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The Technology Salon™ is an intimate, informal, and in-person, discussion between information and communication technology experts and international development professionals, with a focus on both:
- Technology’s impact on donor-sponsored technical assistance delivery, and
- Private enterprise driven economic development, facilitated by technology.
Our meetings are lively conversations, not boring presentations – PowerPoint is banned and attendance is capped at 35 people. We expect frank participation with ideas, opinions, and predictions that will move the sector from talk to action.
Through our four key attributes, we’ve grown to be a global network of professionals who share a common passion for expanding the role of ICT in empowering development. Technology Salon events are a powerful way to increase technology’s role in expanding solutions to long-standing international development challenges.
We explore ideas, issues, and opportunities often years before they are in mainstream use, giving participants early insight into what’s next. For example, we met on mobile money in 2008, we discussed the digital gender divide in 2010, we asked about artificial intelligence in 2013, we debated drones (UAVs) in 2014, we brought up blockchain in 2016, and dived into private sector data in 2018.
Join our monthly meetings around the world to be the first to know about what’s next. Sign up now to get invited and be sure to RSVP if you want to attend – meetings fill up fast.
You don’t want to miss out on our meetings. Previous Salons influenced the creation and direction of several high-profile initiatives in digital development like:
- US Global Development Lab, now the Innovation, Technology, and Research (ITR) Hub
- USAID Grand Challenges, now Grand Challenges for Development initiative
- USAID Global Development Alliances
- US State Department’s response to Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
- the Alliance for Affordable Internet, now the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership
- the Better than Cash Alliance
In addition, conversations and connections made at Salons have lead to over $168 million in new business won (not just proposed) that we’ve been able to track.