An effort to use technology tools and thinking processes to make Wilmington a better place to live and do business is taking shape.
Slated for Feb. 19, the Idea Challenge has signed up five to six teams that will come up with solutions, according to the George Rotsch of Technology Forum of Delaware, sponsor of the event that will be held in the atrium of the Hercules Building in downtown Wilmington.
The Idea Challenge is designed to use techniques from big data, hackathons and start-up weekends to come up with innovative approaches to challenges facing the city. Wilmington has been facing a wave of gun and drug-related violence, although that might not be the topic chosen.
A number of possibilities will be outlined to participants. However, the challenge will not be announced until shortly before the two-hour session that develops final proposals gets under way on the 19th.
The event will involved attendees as well as participants in the Idea Challenge. Members of the audience along with a panel judges will vote on the best plan. Among the judges is Ben duPont, a technology pioneer and venture capitalist.
Rotsch announced that the Wilmington Downtown Visions program and the City of Wilmington will work to find funding to implement the plan.
According to Rotsch, the Idea Challenge came out of discussions among board members about not being able to attract younger technology professionals to meetings that typically features presentations and panel discussions.
Rotsch’s employer Trellist, a technology and marketing business, had enjoyed some success with an interactive program in Philadelphia. Features were added from that program and others to come up with the Idea Challenge, he said.
Once the challenge was announced, the event attracted a “flood of interest,” with dozens signing up for teams.
Rebecca Faber, CEO of the World Trade Center and a member of the Technology Forum, said she is anxious to see the “kind of energy” she has seen at hackathons and other events put to work to address the problems facing the city.
The event gets under way with teams having two hours to come up with a solution. Winning team members will receive a technology gadget.
“I am excited to see the Technology Forum of Delaware and the city of Wilmington embrace this idea of bringing together creative talent, tech users, and those of us who simply want to see improvements in our society together to see what kind of ideas we can produce together,” said Ken Grant, one of the Idea Challenge team leaders.
“In his excellent TED Talk – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU – Steven Johnson explores how great ideas come from having people with the germs of different ideas interact regularly,” Grant said. “This is why I try to spend as much time as possible hanging out with entrepreneurs at the Coin Loft or community activists and business leaders at Brew Ha Ha or LOMA Coffee. I’ve seen everything from new businesses to new classes created when people start sharing ideas.”
Grant said he expects “to hear many ideas that could address key issues in and around Wilmington, and the more people involved in that process, the better.” Registrations are still available for those wishing to attend the event and vote on presentations. To register, CLICK HERE.
