On October 17^th this region has an opportunity to do something it has never done before – showcase its high-tech character via the first ever Gulf Coast Technology Summit and Exposition; an imperative if we are going to compete as a centerpiece of technological excellence. The Summit, produced by the Scarborough Consulting Group, is an event by which we could judge ourselves more harshly if it didn’t occur than if it fell short of our expectations. It stands to characterize how we perceive our ability to compete in the high-tech arena.

Maria Weisnicht, the indefatigable President of Computer Education and Design who has led several technology initiatives states, "We are committed to this event because it supports our area's efforts for economic development. We are all working together to enhance this region's ability to attract and retain businesses that provide high-paying technology jobs. In addition we need to attract a skilled workforce to work these jobs. We also need to keep more of the regions technology dollars spent in the local economy."

"We need the Gulf Coast Technology Summit and Exposition because there is a lot of potential to build a technology base in the Northwest Florida Region," says Tina Ward, CEO of Corbett Systems and the event’s executive producer. "We need to be able to showcase the area so that companies searching for a place to expand will recognize they can benefit from the technology sector here just as well as the major metropolitan areas."

And showcasing the area is just what we want to do. The recent formation of the economic development coalition, Florida’s Great Northwest, Inc. is striving to do just that – get businesses to consider Northwest Florida.

This first of a kind event is expected to attract over 100 speakers and exhibitors and thousands of attendees. Exhibitors and presenters will offer the latest solutions and uses of technology available.

The event focuses on three main objectives:

Scheduled seminars and exhibits will highlight:

The event was a by-product of the Pensacola Chamber’s Information Technology Task Force’s desire to host an event capturing a large and international audience. The event was originally billed as the Pan American Technology Conference but the international scope was subsequently scaled back somewhat due to concern over international support.

"We didn't feel we had enough international support to continue to push as an international event," says Tina Ward. "We feel next year and in years to come we will continue to grow the event to encompass global technology avenues."

But the rescaling of the event didn’t in any way diminish its importance according to Ms Ward. "We have been left out in the cold as the rest of Florida has geared up to become a technology Mecca. The east, central and southern parts of the state have been very involved to make Florida an e-center. In the state's IT Task Force report, we were only mentioned a couple of times and it was in reference to I-10."

Although the rest of the state and southeast is beginning to notice the region’s technological prowess it has been somewhat isolated and there hasn’t been a unifying event that encapsulated the technological diversity, especially given the unique R&D environment associated with the regions military installations.

Other parts of the state have staked their technological claim according to Ms Ward. "Jacksonville has become a technology center just recently," she states. " Tampa has been a technology center - Orlando and central Florida has a lot of tech infrastructure. The Northwest Florida Region has been taken as the vacation spot."

Ms. Ward further argues the reason people come here to vacation should also attract them to create technically oriented businesses here.

"Larger businesses can benefit by relocating offices and divisions here and take advantage of the great quality of life and the competitive wages while utilizing technology they have used to grow their business. Local vendors and consumers can benefit from technology growth by becoming more productive and efficient. Our region needs to step up and say we are ready, willing and able to host a technology environment. The conference is the first step in saying this!"