What’s 45 minutes south of the Canadian border, the most populated city in Vermont, and home to a few fantastic colleges (Including UVM where the band Phish started around 1983)? Burlington, Vermont has a population of approximately 42,000 people (as of a 2010 census). This makes it the least populated city and the most populated city in the state. It’s also home to the ever-so-famous Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Seventh Generation Inc., and Burton Snowboards. So to say the least, Burlington is a pretty bustling city given its size.
Burlington was founded in the 1800s and more recently, in 2015 became the first city in the United States to run on renewable energy alone- a pretty big accomplishment for a pretty little city. Fun facts aside, Burlington is also home to most of Vermont’s conferences and major events. Perhaps you’ve heard of Techjam or Launch Vermont?
If you are looking for a fantastic conference in Burlington Vermont, then you might want to check out ours. Synaptic Supercollider💥 is a conference and festival that brings together creative individuals to unlock energy. Come join us for fascinating talks and fun events during peak foliage in Vermont.
Vermont Tech Jam brings together many of the amazing companies in the state to recruit talent and show off their latest projects. Tech Jam is a conference of techies (recruiters, professionals, trainers, etc.). “Techies” is a term for folks who are well versed or interested in technology. It’s no surprise that with Vermont hosting a conference like Tech Jam that renewable energy use became a major thing in Burlington; with so many smart people coming together in one place, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
LaunchVT is a celebration of entrepreneurship in Vermont. A cohort of applicants is selected and matched with mentors to improve their business strategy. Finalists present their projects at LaunchVT Demo Night which is open to the public. A panel of judges, along with attendees, cast their votes for who should take home cash prizes. LaunchVT also organizes a private investor event before hand, a crowd pitch-off, a DJ, Bar and afterparty.
Move over Einstein, as I introduce I2V. This conference is for the inventor and the entrepreneur, students, and business owners alike. I2V is exactly what it sounds like- a place for (semi)professionals to come together in Vermont and discuss their successes, failures, and current methods. It’s a place for Vermonters (and New Englanders in general) to share their ideas, strategies, and campaigns.
The Vermont Development Conference is a niche conference hosted in Burlington. Vermont Development Conference is hosted by White + Burke which is a company providing real estate services. VDC was designed as a place for commercial real estate professionals to showcase their businesses. While VDC is not invite-only, it is a smaller conference comprising of just 300 businesses as part of the audience. While the date has yet to be determined, the 2021 event is already being planned.
Watch out reality TV shows! Peak Pitch by Freshtracks Capital is part of the fun and games, part serious business conference in Burlington. This conference actually reminds me of “Shark Tank”. At Peak Pitch, entrepreneurs and business owners gather to ski, network, and most importantly, pitch their ideas to investors. Because this conference encompasses so many fun elements, it’s actually been coined “the best workday of the year”. Normally held in March, you can mark your calendar for the 2021 conference.
Very similar to Peak Pitch is Road Pitch by Freshtracks Capital, and you guessed it, it’s probably the second most fun workdays of the year. Road Pitch is the same concept as Peak Pitch, the only difference is instead of skiing, the conference takes place in numerous small towns across Vermont planned out ahead of time with riding your motorcycle safely in mind. On the multi-day motorcycle trip, conference members are given the opportunity to actually visit the businesses pitching their sales.
Next up is BTV Ignite Innovation Week. If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur with a love for craft (adult) beverages, this one is most definitely the conference of the year for you plus it’s a week long! With speeches given by the owners of Magic Hat Brewery, Switchback Brewing, and Citizen Cider, it’s the perfect conference for the brew loving business owner.
UX Burlington is like Techjam in that it attracts a similar audience. This conference is one day and is a two-track event. Conference attendees can choose between technical developer speeches or talks based on information for designers.
Round up the cattle!! The International Workshop on Agritourism is a favorite event for farmers, researchers, and agricultural service providers. From farm tours to educational workshops, this conference is agriculture-based and as you could probably guess not operating in 2020. It’s one of the few conferences that you can’t attend via zoom and get the same experience as the live event.
Last but not least, my favorite of all the conferences is Vermont Cannabis & Hemp Convention. This conference event is all about weed. This event is for marijuana growers, recreational users, patients, advocates… you name it; anyone with a positive affiliation with marijuana is invited to attend. You can buy tickets as long as you’re 21+ or accompanied by 21+ supervision.
If you haven’t figured it out already, Vermont has a lot to offer when it comes to conferences, really there seems to be something for everyone. But that’s not all the northernmost state of New England has to offer, so make sure to plan a vacation either before or after your conference next year!
Meagan Ryan
Outreach, Supercollider
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