What does it mean to think AI?
Join us for a full-day experience at Bureau Gravity — home to TalkLab’s media studios — , where thought leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and innovators gather to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming business, creativity, and civic life.
This interactive event blends keynotes, live podcasts, vendor showcases, and collaborative discussions designed to spark new ideas and local partnerships. Whether you’re a business professional exploring AI integration, a technologist building new tools, or simply curious about the future, ThinkAI: A Tech Town Hall invites you to be part of the conversation shaping what’s next.
Doors open at 8:00 AM with coffee and networking on the 1st Floor. Vendor Labs open on the 2nd Floor with interactive demos and early-bird conversations with sponsors before moving upstairs for the opening Keynote.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Jimi Allen Founder & CEO of TalkLab welcomes attendees, introduces the ThinkAI vision,
and sets the tone for a day of learning, collaboration, and innovation.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Matt Mead, Chief Technology Officer, SPR Consulting
Join Matt Mead, translator of AI for business leaders, and CTO at SPR. With more than 20 years of experience
helping companies turn technology into real results, Matt is known for cutting through the hype and making AI approachable,
practical, and useful.
In this session, Matt shows how AI isn’t here to replace people, it’s here to free them. You’ll see how “ambient intelligence” can quietly work in the background, handling routine tasks so people can focus on what truly matters: connecting, creating, and leading. Matt will share real-world examples, explain what’s happening behind the scenes, and give you a clear roadmap for finding where AI can make the biggest impact in your organization.
If you want AI that helps your teams work smarter, strengthens your culture, and drives measurable business value, don’t miss this talk.
Matt Mead is the Chief Technology Officer at SPR, where he helps organizations bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical business value. With more than 20 years of experience leading innovation across industries, Matt specializes in translating complex AI concepts into plain-English strategies that drive measurable results. His sessions are known for being clear, fast-paced, and refreshingly jargon-free, built for leaders who want to understand not just how AI works, but where it actually fits.
Location: 1st Floor Podcast Booth is open for interviews with Brad Edwards, former CBS anchor, now with BE Media. Onsite signups available. Jump in for a quick, studio-quality conversation with Brad. First-come, first-served.
Location: 2nd Floor Vendor Labs open / PR Studio open
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Dustin Haisler, Chief AI Officer & US GM, Darwin AI
Dustin is one of the public sector’s clearest voices on how AI actually gets adopted. As President of e.Republic (the company behind Government
Technology magazine) and former city CIO, he’s spent years turning emerging tech into policy, procurement, and real projects.
Today he also serves as U.S. GM & Chief AI Officer at Darwin AI, an Israeli-U.S. startup building the governance layer that lets agencies
roll out AI responsibly at scale. Expect straight talk on what’s landing in government, what’s hype, and how Israel’s builder culture
(Darwin’s teams span Texas and Tel Aviv) is shaping the next wave of civic AI.
1st Floor Podcast Booth open for interviews
2nd Floor Vendor Labs open / PR Studio open
Location: 2nd Floor Vendor Labs & PR Studio
Vendor Labs are open for demos, hands-on exploration. Meet the teams behind the tools.
The PR Studio hosts rotating 10-minute on-camera Q&As with business journalist Diane Moca, former CBS reporter now CEO of MomSub and audience participants. Sign up onsite in the 2nd-floor PR Studio. You’ll get recorded remarks suitable for the record and future clips sent to you post-event.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
A special address from the Aurora Mayor John Laesch, celebrating innovation, civic leadership, and the city’s growing AI ecosystem.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Ram Tyagi, Chief Information Officer, City of Aurora
Ram shares insights on how emerging technologies—Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Data—are shaping the next wave of the Industrial Revolution.
Drawing from Aurora’s transformation into a data-driven smart city, he outlines how communities can prepare for a smarter, safer,
and more connected future powered by AI-ready infrastructure.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Moderated by Ram Tyagi
Panelists:
Mike Cataletto (Scientel Solutions)
Aashish Warty (Burwood Group)
Karthik Mahalingam (Amazon)
Thomas Gilbert (Oakbrook CIO and GMIS Chair)
A multi-sector discussion exploring AI’s ethical and practical implications across industries.
1st Floor Podcast Booth open for interviews 2nd Floor Vendor Labs open / PR Studio open
Location: 1st Floor Service / Dining Throughout Venue
Lunch served on the 1st Floor. Seating and networking continue across on all floors.
Photo Ops and Vendor Labs remain open.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Jimi Allen, Founder, TalkLab
A short showcase of how TalkLab embeds human context into AI—helping leaders translate experience and intuition into organized strategy and story.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Tera Spahr, Higher Education Client Advocate, Google Cloud
The AI Transformation: Unleashing the Benefits of Generative AI in Higher Education
This keynote will move beyond the hype to explore the tangible benefits and current reality of AI adoption in university settings.
It will detail how modern AI—from predictive analytics to advanced generative models—is fundamentally reshaping three core pillars of higher education:
Tera Spahr serves as a Higher Education Client Advocate at Google Cloud, bringing extensive experience in connecting state, local, and educational institutions with transformative technology solutions. As a leader specializing in the integration of AI across complex organizational structures, Tera helps universities navigate the practical and ethical implementation of cutting-edge tools.
2nd Floor Vendor Labs open / PR Studio open
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Moderated by Jimi Allen (TalkLab)
Panelists:
Brad Edwards former CBS anchor, now with BE Media
Trever Johnson, Head of Customer Engineering, US Central SLED for Google Cloud
Lou Sandoval, President, Halo Advisory Group
Quentin Reul, Director of global AI Strategy and Solutions, Information Services, expert.ai
A collaborative discussion on the 1,000 Voices Project - an AI initiative connecting civic data, business applications, and community impact.
2nd Floor Vendor Labs open / PR Studio open
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Raghu Adaveni, Asoft Consulting
Raghu highlights how AI drives measurable business outcomes through enterprise systems integration and data-driven strategy.
Location: 3rd Floor Main Stage
Moderated by former CBS reporter and MomSub founder Diane Moca. A candid conversation with a panel of women exploring
how artificial intelligence is shaping their daily lives, work, and creativity. From personal productivity to professional transformation,
this discussion brings human perspective to the rapidly evolving world of AI.
Panelists:
Vernita Andrews, Founder, Stable Able Housing
Mabel Oza, Founder, Cha Ching Social | Professor, Blockchain/Crypto, UIC
Laurie Swanson, Founder, InspiHER Tech | Founder, Career Alchemy Academy
Kate Allen, Co-Founder & Executive Producer, TalkLab
Location: 1st & 2nd Floors
Vendor Press Conferences run in the PR Studio alongside interactive demos, live podcasts, and open mic presentations from innovators.
Location: 1st Floor Bar / Main Lounge
Wrap up the day with a networking mixer & sponsor highlights. Select startups will deliver 10-minute pitches during the mixer as attendees
vote for their favorite. A perfect blend of networking, innovation, and celebration.
