PHOTO: Innovation Collective hosted a Think Big Festival in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, this month to showcase innovations and big ideas. Another Think Big Festival will be held April 28-29 in downtown Victoria. Photo contributed by Innovation Collective
Residents will be able to hear from successful innovators, meet local residents sharing their ideas and potentially come away with some ideas of their own when Innovation Collective hosts its Think Big Festival April 28-29 in downtown Victoria.
The festival will kick off 5-8 p.m. April 28 with the Tech Carnival, which will be held outdoors in the area of Main Street and Santa Rosa Street. Exhibitors will showcase their inventions and other innovations. This free event will include food trucks, live music and a talent competition hosted by the University of Houston-Victoria.
The carnival will primarily feature local businesses and nonprofits, as well as students from UHV and Victoria ISD schools.
“We want to show off what our local community members are doing,” said Karissa Winters, Innovation Collective community lead for Victoria. “‘Innovation’ can mean many different things, and we’re excited to give people the chance to share their ideas.”
Innovation Collective will also host a Speaker Series 1-5 p.m. April 29 in the second-floor auditorium of 120 S. Main St. Thirteen innovators—CEOs, founders and others representing a variety of industries—will share their advice and answer residents’ questions.
“The speaker series will have a little of everything,” Winters said. “No matter who you are or what you do, you’ll be able to take something away from it.”
The speaker series will be followed by a pub crawl in downtown Victoria, with many businesses offering specialty drinks.
Tickets for the Speaker Series are $45. Tickets are available online at www.innovationcollective.co/events.
About Innovation Collective
Innovation Collective promotes entrepreneurship and innovation by connecting residents with resources and by creating opportunities for mentorship, partnership and education. The group is advised by a “success team” of local stakeholders.
City of Victoria Economic Development Director Danielle Williams represents the City of Victoria on the success team. The team meets monthly to hear updates about businesses that are launching or expanding in Victoria and share ideas about supporting entrepreneurs.
Williams said Innovation Collective has played an important role in supporting downtown and bringing entities together so they can share resources.
“Promoting business development in Victoria truly takes all of us working together,” Williams said.
For more information about the Think Big Festival, contact Winters at karissa@innovationcollective.co. To learn more about Innovation Collective, visit www.innovationcollective.co.
To learn more about programs and events in downtown Victoria, visit www.victoriatx.gov/mainstreet.