Experience Conference Reimagined for Professionals, Innovators, and Changemakers
May 2-3, 2024 | Roanoke, VA
Get2KnowNoke has partnered with 25 regional organizations to reinvent what Experience Conference means to the Roanoke Region and what it could be. Organizers have developed 40+ programs, events, artistic showcases, and socials to encourage professional development and regional improvements while celebrating all the area offers. Let’s RISE together!
Who Should Attend Experience?
The conference encompasses all levels of professionals, hiring managers and recruiters, tech and innovation professionals, and community change-makers. Experience will provide tracks to help guide your selections.
However, attendees can choose their own adventure; anyone can attend any of the sessions, regardless of their career path, and all are welcome to network and mingle at keynote sessions and after-hour events.
Where Will 2024 Experience Be Held?
Unlike many conferences where people stay in one venue throughout the event, Experience, as its name implies, encourages attendees to explore the region’s vibrant urban core.
Sessions will be held at The Taubman Museum of Art, Center in the Square, Hotel Roanoke, The Dumas Center, PowerSchool, Virginia Western, and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. More venues will be announced soon, with full venue details available in the Experience App (coming soon).
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Top national speakers join the Experience lineup with a variety of expertise from talent attraction, to tech and AI trends, to transformative development.
PATIENCE FAIRBROTHER
VP of Talent Attraction, DCI
Fairbrother helps cities, states and more attract a workforce through research and targeted marketing campaigns. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kenyon College and her work has been recognized in the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Awards, Summit Creative Awards, AVA Digital Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, and MarCom Awards.
RISHI JAITLY
Founder of the Institute for Leadership in Technology at Virginia Tech
Rishi Jaitly is a widely-known entrepreneur, executive, and evangelist with deep, uncommon experience around the world at the intersection of technology, media, and civics. Founder of Virginia Tech’s Institute for Leadership in Technology, Former VP of Twitter Asia Pacific/Middle East, and Google/YouTube India/South Asia. Rishi has dedicated his career to unlocking our shared potential.
ED WALKER
Transformative Developer and CEO of Riverdale Southeast LLC
Walker has been the single most important developer utilizing historic rehabilitation in the Roanoke Region and beyond. He revived the Patrick Henry Hotel into apartments, created the Cotton Mill lofts downtown, and transformed Wasena into the eclectic hub we know today starting with the River House apartments. He’s turned his sights to what will now be known as Riverdale, formerly the American Viscose Factory, for Roanoke’s next big transformation.
MARTY WEINER
Founding Engineer at Pinterest and Former CTO at Reddit
Founding engineer at Pinterest, Marty spent 4.5 exciting years building it from tiny to the behemoth we know today. In 2015, he joined Reddit as its first CTO. Reddit is well on its way toward IPO.
Marty “retired” in 2019 and spends his time advising companies on how to make it to IPO, chasing kids around the house, and building full-size droids. An AI early adopter who can translate implications in a way we can all understand.
FEATURED EVENTS @ RISE 2024
Scroll through our five featured events below to learn more about the Community Showcase Expo, Live Podcast Stage, Thursday Night Social at Six & Sky, Bonnie’s Big Inclusive Brunch, and the After-Party with Humble Hustle. For detailed descriptions of all 35 sessions – view them in the app.
Get2KnowNoke Expo – Community Showcase
Learn how to engage year-round with Roanoke Region community groups, clubs, professional organizations, non-profits, events, and employers.
WHERE: Hotel Roanoke, North Foyer and Shenandoah Room
WHEN: Friday, May 3 – 11:00 am-2:00 pm
EXHIBITORS: The showcase is FREE for exhibitors in 2024 thanks to a grant from the Greater Roanoke Workforce Board.
**Included in conference passes.
Thursday Night Social at Six and Sky Rooftop Bar
Check out the view and socialize with your fellow conference goers at the Thursday Night Social. Hosted by Get2KnowNoke and the Roanoke Region Professional Network.
All conference attendees receive one free drink and snacks. There will be a live jazz band, artist interactions, prizes, and more!
WHERE: Six and Sky Restaurant and Grill (Rooftop of Center in the Square)
WHEN: Thursday, May 2 from 5:30-7:30 pm
**Include
Bonnie’s Big Inclusive Brunch – Fabulous Fundraiser for SWVA Pride
Squeeze every bit of fun out of Experience Conference, by joining us AFTER the conference on Saturday, May 4 for a fabulous brunch hosted by Building Beloved Communities and our very own ambassador Bonnie Chavez. Dish on delicious brunch fare, sip bubbly beverages, and sing along to the dazzling performances of the Downtown Divas!
WHERE: Status Restaurant & Lounge
Experience Conference Rate: $25 (Not included in conference pass) – Includes Brunch, Beverage Ticket, and Performances – ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT SWVA PRIDE!
2024 CONFERENCE TRACKS
Conference attendees can move freely amongst the different tracks but all of the events, programs, and conversations you’ll find at RISE 2024 will fall into one of the following buckets.
