Keynote Speaker, Greg Lindsay, brings expertise on urbanism, transit, and the future of cities

TAMPA – Momentum is building in the north Tampa area, and on September 13, 2018 Tampa !p will bring the most innovative thinkers and doers together at the USF CONNECT Galleria for the fourth annual Innovation Gathering. The event will celebrate the innovation of cutting-edge tech companies and researchers in the area, as well as the progress Tampa !p (formerly the Tampa Innovation Alliance) has achieved toward making the 19-square mile !p area into a world-class live, work, study, play, and stay innovation district.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with the Taste of Tampa !p, featuring small bites and refreshments from some of the area’s most popular restaurants and title sponsor, Yuengling. Meanwhile, the !p area’s pioneering businesses, researchers, and community organizations will demonstrate the innovations that are fueling the !p area’s $11.3 billion estimated annual economic impact.

At 6:30 the program begins and is highlighted by noted journalist, urbanist, futurist, and two-time “Jeopardy!” champion, Greg Lindsay, who will share insights on globalization, innovation, and the future of cities. Lindsay’s book, “Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next”, examines how a combination of giant airport, planned city, shipping facility, and business hub will be at the heart of the next phase of globalization.

“Greg Lindsay is a visionary who brings a future-centric perspective to urban living and we are very excited to have him at the Innovation Gathering,” says !p Chief Potential Officer (aka Executive Director), Mark Sharpe. “In order to unleash the potential of the !p area we can’t just think about making today great. We need to anticipate the conditions that innovators will need or want in the places where they live and work five, ten or even twenty years into the future.”

Tickets to the event are $50 and are available through Event Brite. Free student tickets, sponsorships and exhibit space are available by emailing Bonnie@TampaInnovation.com.

Tampa !p is a partnership dedicated to innovation in the area bounded by Interstate 275, Interstate 75, Bearss Avenue, and Busch Boulevard. The organization has 232 members including anchor institutions: University of South Florida, Florida Hospital Tampa, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Busch Gardens, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, and RD Management, LLC, owner of University Mall.

Founded in 2011 as the Tampa Innovation Alliance, Tampa !p prioritizes business development, job creation, transportation, community engagement, and place-making. !p’s anchors, private donors, Hillsborough County, and HART have partnered to plan a transportation circulator that is expected to be in operation by the end of this year connecting the area’s major employment and population centers. Another !p project expected to begin operations in the next few months is the Florida Blue Community Engagement Lab (CEL), which will host health and financial education outreach, STEM job training, coworking space, and a tech start-up incubator. Other recent projects include plans to improve the safety and functionality of the area’s gateway corridors from I-275 on Busch Boulevard and Fowler Avenue.