Local business leaders, entrepreneurs and startup types may wish to mark their calendars for a pair of upcoming events that could be of interest.
 
The 2017 Outlook for Tech Conference, hosted by the N.C. Technology Association (NCTA), is slated for Feb. 3 at the Hilton Charlotte Center City.
 
This annual luncheon and tech expo is hosted by the N.C. Technology Association and will a feature a keynote from Carl Deal, vice president at Gartner Executive Programs, on how the digital era will reshape business, economy and society.
 
“These tech industry events are important to find new clients in bigger cities as Wilmington is a bit isolated,” said Jim Roberts of the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington and Wilmington Angels for Local Entrepreneurs, an investor network. “Even more important is to network at these big events to find what big city prospects are having problems with."

He said the organization has seen more than 100 percent growth in membership from the Wilmington region in the past three years in the Wilmington region.
 
Outlook for Tech will also feature an industry trends outlook, an employment outlook on hiring transitioning military and the annual release of NCTA’s State of Technology Industry Report.
 
The report is supposed to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the state’s tech sector. Ted Abernathy with Economic Leadership LLC will discuss all the key findings and talk about where the state ranks nationwide in key innovation metrics. Economic Leadership LLC is an economic development and information curation consultancy, based in Raleigh.
 
In other conference news, Wilmington’s PPD CEO David Simmons will co-chair the Council for Entrepreneurial Development’s 26th annual Life Science Conference next month.
 
The conference is scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Raleigh Convention Center and is presented in partnership with the N.C. Biotechnology Center and the N.C. Biosciences Organization. It is the largest gathering of life science professionals in the Southeast and is expected to draw more than 1,000 participants including entrepreneurs, investors, strategic partners, corporate leaders, researchers and professional service providers, according to organizers.