Thrival Festival 2018: LIFE.CODE

Normally, I talk about events that I'm involved in after they happen, so that I can recap them a bit, and share the experience with you. And I'll probably still do that for this one, as well, but I also wanted to make sure I shared about it ahead of time, so that other people get the chance to attend if they're interested.

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Thrival started in 2013 - I like to think of it as Pittsburgh's version of South x Southwest, with a technology conference plus a music festival. This year, my sister and I worked with the team to help make Thrival more disability-friendly, and I'm also honored to be part of a panel discussion about Smart Cities on Thursday at Phipps.

Thrival has something for everyone, no matter what your interests are. The Humans X Tech portion focuses on people, how we interact with technology, and what that means for us as a society and our future. Wednesday evening is the Future of Work Symposium at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Thursday is the LIFE.CODE Summit at Phipps (where you can come to hear me in conversation!), and Thursday night is the LIFE.CODE Interactive Experience at the Carnegie Museum of Art. I'm really excited for the Interactive Experience - I love the Museum of Art all the time, but I think it's going to be the perfect backdrop for the event. One of the co-founders of Wired will be speaking, and there's also a really cool silent disco (which obviously, I'm now a big fan of - remember this?).

And then, of course - there's Music x Arts. In previous years, this concert has been held at the Carrie Furnaces. While that venue is really cool, and an innovative use of space, it's not really the most accessible to people with disabilities. So this year, the concert will be held at the Highmark Stadium at Station Square, and the team at Thrival even worked with us to build an accessible viewing platform in the general admission section. My sister and I were so excited to be able to work with them, and so appreciative for how open they were to our suggestions! The lineup looks pretty great, too, with a mix of some big, national names and local artists. I cannot wait!

If any of you decide to come to any of the events, let me know in the comments - I'd love to say hi!