Women in Technology World Series Comes to Houston in 2022
Houston, April 21, 2022 – Houston Exponential is excited that the Women in Technology World Series will be coming to town, May 19-20, 2022. Ahead of this great event, our own Noah Fons sat down with Joao Vasconcelos, the Lead Producer for Women in Tech Texas, to learn more about the conference. You can read the whole interview below to learn all about the event!
Noah Fons: Just to lay the groundwork, what is Women in Tech, and who is it for?
Joao Vasconcelos: The Women in Tech World Series has been bringing the most-loved and fastest-growing women in tech events to tens of thousands of women in Europe and the USA since 2015. We work with the world’s leading tech companies, speakers and delegates with a single mission; to permanently and irreversibly drive positive change in the tech sector. We hold annual events in London, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Boston, and for 2022 we’re bringing the event to Houston for the very first time!
NF: Well this sounds like a great event, but I’m curious, what made you decide to bring Women in Tech to Houston this year?
JV: When picking a location we really look at two things - the growth of the tech sector in that particular location, but also the bubbling startup ecosystem. We were truly excited by the hotbed of innovation coming from Houston working to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges and Houston's diverse ecosystem allows us to showcase more case studies and examples of technology usage from various sectors providing key additional cross-industry learnings for our attendees.
Finally, we had a growing presence in Houston within our community who attended some of our global Women in Technology World Series Online Festivals which we’ve hosted over the past two years.
NF: So I did a little bit of reading about the event before this, and I noticed y’all have a big focus on resilience. I’d love to hear what resilience in tech, business, and career means to y'all. Why do you see it as such an important focus area?
JV: Women in tech have been demonstrating the meaning of resilience since long before the pandemic. Our belief is that resilient team members from diverse backgrounds, building and implementing resilient tech, for resilient businesses, is the key to driving the tech sector forward successfully and we demand that women are at the forefront of the post-pandemic iteration of the industry.
Resilience to us means having the tenacity and the grit to overcome tough challenges and bounce back from hardships. As a theme, it speaks to everyone on a personal level whether it applies to your career, how you lead a team, department or business, or how you develop and use technology.
NF: With this focus on resilience, how has the recent global pandemic affected the conference, from a content perspective?
JV: One thing that I am mindful of when it comes to curating the agenda for this year’s event is pandemic fatigue and what we do with all of our events every year is look at how we can move the conversation forward beyond what’s already out there or what has been covered previously. With this year’s event, we’re addressing the challenges that have arisen from the effects of the pandemic and how technology, businesses and we in our careers can evolve to tackle them head-on through proven strategies and practical takeaways.
NF: For someone considering attending, what can they expect from the conference?
JV: We have an incredible two days of high-inspirational content and networking planned with over 100 speakers helping to bring it all to life. We’re also working with some incredible companies throughout Texas who will be showcasing their teams and technology projects in our Exhibition area where attendees can learn more about them and also identify new possible career opportunities!
NF: Looking beyond this year, what is your vision for Women in Tech over the next 10 years?
JV: One of the greatest opportunities to have emerged from the pandemic is the decentralization of the tech industry and opportunities are no longer limited to one particular location with tech hubs growing all around the country. We’ll be keeping a close eye on these emerging hubs and bringing the event to our women in tech community in those areas so watch this space!
NF: It looks like we’re running out of time here, but I’ve got one final, very important question: How can people get involved and stay connected with Women in Tech beyond the conference?
JV: Join us in-person or remotely at the event next month - the inaugural Women in Tech Texas is not going to be one to miss out on. Be quick though as tickets are selling fast! You can also follow us on social media and register for updates on our website!
Joao is the Lead Producer of Women in Technology Texas and a Senior Content Producer at Ascend Global Media, creators and organizers of the Women in Technology World Series where Joao leads the research and development of the USA portfolio with events in San Francisco, Houston and Boston.
