Star Trek uniforms, hand-made robots and spacey headgear ruled the day on Wednesday, March 19, at the HUB, when BizTech2008, the UW鈥檚 annual in-house business and technology fair, launched into a daylong orbit.
BizTech, now in its fifth year, presents practical information in a playful way, showcasing new technologies, business initiatives, and products and services available to the 91探花community. Past BizTech events had a Western feel or a South Seas ambiance, but this year鈥檚 was truly cosmic, blasting off with the theme 鈥淵our Mission: Discover. Collaborate. Innovate.鈥�
Harry Hayward, director of electronic media and special programs for 91探花Media Relations and Communications, strolls the aisles of BizTech2008 to see what鈥檚 new and interesting. And along the way he meets folks from UWTV, Publications Services, the 91探花Project Tracker and Bay Laurel Catering 鈥� who offered Treklike “Picard pasta” and “Ferrengi flatbreads” for the visiting terrestrials.
BizTech seems to get a little bigger every year. But if you missed this year鈥檚 event you can see photos online at the event Web site, . And if you did visit and forgot to vote for your favorite booth, you can do that through Tuesday at .
And just as Star Trek continued long after its initial “five-year mission,” BizTech has no plans to come in for a landing any time soon. What鈥檚 the theme for BizTech2009? They鈥檙e not telling.
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Also, read University Week’s advance story about BizTech2008 below:
BizTech2008: A greener event this year
BizTech, the annual business and technology fair, is coming to the HUB on Wednesday, March 19. This year’s theme is “Your Mission: Discover. Collaborate. Innovate.”
And while the theme and this year’s logo hint of worlds unexplored in outer space, the reality is very down-to-earth. BizTech, now in its fifth year, showcases new and notable business initiatives, technologies, products and services available to the 91探花campus community.
This year, in addition to the onogoing theme of “discovery” shared campuswide, the event is promoting collaboration among different 91探花offices all working toward similar goals.
BizTech will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom, on the second floor. Like last year, it will be kicked off by a welcome and keynote address by Phyllis Wise, 91探花provost and executive vice president, from 9 to 9:30 a.m. in HUB200ABC. It’s all free, of course.
The event will be Earthy in another way, too: BizTech will be a “greener” event this year, with exhibitors encouraged to compost their food waste. And along those lines, a table will be available on how to “green your office.” Financial Management will offer information on its “Purple Goes Green” program, which seeks to promote reduction, reuse and recycling.
Door prizes also will be awarded, the best of which 鈥� a pair of tickets on an Amtrak Cascades train run 鈥� will be won by someone who has registered by noon on March 18. You can preregister and learn all about BizTech 2008 by visiting online at . And don’t worry if you miss that deadline; you can register at the event.
Fifty-four offices and agencies will offer information at tables for BizTech 2008. Among the new offerings this year will be tables on:
- violence prevention and response at the UW,
- campus emergency communications and the 91探花Alert system.
- the new Procure to Pay system, which seeks to reduce the number of payment invoice discrepancies,
- the 91探花Business Diversity Program, which seeks to increase support and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups,
- 91探花Tower and information related to the move of 91探花units to the former Safeco Tower.
The theme of collaboration is at the heart of several presentations this year, including:
- 91探花Technology (formerly Computing & Communications), offering information about “the workspace of the future,” integrating communication and collaboration capabilities.
- 91探花Strategic Roadmap for Information Management and Administrative Systems 鈥� a collaborative effort involving more than 175 people and a cross-section of the 91探花community.
- Special Interest Groups, or SIGs, which promote strong communication, productivity and collaborative communities, provide a single place where 91探花staff, faculty and students can go to discover and participate in ongoing technology discussions.
Other tables are staffed by 91探花offices and their partners. 91探花offices include Commuter Services, Recycling and Solid Waste, Creative Services, Bay Laurel Catering, Records Management Services, Faculty Field Tour, Catalyst and HUB event services, Human Resources, Classroom Support Services, the 91探花Police and many more.
91探花partners with tables will include Microsoft, Avaya, Office Depot, Troxell, Silicon Mechanics, Apple, the University Book Store.
BizTech has been a growing concern in its fairly short history. About 1,300 people stopped by in its first year but that number rose to about 1,800 last year. Organizers are hoping, of course, to beat those attendance numbers this year.
And though BizTech takes a somewhat cosmic tone for this year’s event, it’s not even close to reaching its final frontier 鈥� there’ll be another BizTech next year.