48 West Celebrates Tech, Food And Music In Chandler Feb. 15-16

48 West Food, Music and Tech Festival is set to kick off President’s Day Weekend, Feb. 15-16, in Chandler, Ariz., with speakers discussing entrepreneurship, downtown restaurants bringing their best dishes, and local bands lighting up the night.

As an attempt to put the Valley on the technology map that Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas are so prominently featured, 48 West brings together some of the brightest minds in technology to share techniques and practices for entrepreneurship, commerce, technology innovation and interactive media. Attendees can expect to see Jaime Casap, senior education evangelist at Google Inc., and Bob Worsley, founder of Arizona-based SkyMall, among others.

“We put together speakers and panel sessions that we think will help people frame the conversation of, ‘What are the great things that are going on in Arizona for entrepreneurship or technology?’ and ‘How do all the people operating in a tech ecosystem work together?’ ” said Leigh Dow, president and CEO of Dow Media Group and founder of 48 West.

The panels on Feb. 15 will focus on entrepreneurship, business development, partnership and new media, and the focal points of discussions on Feb. 16 are workshop and building tech-ready workforce. There will also be startup camps.

On top of technology, the event also plays host to two concert nights with performances from Arizona-based bands Mogollon, Jared & The Mill, Banana Gun, The Wiley One, Doctor Bones and the Veragroove, and Tomorrows Bad Seeds and Micah Brown from California.

In addition, 48 West is partnering with FIRST to host the “Duel in The Desert” Robotics Competition for high school students.

“The robots this year are required to be able to throw a Frisbee through a slot at the end of a playing field, and they get extra points for being able to climb a pyramid,” Dow said.

To top it off, several restaurants, including The Sushi Room and the Living Room, will be offering their best dishes at the events.

The concerts are free to attendees of all ages. The technology panels will net attendees $30 for each day and $50 for both days.

To purchase tickets or for more information about 48 West, please visit 48-west.com.