In the picturesque setting of Charleston, jewel of The Palmetto State of South Carolina, the front lawn was set, welcoming its visitors back in-person once again.
For me, this was my first foray at DIG SOUTH, entering its 10th annual celebration. I have known its Founder, Stanifield Gray for some time now, having first met at SXSW. This felt like the right time to explore…and I’m glad that I did.
What to Expect at Dig South
While it had a decidedly SXSW feel, it was also distinctly southern. Held at the University of Charleston’s TD Arena, it had a smaller feel. While mainly regional in nature, a good deal of event goers, speakers, and vendors were from all points.
The event kicked off a welcome reception on River’s Green. Good times and drinks were had by all were had, with plenty of opportunity for networking- also backed up by active use of the Whova app.
Bringing us to the main event the next day, center stage brought a big welcome by founders of the event, Stan and Sunny Gray. Keynoting was Rob Tercek talking about What’s Next:
“The 10th anniversary of DIG SOUTH Tech Summit was a fantastic success,” said DIG SOUTH founder Stanfield Gray. “Helping companies climb out of the pandemic malaise and reactivate in person was tremendous, and we were especially grateful to welcome high-quality speakers like Brian Wallace who shared their deep knowledge and know-how with our attendees.”
Yours truly was on stage speaking about Visual Storytelling for B2B Audiences. This was a lively and engaged audience throughout the presentation.
Here’s What Attendees Had to Say:
“It was really fun to introduce cyber security concepts to the high growth startup community. Security is starting to become a priority for early stage startups and events like Dig South allows them to learn from experts in their field.”
Nick Santora, CEO, Curricula
“The event was very well put together, and I think that it was very easy to build meaningful connections there partially due to the quality of attendees and partially just due to the fact that people have missed in-person events like DIG SOUTH the last couple of years.”
Benjamin Einersen, Managing Director, SPR Advisory
The Big Finale
I had to head out late Thursday night for other commitments. However, the event was still in full swing through Friday.
During Friday’s keynote, Jay Bailey, CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Atlanta. He inspired black entrepreneurs, specifically, and founders of all stripes, to pursue their goals relentlessly and seek out mentors and resources without hesitation. Bailey emphasized that it’s essential for communities of all races and backgrounds to reach out to each other to collaborate and create a more equitable society.
DIG SOUTH Tech Summit closed with Wild Pitch, a Techstars-style pitch event, won by Zendo, the world’s first and only meditation wearable that activates the meditation centers of your brain using proprietary neurostimulator technology.
Hope to see you there next time!
