COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A two day event full of world-renowned experts, robots, concerts, parties, a tech carnival and speakers from around the world is coming to Coeur d' Alene.
The goal of the weekend is to celebrate the future of robotics and AI. Think Big Festival is coming to Coeur d’Alene September 20 and 21.
“What’s going on here in Coeur d’Alene is not normal. The magic of what's going on here is really something that has changed the way people feel about the city and the way they have hopes and prospects for the future,” said Chris Cochran, the Global Director of Communities for the Innovation Collective.
The Think Big Festival kicks off Friday with a giant block party right outside the Innovation Collective building in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The tech carnival is family friendly with a lot of chances to play with robots, visit the STEM bus, and test state of the art technology.
“Coeur d’Alene is traditionally an agricultural town, it’s transformed into a tech scene and we wanted to bring experts from around the country and get the people who are really excited about the future of robotics and AI,” Cochran said.
On Saturday, 25 different experts in the tech world will speak on their unique experiences.
“There is a guy named HB Siegel coming. His actual title is Prime Minister of Ideas for Amazon.com and he answers to Jeff Bezos. I am really excited to hear a gentleman of that caliber talk about how technology is affecting the future and how we live,” Cochran said.
People will have the chance to chat and hang out with all the speakers throughout the weekend.
“It’s taking the people who are here and getting them really excited about technology and the fact that they can participate in this new economy and then giving them access to people and experiences they wouldn't otherwise have,” said Cochran.
More information, including ticket prices, is available on the festival's website.
The following video is a report on tech experts testing 5G in Spokane.