Forward Festival: 2020 festival to be hybrid conference

(MADISON, Wis.)— Local innovators, entrepreneurs and like-minded individuals will have more accessibility to this years’ Forward Festival as it embraces a hybrid model. The 11th annual event will take place Aug. 13-20 and will feature more than 35 events, with a majority being virtual, organizers announced today.

“The Forward Festival has always prided itself on being an inclusive conference for a wide variety of people, and this year is no different,” Hilary Stohs-Krause, festival board member and co-owner of Ten Forward Consulting, said. “As many events will be virtual, this gives great accessibility to people wanting to take part in Madison’s growing innovative and entrepreneurial community.”

Also new this year is the creation of the Forward Festival app, which gives attendees the opportunity to build a schedule of events to attend, connect with event organizers and sponsors directly and network with the community of entrepreneurs and creatives. The free app is available on both iOS and Android devices to all Forward Pass holders.

To make sure the eight-day conference is accessible to as many members of the community as possible, registration for a Forward Pass is free. However, there are a few events that require a paid ticket or accept donations (e.g., Pressure Chamber, Play Make Learn 2020 Conference and Social Good Summit (SGS): Profiles).

The festival will still have some of its annual events such as the Badger Startup Summit on Aug. 13 and the Startup Showcase on Aug. 18. Meanwhile, topics like working from home with kids, tools to restart your business and travel (in these times) have been added due to the pandemic/economic state.

Forward Festival is sponsored by MG&E, Neider & Boucher, WEDC, Urban Land Interests, M3 Insurance, Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media, Boardman Clark, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Swink, WIPFLI and the Wisconsin Union.