Prove Me Wrong: CTA’s C-Level @ A Mile High is the Best Event in Tech
By Mike Hess
Industry events have changed. Post-COVID, many associations struggle with conference attendance and membership. The Colorado Technology Association (CTA) doesn’t appear to be one of them, and C-Level @ A Mile High is why.
C-Level is an opportunity for technology buyers and leadership from industries across Colorado to meet with software and service providers. Think of it as speed dating where technology buyers — aka “Celebrities” — discuss upcoming projects with CTA members who are typically enterprise-level, b2b client services providers, from smaller agencies (like BIT), to huge conglomerates (like IBM).
Wisely, CTA pairs each “Celebrity” with an “Ambassador.” C-Level Ambassadors keep the conversations lively. For particularly popular Celebrities, Ambassadors organize the vendor queues. And, Ambassadors watch the clock, making sure their Celebrity has an opportunity to chat with each CTA member eager to meet them.
To be clear, C-Level is not new. In fact, BIT wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for a C-Level event I attended a little over a decade ago. It was a CTA Celebrity that gave BIT one of our first opportunities. Today, I’m a C-Level veteran. I go every year.
This year, I went with my colleague, Joe Crespo. It was an opportunity to reconnect with some old friends of BIT, and meet new ones:
- I met with technology leaders from around Colorado: the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the City of Centennial, the City of Aurora, and the State of Colorado’s Governor’s Office. These Celebrities are shaping the future of government, finding efficiencies through smart cities initiatives, and guiding AI policy. Our conversations ranged from driving forward digital engagement to driving down costs.
- I had an opportunity to catch up with Suma Nallapati, Chief AI & Information Officer for the City and County of Denver. I’ve long admired Suma’s ability to build community, her commitment to innovation — especially regarding AI — and her dedication to digital experiences that reach all of the City’s constituents.
- Joe introduced me to some of the Drupal experts at Tyler Technologies that also serve government agencies across Colorado. Many of the government websites BIT audits are built using Drupal, so naturally, Tyler shares some of the same clients with us. Tyler’s commitment to serve government runs deep, and it was great meeting their team.
- Government wasn’t the only industry providing Celebrities at C-Level. I got to reconnect with a Celebrity from DaVita who attended one of my talks years ago. And I nerded out with the CIO of the Colorado Rockies. I’m a Rockies superfan. So is he. For me, that conversation alone was worth the price of entry.
Designing C-Level
C-Level is a fantastic example of thoughtful event design. The magic of this event doesn’t require a buyer-seller dynamic. Its value is access: CTA put the right people in the same room with their members, gave everyone guardrails, and let the conversations happen organically. The results speak for themselves. BIT is here today because of this approach.
A huge thank you to everyone at the CTA for pulling off another incredible C-Level! The venue, Empower Field at Mile High, is unique, the food was amazing, and the name “C-Level @ A Mile High” is a chef’s-kiss perfect dad joke.
The Best Untapped Resource on the Job Market
Serving clients well is how we close the unemployment gap for professionals with disabilities. BIT’s Salesforce and digital accessibility expertise is second-to-none, and unlike a typical client service agency, we want you to hire our best people.