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IBM TechXchange Conference 2024: A Celebration of Innovation, Community, and the Future of Technology

By Amy Tennison posted Tue October 29, 2024 12:45 PM

  


IBM TechXchange is all about creating year-round engagement and resources for our global community of developers and technologists. But the IBM TechXchange Conference? That’s where everything comes together in one extraordinary week. This year’s IBM TechXchange Conference 2024 brought 5,000 developers, technologists, and innovators from around the globe to Las Vegas from October 21-24. If you missed the excitement, announcements, and incredible hands-on experiences, you missed one unforgettable week. But don’t worry—you’ll have a chance to be part of something even bigger next year!


Get ready to join us in 2025:
The IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 is shaping up to be double the scale, energy, and opportunities. Join our waitlist today to lock in an exclusive 50% super early bird discount for the first 30 days once registration opens. Don’t miss out!


Highlights from an Unforgettable IBM TechXchange Conference 2024:
For me personally, one of the most electrifying moments was igniting our Light Cube (think Olympic-style cauldron, but tech-powered!) during our opening block party on Monday night. Standing there, surrounded by our incredible community, I could feel the collective excitement as we officially kicked off the conference. It was the perfect start to four days packed with learning, community, and fun.

From live coding sessions to hands-on labs, and exclusive networking to new Granite 3.0 and Gen AI announcements, this year’s conference truly had it all:

  • 5,000 participants
  • 1,700+ technical activities
  • 50,000+ cumulative hours of learning
  • 350 certifications earned

Our Opening Kickoff, featuring Dinesh Nirmal, Holly Cummins, and Joseph Spisak, inspired attendees with new perspectives on software development, while our AI Software Track Spotlight and Integration and Application Runtimes Software Track offered insights from IBM’s top experts. 

Couldn’t attend? Catch these and more on-demand, and see for yourself why this conference is the place to be. Presentations will also be available for download on our online community shortly. 

Major Announcements and Resources for Our Community:
IBM TechXchange 2024 wasn’t just about sessions – it was a platform for major announcements shaping the future of technology. Several high-level press announcements were made during the conference that continue to showcase the depth and breadth of IBM’s technology. The releases are below including:

  • IBM Granite 3.0
  • IBM watsonx Code Assistant
  • IBM watsonx Orchestrate
  • IBM watsonx.ai Developer Toolkit update
  • Generative AI comes to Db2 database
  • IBM Guardium AI Security updates
  • IBM Guardium Quantum Safe enhancements
  • IBM Consulting Advantage 

Honoring Excellence at the TechXchange Awards:
The TechXchange Awards Ceremony on Thursday afternoon was a true highlight, celebrating our community’s most extraordinary contributors. I had the pleasure of co-hosting this event, where we honored 22 community members who exemplify the innovation, dedication, and collaboration that drive TechXchange forward.

Congratulations to each of our winners—your impact is felt across the IBM TechXchange community, and we’re so proud to celebrate your achievements:


Excellence in Community Engagement

  • Most Creative Use of Social Media – Shari Chiara
  • Most Well Attended Session – Elena Lowry (Building AI-driven applications with generative AI)
  • Highest Rated Session – Bradley Steinfeld & James Reeve (Build your first gen AI application the right way)
  • Learn N Score Scavenger Hunt – Kevin Dupont

IBM watsonx Bootcamp Awards

  • AI – Annika Dubbeldam
  • Business Automation – Martin Medina
  • IT Automation – Nirbhay Kularia
  • IBM Z – Todd Gades
  • Security – Kranthikumar Vemula
  • Sustainability – Khaled Ibrahim Abed

Excellence in Community Advocacy Awards

  • Ruth Bonser
  • Michael Nutt
  • Laticia Carrow
  • Andrey Klyachkin
  • Scott Walker

Technical Excellence Awards

More information on these awards and the winning entries are in this blog.

  • Excellence in AI at Work - Fabio Oliveria Guimaraes (Bank of Brazil, Brazil)
  • Excellence in AI-driven Automation - Stephan Gerali (Lockheed Martin, USA)
  • Excellence in Application Innovation - Thomas Gregg Faisis (Questronix, Phillipines)
  • Excellence in Hybrid Cloud - Youssef Largou (rKube, Morocco)
  • Excellence in Mainframe Innovation - Rene De Vleeschauwer (Kobee, Belgium)
  • Excellence in Open Source Contribution - Emma Slovgard (Dinoframe, Denmark)
  • Excellence in Operational Efficiency/Supply Chain - David Ganiford (British Antarctic Survey, UK)

These trailblazers represent the heart of the IBM TechXchange Conference. Celebrating their achievements reminded me why I’m so proud to lead this team and program.

Looking Ahead: IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 – Bigger, Bolder, and More Exciting Than Ever!
After an incredible 2024, we’re already planning the IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 in Orlando, FL, from October 6-9. Next year’s conference will be twice as big, with more content tracks, hands-on learning opportunities, and a new level of collaboration that you won’t want to miss!

Join our waitlist now to secure a 50% super early bird discount for the first 30 days after registration opens. Be part of the most anticipated developer conference of the year and join us in setting the course for the future of technology.

Don’t Wait—Enhance Your Skills with IBM Learning

And you don’t have to wait until next year’s conference to dive deeper into IBM’s tech ecosystem. IBM is offering an exclusive 35% discount on our IBM Learning Subscription, granting unlimited access to over 200 IBM self-paced product courses, labs, and the complete IBM Coursera catalog. Prepare for IBM certifications, earn badges, and explore career paths—all at your own pace. Use promo code EXCLUSIVE35 at checkout to take advantage of this offer and advance your skills with the latest IBM technology.

I couldn’t be prouder of the team that brought this year’s IBM TechXchange Conference to life. It took a village, and I’m grateful to each person involved for making it an unforgettable experience. This is only the beginning—let’s build on this momentum, and I hope to see all of you next year in Orlando!

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10 days ago

It was a great conference for me. The experiences are out of this world with special areas of focus like Fuel Your AI, Automation, FinOps, Sandbox and AIOPs expositions

29 days ago

Thanks for hosting me @Amy Tennison. Hope to be in Orlando as an advocate!

Thu October 31, 2024 11:08 AM

@Noor Aftab We loved having you and thanks for sharing your experience. We can't wait to make the 2025 Conference event bigger and better. I hope to see you in Orlando!

Tue October 29, 2024 09:24 PM

@Amy Tennison- What a wonderful recap of techXchange. 

🚀 Here are my top three takeaways:

  1. Instruct Lab – Seeing how Instruct Lab streamlines the AI model development process was inspiring. It’s a game-changer for simplifying complex tasks, making experimentation more accessible and efficient.

  2. Watson and Granite Models – Exploring the latest updates with Watson and Granite models highlighted the advancements in natural language understanding and large-scale model applications. I love that these models are available on AWS.

  3. Community – Perhaps the most impactful takeaway was the sense of community. The collaboration and open exchange of ideas reminded me how much innovation thrives in a connected environment where we lift each other up.

TechXchange was packed with inspiration and valuable insights, leaving me energized to apply these learnings to my work and community! Can't believe that the event is already over, serious withdrawal symptoms!