Digital Fight Club is coming to DC

Starting this month, DC tech is finally getting what it’s been missing all along: the opportunity to yell and throw popcorn at the screen.

On Nov. 17, Dallas’ Digital Fight Club is bringing its virtual “fight” event for tech experts to DC. Professional and IT services firm Accenture and the Northern Virginia Tech Council (NVTC) are cosponsoring the event, which is produced by Dallas event firm The Event Nerd. The event will start at 7 p.m.

The goal of the event is to host a panel-style discussion in a high-spirited event style, in which two tech leaders go head-to-head with opening statements, rebuttals and time for questioning from the referees. The virtual audience can create a virtual “couch” with friends to watch the event, and those interested in networking can move in between. Referees and the audience can choose the winners in real-time following the discussions.

Digital Fight Club started in Dallas in 2016 and has since added events in cities including Boston and Atlanta.

Here’s the event breakdown and participants:

Fight #1: Personalization: Intrusive or Exclusive

• Tim Hurt, RP3 Agency vs. Sarah Hospelhorn, BigID

Fight #2: Future of Work: Remote Work, Culture & Technology

• Joe Thomas, PenFed Credit Union vs David Gardner, The Motley Fool

Fight #3: Supply Chain

• Matt Howard, Sonatype vs JC Herz, Ion Channel

Fight #4: Cybersecurity

• Matt Devost, OODA vs Roselle Safran, KeyCaliber

Fight #5: Sustainability: Environmental Protection vs. Economic Growth

• Gilbert Campbell, Volt Energy vs Kris Sarri, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Ryan LaSalle of Accenture, Jennifer Taylor from the NVTC, Brian Povinelli of Marriott International, Dawn Rodney of the National Wildlife Federation and Wassel Lewis of AFLAC will referee the event.