eMerge Americas Conference To Feature More Women Entrepreneurs

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By Nancy Dahlberg
The Miami Herald.

A summit to showcase female entrepreneurs in technology and a strong speaker lineup are just a few of the highlights planned for the 2015 eMerge Americas conference, which will be May 4 and 5 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Registration opened Thursday.

Manny Medina, founder of eMerge Americas, and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez kicked off a celebration at YoungArts on Wednesday night for the next eMerge Americas, which included a look back at the inaugural year that attracted 6,000 people and a peek at what’s ahead for year two.

The mayor said that Miami already “is becoming known as a technology hub,” and noted several recent events. Three weeks ago he was in San Francisco when Miami-Dade was awarded a Code for America fellowship and last week he participated in the IBM Think Forum, the only elected official invited. “I know the 2015 eMerge Americas will be much greater than the first one … a can’t-miss event,” Gimenez said.

Some of the plans for year two include:

Deepak Chopra, author and expert in the field of mind-body healing, and Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square, founder of LaunchCode and now a South Florida resident, will be among the speakers, Medina said.

All the sponsors are back for a second year, he added.

Also, the panels and keynote speaker sessions will be slightly longer and more integrated into the exhibit area. There will be auxiliary events in the week leading up to the conference.

“We listened to you and we are going to make 2015 even better than 2014,” said Medina, referring to the feedback from last year.

Melissa Medina, vice president of business development for eMerge Americas, said a new part of eMerge next year will be the Women Innovation & Technology Summit, a platform “that will showcase women who are transforming technology,” with speakers from around the world.

Registration for eMerge Americas is now open, and tickets are available starting at an early bird price of $245, a $450 savings off the regular price. For more information, www.emergeamericas.org.