With more than 2,000 attendees, 270+ cutting-edge technology exhibits, and a wide variety of educational sessions, navigating the 2017 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit can be a challenge. Keep reading for tips on how to maximize your time at the 2017 Summit and get the most out of this event based on your interests and goals.  

Tips for Creating Your Conference Schedule and Choosing Panel Sessions: 

This year’s Summit will feature a multitude of breakout sessions with distinguished panelists discussing a wide variety of energy topics. Each panel has a distinct focus, making it easy for you to determine which panels are of interest to you. 

This year, you can choose from three different panel tracks: 

1. Technical: Technical panels will focus on applying energy technologies to solve various challenges.

2. Commercialization/Markets: These panels will address how technologies move from the lab to the market and the market conditions that can affect a technology’s chances for success.

3. Fast Pitches: With just eight minutes each, ARPA-E Program Directors and Fellows provide a rapid-paced succession of exciting current program concepts as well as some completely new, “out-of-the-box” ideas. 

Each breakout time slot will feature panels from each of these topics, allowing you to follow one track or mix and match depending on your interests and what you hope to get out of the Summit.  Sessions will conclude with a question and answer session, providing the opportunity for attendees to contribute to panel discussions and hear feedback from expert panelists.  

How to Navigate the Tech Showcase

• Make a Must-See List: 
The Summit Technology Showcase is always an attendee favorite, featuring more than 270 innovative energy technologies, many of which will be on public display for the first time. The showcase is the perfect forum to network with other Summit attendees and learn about up-and-coming technologies. The showcase map can be found online here, and you will also find it in the Summit program. It may be beneficial to note booths of interest before arriving. Registered attendees can also view the showcase floor through their event app (coming soon!).

• New this year: The showcase floor will be organized by technology area, such as transportation and efficiency, making it easier to find technologies of interest. Take a look at the showcase participant list and showcase map where you can filter by technical area. 

• Technology Tours: With so many exhibits to visit, it can be overwhelming to prioritize your time. If you have a particular technology area you’d like to explore, such as solar, stop by the ARPA-E booth where you’ll find technology tour guides. These guides provide information on ARPA-E’s work in a tech area and include booth stops of note for you to visit.

How to Get the Most Out of Networking at the Summit 

The ARPA-E Summit is a premier opportunity to network with breakthrough technology companies, federal government leaders, entrepreneurs, and researchers who are ready to collaborate. Feeling overwhelmed? Here are a few events that will help you focus your networking efforts: 

• The Government Agency Networking Program at the ARPA-E Summit provides an opportunity for representatives from the Department of Defense and federal civilian agencies and offices to meet with hundreds of ARPA-E-funded project teams, as well as other energy technologists and researchers, to discuss research interests, funding solicitations, grants, and other potential partnership opportunities. The program will occur Monday, February 27th from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

• Women in Energy: The annual Women in Energy event at the ARPA-E Summit brings together entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, investors and others to celebrate the achievements of women in energy, discuss ways to better engage and provide opportunities for women in energy technology development and deployment, and provide networking opportunities. This event will be held in the Technology Showcase Networking Area on Monday, February 27th from 5:00-6:00 p.m. 

Whether you’re a first-timer or a veteran Summit attendee, we hope these tips will help you get the most out of your conference experience. We can’t wait to see you at the 2017 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit!