AeA Florida Council Hosts 14th Annual “Tech Days in Tallahassee”

Orlando, FL (February 28, 2008) - The AeA Florida Council and high-tech executives from across the country will convene in Tallahassee next week for the 14th annual “Tech Days in Tallahassee”. Through a series of events, AeA will show that Florida's economy must encourage and nurture a strong high-tech industry to survive and thrive.

“Florida's imploding budget crisis makes this year's “Tech Days” more crucial than any other in the event's history,” said Maryann Fiala, AeA’s Florida Council Executive Director. “It is imperative that we act now to ensure that Florida maintains its standing as a leading high-tech state.”

The “Tech Days in Tallahassee” series has several components.

On March 5, there are two separate events. At 8:15 AM, Christopher Hansen, AeA’s President and CEO, will kick-off the first-ever AeA Florida Technology Summit. This day-long event will bring together leaders from the high-tech industry, academia, and state governments to define the state of Florida's technology industry today, and plan for progress.

Beginning at 9:00 AM, twenty of the industry's most innovative companies from Florida and around the U.S. will showcase their technology at Tech on Display, which will be held on the Capitol's grounds. The Senate Portico will serve as the backdrop for companies looking to increase their visibility and promote their products and services to State of Florida agencies.
On March 6, AeA Florida’s long-running business development series, The CIO Speaks, will give high-tech executives an opportunity to discover first-hand what Florida state agency CIOs want to buy. The series, beginning at 9:00 AM, provides an opportunity for agency CIOs to discuss technology projects on the horizon for the short and long term.

Concurrently, AeA will be hosting the Florida Senate and House Lobby Day at The Capitol. Exclusively available to sponsors of the Technology Summit and AeA member companies, this event will feature high-tech company executives walking the halls of the State Capitol to lobby Members of the Senate and House on issues critical to the sustainability and advancement of the industry.

The state's best kept secret, according to the AeA Florida Cybercities 2007 report, is that Florida ranks 4th in high-tech industry employment with 276,400 workers employed by the industry. It is also the 2nd fastest growing “cyberstate” in the United States.
Some facts about Florida's high-tech industry include:

· Miami/Fort Lauderdale was the state’s largest technology hub, employing some 75,300 tech industry workers in 2005, the most recent metropolitan data available;

· Following Miami/Fort Lauderdale in tech employment was Tampa/St. Petersburg (55,900 jobs), Orlando (42,600), Palm Bay/Melbourne (20,900), and Jacksonville (18,200);

· Palm Bay/Melbourne had the highest concentration of tech workers in Florida as a percentage of the overall private sector workforce, 119 out of every 1,000 private sector workers, and they received the state’s highest average tech wage, $65,800 in 2005;

· Orlando added the most tech jobs, 2,500 in 2005; and

· Fort Walton Beach had the highest tech job growth rate, 26 percent in 2005 and the highest wage differential - its tech workers earn more than twice as much as the average private sector worker in 2005.

For more information about AeA’s Florida Council, please visit www.aeanet.org/florida.



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About AeA
AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit www.aeanet.org.

This page was last updated on 03/03/08.