757 TechNite has always brought together people building companies, developing technology, solving difficult problems and moving Hampton Roads forward.
This year, it is bringing live music to the stage too.
Country music artist and Virginia native Canaan Smith will perform live at 757 TechNite Presented by JPMorganChase on Thursday, October 29 at The Dome in Virginia Beach.
Smith knows there is more overlap between music and innovation than people may realize.
“I’m a big fan of entrepreneurship,” he said. “Building something from the ground up is what a songwriter does too, so I’m excited to see how our worlds collide.”
A song does not begin as a finished product. It begins with an idea, then gets shaped, tested and refined until it is ready to connect with people. Smith sees the same process in the companies and people TechNite celebrates.
“You gotta start somewhere,” Smith said. “With a song, it’s an idea. Same as it is in business and innovation. Then you refine it til it’s ready for impact.”
That mindset is part of why he is such a fitting addition to TechNite. The event is more than an awards ceremony. It is a room full of people taking ideas and turning them into companies, technologies and outcomes that matter in Hampton Roads.
Smith has also continued to carry Virginia with him as his career has grown. For him, the place a person comes from is not something to move past. It is part of what makes the work real.
“Embracing who you are and what you came from is critical to achieving your full potential,” Smith said. “I’m proud of my roots. The deeper I dig in, the more grounded I feel.”
And for anyone wondering what to expect from a late October night with Canaan Smith in Virginia Beach, he has an answer ready.
“It’s ALWAYS beer drinkin weather.”
Join us for 757 TechNite Presented by JPMorganChase on Thursday, October 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Dome in Virginia Beach. We will celebrate the people and organizations moving the region forward, recognize this year’s winners and hear Canaan Smith live on stage.
