Event Recap: TAG Summit, March 28, 2024
Technology Association of Georgia celebrates their 25th anniversary.
Left to right: Larry K. Williams, TAG; Kyle Porter, SalesLoft; Marc Gorlin, Roadie; David Cummings, Atlanta Ventures; Tami McQueen, Emcee
The Technology Association of Georgia hosted 1,000+ attendees on March 28, 2024 at the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center for, “a day celebrating Innovation in the South.”
Welcome addresses from Governor Kemp and the First Lady, Mayor Dickens and Monica Kaufman Pearson kicked off the day. Breakout sessions focused on the most relevant topics affecting Georgia’s technology sector.
Discussions included:
- Generative AI and Workforce
- “Intrapreneurship – an organizational culture that rewards the innovators within.”
- Esports & live sports and how to improve the fan experience
- Smart Technology’s growth in Georgia cities and communities
- Cybersecurity, Information and Data Security
Marc Gorlin, CEO & founder of Roadie, was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame. Fellow Hall of Fame members – David Cummings and Kyle Porter – joined Gorlin for a Q&A Panel. David Cummings, Founder of Atlanta Ventures, said that Georgia is a “rising tide for entrepreneurial excellence.”
Marc Gorlin, CEO & founder of Roadie, was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame. Photo credit: TAG
The panel estimated there will be 100,000 workers in the next 10 years needed to fill the workforce, and not enough graduates.
TAG is the first in Georgia and the Southeast to become a federal tech apprenticeship program. “TAG is dedicated to workforce development and fostering inclusivity in Georgia through the strategic goals and initiatives of both TAG’s Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed) and Bridge Builders.”
The Registered Tech Apprenticeship Program has a 93% retention rate, and its high school tech internships show an 85% increased change of employment post-graduation.
Cummings encouraged corporate buyers in Atlanta to “look in their own backyard” and consider buying local from a start up. “The best thing as entrepreneur is to have funding from a customer,” said Cummings, emphasizing that the growth of the state’s startup ecosystem can be locally supported in a material way.
He also cited the importance of finding entrepreneurial peer groups and entrepreneurs with “a chip on their shoulder,” i.e. a problem to solve.
Kyle Porter of SalesLoft touched on AI and automation. “There is a balance between what robots and humans do. You can’t be too far ahead of the curve.”
The Summit concluded with presentations from the Top 10 Innovative Companies in Georgia, and the announcement of the TAG Impact Award at the Society Showcase and happy hour.
Read Next: The Cybersecurity Landscape, Ben Young, Georgia Trend April 2024
