Tech Forum launches a rebrand and new event model for 2020

New decade, new brand for Delaware’s expanding Tech Forum.

The organization, originally known as Digital Delaware, previously Technology Forum of Delaware, has a new look — and, for the first time, no membership dues.

A big part of the rebrand had to do with Tech Forum’s growth beyond the borders of Delaware, said Greg Plum director of marketing for Brandywine Technology, who is on the Tech Forum board of directors.

The new logo. (Courtesy image)

“We want to start radiating out because, with the things that we’re doing, our markets are definitely seeping into Philadelphia, South Jersey, even Baltimore, and we didn’t want to draw a hard boundary around our state lines,” Plum told Technical.ly.

“We’re still staying true to our roots, really focusing on technology,” he said. “We don’t want it to be a meetup or a Chamber event where people are focused on networking and business development — that is certainly a piece of it, working with peers and colleagues, but it’s really focused more on the technology and what’s emerging.”

For the new branding, Tech Forum board member Hendrik-Jan Francke, owner and creative director of the Delaware digital marketing firm Bright Orange Thread partnered with Prosper Creative to create the new logo, website and color scheme.

The old logo. (Courtesy image)

There’s also a new mission: “Tech Forum provides value by sharing best practices, opportunities, trends, and disruptions in technology to members throughout the Delaware Valley. Tech Forum members represent all facets of technology and all phases of the business life cycle. Events showcase technology, facilitate knowledge transfer, and strengthen professional networks.”

The new, more regional brand had a soft launch in December, but its official launch will be 2020’s first Tech Forum event of March 18 at Studio 1 at The Grand Opera House from 5 to 8 p.m. The event, called 7 in 7 Tech Talks, will feature seven speakers on seven tech topics, each speaking for seven minutes.

The speakers will include:

• Mike Bowman, the associate director of the Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships, CEO of Delaware Technology Park and one of the original members of Digital Delaware
• Gigi JK, CEO of Virtina
• David Buggy, CEO of Power-CRM
• Rishi Khan, president of Extreme Scale Solutions
• TJ Tajalli, CEO of OnSystem Logic
• Pierre Theron, senior management consultant of Magic Hat Consulting
• John Venner of Juniper Group Media

“One of the most significant changes is the structure of the group as a whole,” said Plum. “It’s changing from a membership organization to an event-based group, meaning there are no more dues. So the whole point is that we want this to be inclusive and not exclusive. It’s the first time in 20 years [no dues will be collected], so it’s definitely a shift for us.”

With no membership dues, there is a flat ticket price of $40, which includes food for the evening. There will also be a cash bar.

“The reason we went with this format is because [no one gets] bogged down with a rabbit hole,” said Plum. “It’s just a taste of different technologies that are going on in the region.” For those who want to discuss a topic more deeply, there will be networking following a Q&A with the speakers.

You can register for 7 in 7 Tech Talks on the new Tech Forum website.