CHANGEMAKERS are leaders and visionaries who take creative action to solve social problems, big and small. Transformative change requires cooperation from the top down, but changemakers can operate at any level of society. How can we look at the challenges we face today, and start making an impact one action at a time?
CHANGEMAKER TOPICS:
What Attracts GenZ to Move? / Show Off Your City, Lessons from Social Media Influencers / America’s Friendliest Bike Town / Why I Moved to Roanoke? / The Power of an Invested Community / Creating Vibrancy through the Arts
CAREER BUILDERS are professionals embarking on new challenges and using talent pathways to move with purpose toward their goals. The key to improving your career is to set simple, short-term goals so you can stay focused, have mini-successes along the way, and stay positive. And don’t forget to build your network, and find mentors – it’s all about who you know!
TOPICS:
Professional Communicating and Networking / Speed Networking / 3D Fabrication / Entrepreneurship / Resume Building / What is Your Elevator Pitch?
TALENT SPOTTERS can make a difference in their organizations and the lives of countless people through knowledge. Understanding who their audience is and what motivates them is key. Learn how to find and leverage data to benefit your team and tap into unexpected talent.
TOPICS:
Communicating with GenZ and a Multigenerational Workforce / Capitalizing on Remote Workers / Talent Wars with DCI Talent Strategist Patience Fairbrother / The Goodwill Melrose Plaza Project, Revealed
INNOVATORS are changing the landscape of what’s possible in science and technology, and what careers will look like over the coming decades. The Roanoke Region’s innovation corridor is developing a thriving ecosystem for biotech, life sciences, and healthcare. Who are the innovators that are already here? What are the plans for the future? And how will the ecosystem affect and shape the overall economy? So many great questions, and we’ll answer them all!
TOPICS:
Holy S*#t: The Future of AI / Regional Innovators: 5-Minute Speed Shares with RBTC / BioTech Ecosystem Plans at the New Virginia Tech CRC Building / What’s the Superpower of the Future? / Building the Economy through Innovation
2024 AGENDA
A detailed description of each session, venue location, and speaker bios can be found on the Experience Conference app (coming soon).
**Details are subject to change and new events are still being added.
CONFERENCE PRICING
All passes come with a coffee hour and light breakfast snacks, lunch or lunch voucher (details coming soon) per day, and the Thursday night social. If you purchase an exhibitor booth and want to attend the conference as well, attendee passes must be purchased separately. Not ready to commit yet? Stay in the loop with event updates.
Full Conference Pass $125
Early-Bird Rate Ends April 3 (Price will increase to $150)
Includes all programming on Thursday and Friday, two coffee hours with light snacks, two lunches or lunch vouchers, a Hoot & Holler ticket, and Thursday night happy hour.
Thursday-Only Pass – $75
Early-Bird Rate Ends April 3 ($10 savings)
Includes all programming on Thursday, May 2, a Hoot & Holler ticket, and entry to the Thursday night happy hour.
Friday-Only Pass – $75
Early-Bird Rate Ends April 3 ($10 savings)
This includes all programming on Friday, May 3, attendee access to the Get2KnowNoke expo, and entry to the Thursday night happy hour.
Get2KnowNoke Expo Booth (Friday, 11 am-2 pm) – FREE
Thanks to a grant from GO Virginia the $75 exhibitor fee has been waived. Showcase your organization or club and create year-round engagement with regional residents and talent. Spaces limited, first come first serve.
NOT READY TO REGISTER YET? STAY IN THE KNOW.
REGISTRATION
PARTNERS
Get2KnowNoke is working with dozens of community partners to plan Experience. Representatives from tourism, workforce development, arts and cultural organizations, higher education, non-profits, the technology sector, and entrepreneurs have been working for months to create meaningful programming. We ❤️ our partners and sponsors!
SPONSOR AN EXPERIENCE
Help us continue to spread the word about living and working in the Roanoke Region, and create brand awareness for your organization’s opportunities by partnering with Experience. Get2KnowNoke is a 501(c)3 and all proceeds benefit the region’s talent attraction effort.
TITLE SPONSOR
This is a HUGE opportunity to get in early before the event takes off. Secure naming rights for 2024, featured in all related ads, press, e-newsletters, onsite signage, and more.
PROGRAM SPONSOR
Pick a keynote or other program that resonates with your audience and have it branded to represent your organization. Onsite signage, name added to app and website, and inclusion in 2 e-newsletters.
SOCIAL SPONSOR
Sponsor the Thursday night Roanoke Region Professional Happy Hour and make a big impression on the entire conference. Social sponsorships are fun and will get you remembered!
These are just a few of many engaging ideas to connect with your future workforce or clients. Sponsor a venue, become an exhibitor, or sponsor breakfast/lunch for exclusive access.
Email julia@roanoke.org for sponsorship options and pricing.
Sign up to explore the Roanoke Region of Virginia.
