present their products/services to an audience and receive feedback on how to refine their pitches. The format involves: a five-minute pitch, a five-minute Q&A and five minutes of audience feedback. This monthly event is always free.

Charlotte PitchBreakfast: IDEA Fund Pitch 

December 12, 8-11 a.m. @The Garage at Packard Place

Every month, a handful of Queen City-based companies headline Charlotte PitchBreakfast, pitching their products and services for a total of five minutes, after which they will answer questions from the audience and a panel of entrepreneurs and experts.

Barings/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast

December 12, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. @UNC Charlotte Center City

This program, running since 1981, offers economic data insights from one of the top economists in North Carolina. Dr. John Connaughton will share his latest forecast for North Carolina’s economy in the upcoming quarter.

Cybersecurity Continuum…People, Process & Technology

December 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. @Packard Place

This session will discuss the current cybersecurity threat landscape and review tactics being used across an organization’s staff, technology and operations that can help reduce the risk of an attack.

High Country Year-End Celebration & ScaleUp Info Session

December 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m. @Hatchet Coffee

Boone entrepreneurs: Join the Mountain BizWorks team and partners for a night of networking and presentations covering local crowdfunding offerings and the upcoming ScaleUp 2019 program. An early glance of Mountain BizWorks’ 2019 plans will also be shared.

Young Professionals On Tap 2018

December 12, 5:30-8 p.m. @O. Henry Hotel

This annual event brings young professionals and organizations across Greensboro together for an evening of food, drinks and networking.

Beyond The Buzz: Blockchain

December 12, 6-7:30 p.m. @Anthroware

This Anthroware event features a roundtable discussion all about blockchain, facilitated by industry insiders, experts and innovators. Drinks and snacks provided.

Department of Defense SBIR/STTR Funding

December 13, 9-11:30 a.m. @Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering in Greensboro

At this no-cost event, participants can learn about the $1 billion in R&D funding available for innovative technologies via the Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.

Venture Café Thursday Gathering

December 13, 5-8 p.m. @Bailey Power Plant in Winston-Salem

Idea Tap Davidson

December 13, 5:30-8 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking – Davidson

Held by Flywheel at the HurtHub@Davidson once a month, the Idea Tap Davidson event series offers local entrepreneurs the opportunity to share their ideas through short pitch sessions and network with like-minded innovators in the community.

Blockchain LKN Labs: Crypto Talks Thursdays

December 13, 6-9 p.m. @Jay Hurt Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

PercCollider Climate Coffee Hour

December 14, 4-5 p.m. @The Collider

The weekly PercCollider event convenes Collider members for networking and collaboration over drinks.

Flywheel Coworking Indeavor Club Lunch

December 19, 12-1:30 p.m. @Flywheel Coworking

Indeavor, a networking club offered to all Flywheel Coworking members, is an opportunity to get to know fellow entrepreneurs and swap helpful resources with one another. The lunches are held on the third Tuesday of every month.

Packard Place Public House

December 19, 5:30-8 p.m. @Packard Place

On the third Wednesday of every month, the Queen City’s entrepreneurial community joins together for an evening of networking and connections over free beer and snacks.