Catherine from Technical.ly’s events team here. Wow, we’re approaching the 7th annual Philly Tech Week and it never fails to impress me. I’ve been a part of Philly Tech Week for five years now. Two years of planning community events at my previous job with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and this will be my third year organizing the week with Technical.ly. Each year it’s our goal to get more and more people exposed to this incredibly innovative city.

Many people still feel intimidated by PTW events. Sure, you might not enjoy Dev Talks unless you’re an experienced developer, but this is one of the most inclusive and welcoming communities I’ve ever personally been a part of.

Still not sure? While Philly Tech Week 2017 presented by Comcast boasts over 100 events (and I’m confident there’s something for everyone), the annual Signature Event is the best place to be, regardless of why you want to check it out. It’s our biggest event of the week and one that pulls together our six tracks: Business, Dev, Sciences, Media and Marketing, Access and Civic.

It’s on Friday, May 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $40 or $50 at the door.

Interested in meeting some cool people?

• There will be more than 1,000 attendees.
• Philly Tech Week’s more than 100 partners and community organizers will be there. These are some impressive individuals and organizations that you’ll want to know. See our full partner list here.
• Our two artist micro-grant winners, Kid Hazo and Sam Cusumano, will be there showing off their winning projects.

Looking for jobs, partnerships and networking opportunities? 

• Comcast, University of Pennsylvania, CardConnect, AWeber, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, David’s Bridal, NorthStar Solutions Group, Frontline Education and The Meet Group will all be there looking to meet talent.
• Check out the beautiful Pennovation Center, a new space that is home to a number of exciting startups.
• Did I mention there will be more than a thousand people there?

Want to bring out your inner kid? 

• D.C. flower delivery company UrbanStems will be there and you’ll be able to create and take home your own flower bouquet.
• Drexel ACE-Lab will be taking over one of Pennovation’s conference rooms with an inflatable dome that you’ll be able to experience some immersive VR.
• Even more virtual reality from the VRPHL meetup group.
• Crowd-favorites Hive76.
• Ghost Robotics will be there with their stair-climbing robots.
• Plus locally designed games from Gossamer Games, Island Officials, Moore College of Art and Design, Neon Wasteland, QuadraTron Games, Semag Studio and Shapes the Game.

Just want to party?

• DJ Reed Streets will be there (you may know him from Radio 104.5) and there’s always dancing by the end of the night — the Technical.ly crew lives for it. Also, ask us about the after party.
• Take some silly photos with friends and coworkers with Photobot 3000, brought to you by SEI.
• Philadelphia Distilling is coming with a signature cocktail — yum.
• On top of some delicious food and drinks from our fabulous caterer, Miles Table, get some free snacks from KIND, Insomnia Cookies and stay energized all night long with Red Bull.

There are many more surprises in store, but we hope you’ll join us in celebrating on Friday, May 5, at the #PTW17 Signature Event!