More than 50 vendors, including Adobe, Apple and Microsoft, will gather for the sixth annual Wildcat Tech Expo on Wednesday.
“We’re always excited to do the tech expo, because it gives our vendors a chance to come and show off what’s new and what’s cool in the technology world,” said Ben Taylor, Weber State University bookstore marketing manager. “It also gives them the chance to interact with the students and see what they like and what’s important to them.”
The WSU bookstore puts on the expo in partnership with the campus IT department. This year will offer educational courses as well as the vendors.
“There will be experts on technology to present free courses, so the public and students are welcome to sign up for these courses to learn about trending topics that’s happening in the world of technology today,” Taylor said. “There’s going to be some classes that help you learn the basics of Adobe InDesign or Adobe Photoshop.”
The classes will also be taught by local entrepreneurs such as Ryan Crabtree, who raised more than $300,000 in one month from his invention, the Crabby Wallet.
“Students who are maybe interested in starting their own business can learn a lot form these information sessions that we’re hosting,” Taylor said.
This year will feature a special keynote speaker, Devin Graham, better known by his YouTube name of Devensupertramp.
“We’re especially excited . . . to have Devin Graham as our keynote speaker,” Taylor said. “He has quite a large amount of college-aged followers, so we’re really excited for him to come and speak and share his knowledge with what has made him popular and successful.”
In just two years, Graham has amassed 1.3 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and 250 million views, making him one of the most-watched YouTubers in the world.
“Each year we try to make it more fun and bigger and better,” said Tyler Cahoon, WSU bookstore manager.
This year will also feature the expo’s second annual film festival. Graham will judge the film submissions and pick his favorite.
“I went to the Tech Expo last year, and it was pretty cool,” said WSU student Sean Moore. “I’ll go again this year. It was fun to play with all the new stuff that the vendors brought.”
Thousands of dollars in prizes will be given away throughout the event. Winners of the film festival will receive prizes, as well as students who share photos of the expo on the apps Instagram and Vine with the tag #WTX13.
“We’re doing a fashion show, kind of a mix between clothing and technology during lunch,” Cahoon said. “It’s at 12:30, and it will be fun to kind of see people from all over campus get into it and see what the vendors are showing.”
Students can pre-register online for the expo, register to take classes and receive more information at www.wtx.weber.edu.
“It’s a pretty remarkable event that we’re able to gather in this much talent for one day,” Taylor said. “It’s a real opportunity for students to come and to learn and to see what’s new in the technology world. It’s something that every student should definitely take advantage of.”
