Utah’s technology sector and the vibrant community surrounding it are at a turning point, judging from Thursday’s kickoff of the 3rd annual Silicon Slopes Tech Summit in Salt Lake City.
After years of growth, the cluster of tech companies and startups along the Interstate 15 corridor linking Utah and Salt Lake counties saw some of the biggest deals in its history last year, including major initial public stock offerings by Pluralsight and Domo and the $8 billion acquisition of Provo-based Qualtrics.
The glow of those and other big-dollar transactions brought bigger crowds and a heightened sense of energy to the two-day summit, which has drawn a record 23,000 tech workers and enthusiasts this year, filling ballrooms and exhibition halls at the Salt Palace Convention Center.