Unlike most renowned tech hubs, which are concentrated in single metro areas, Colorado tech spans the entire state. While this certainly helps to foster a unique and diverse tech community, it also presents a distinct challenge: making all those geographically separate communities feel connected.
For the third year in a row, the Colorado Technology Association (CTA) will be leading the charge to do just that.
On Monday, July 31, the CTA team will pile into a tour bus with a handful of sponsors (including Go Code Colorado and the Colorado Workforce Development Council, among others) and head out on its annual Colorado Tech Tour — a weeklong event that highlights the tech communities throughout the state. The mission of the Tour is to understand the needs of the organization’s members, share knowledge among leaders, and connect the different players in the tech community.
Over the course of five days, the Tour will stop in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango, Montrose, Gunnison and Boulder — six cities that, with the exception of Boulder, don’t garner the full attention they deserve.
“The idea, really, is that it’s hard to reach so many parts of Colorado or touch everything west of the front range,” said Fred Bauters, communications managers for CTA. “We’re a not-for-profit organization, so we may not be able to travel there a whole lot throughout the year. But this way, we can have those conversations, bring that information back and take action to help those communities for the rest of the year.”
CTA will host events in each city, including community luncheons, leadership panels, happy hours and private tours of local tech facilities like the National Cybersecurity Center and Gunnison’s brand new ICELab. The events are free to the public with online registration, and already the Colorado Springs and Boulder events have sold out.
In conjunction with the Tech Tour, CTA has worked with the Governor’s office to champion a statewide celebration of technology, much like we see at Denver or Boulder Startup Week, but with a broader focus. Governor Hickenlooper declared the first week of August “Colorado Tech Week” last year.
Colorado Tech Week will fall on the same week as CTA’s Tech Tour for a second year. However, the Tour is the main focus of the week – for now.
CTA hopes to grow Colorado Tech Week through grassroots efforts, word of mouth and participation from local businesses and organizations. They encourage anyone and everyone to organize their own events, work together to host them, or simply share their stories online with the hashtag #COtechweek.
“In Colorado right now, 12 percent of the economy is comprised of tech companies, so it’s a huge piece of what’s happening here,” Bauters said. “Our goal is to get the word out about what’s happening here and let people know that Colorado is a great place for tech.”
