Editor’s note: Moogfest is an annual arts and music festival but last week the North Carolina Technology Association teamed up with member Moog Music to add some high-tech to the show. Called “Synthesis,” the showcase included SAS and other firms. NCTA’s Marc Montoro reports on what happened an Synthesis and why the tech firms chose to participate.

RALEIGH, N.C. - The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) stepped out of the box, partnering with one of its members, Moog Music, to bring a South by SouthEAST festival to Asheville. Moogfest 2014 featured more than 100 musical performances, 105 speakers, multimedia installations and public art exhibits, during the five-day festival, in Asheville.

NCTA added its 2-day tech expo venue, Synthesis, to showcase North Carolina Technology companies, in a wide array of industries, showcasing the cool side of technology. Digital music presentations were provided by Kitsch-Bent and Western Carolina University. ShomoLive shared their online portal to entertainment. PRSONAS demoed an interactive assistant. AVL Technologies showed the advancement in viewing our universe. Photofy shared the latest in mobile photo editing and sharing.

Synthesis also featured business relevant technology companies, like Albright Digital (social media monitoring), Beacon Technologies (IT and web development services), Google (SaaS and digital marketing) and RISC Networks (network monitoring).

Other companies, Premier, Inc. and SAS, joined the conference, specifically to share the great career opportunities in technology and talent they are seeking. Fritz Lehman (SVP-Customer Support & Engagement) and Nick Otto (Sr. Manager, IT Global Hosting & Cloud Services) from SAS, along with Jonathan McGuire (Director, Enterprise Solution Development) and Andrew Peterson, Director – Enterprise Service Management with Premier, Inc. shared their perspective on IT careers. After the event, we sat down with Fritz and Nick to hear about their thoughts on Synthesis.

  • Why did SAS chosoe to exhibit at Synthesis?

[Lehman] We also chose to support Synthesis to show our support of North Carolina events and tech companies. SAS is a NC-based company and we have a responsibility to support local efforts where we can.

  • This was the first time you attended the NCTA Synthesis Tech Expo, much less Moogfest. What were your thoughts?

[Otto] Moogfest is a unique mix of technically savvy people, from the high tech space all the way to the DJs. The different perspectives on how to leverage, and create, with technology were insightful. The talk on the future of technology was very thought provoking.

  • Tell us about your presentations. What were the similarities and differences?

[Otto] I was looking to learn about what tech companies are doing in NC and how they are going about finding the next generation of IT talent. As an IT leader, I’m consistently challenged not only to keep my current staff motivated but to also cultivate the next generation. I’m also coming at things from the perspective of a tech service provider to the rest of SAS. Many of the event attendees are similar consumers of technology and it was good to interact with other members of IT.

[Lehman] I focused on how SAS became what it is, how it built itself around its employees and what other businesses should think about as they look to expand.

  • Other than your time at Synthesis, what were some of your favorite venues at Moogfest?

[Otto] I greatly enjoyed the MAKE presentations on Thursday. Some very cool hacking is going on in the electric music space. And the performances were over the top.

[Lehman] I was able to go on a tour of the Moog sales office and it was great to see where they built synthesizers and to have the opportunity to check out their sound studio. It opened up my mind to how technology can be used in arts and music, and made me wonder what other areas exist where analytics could play.

  • Would you recommend that other NC tech companies participate in Synthesis and Moogfest?

[Otto] All the lines between our personal tech and corporate tech are blurring. The venue at Moogfest not only gave a perspective on how the next generation is approaching technology, but also provided a venue for companies to gain some mind share with up and coming tech consumers.

[Lehman] Overall the event has a lot of potential and it would be great to see more local companies get involved, as well as to see more universities participate increase in an effort to continue to educate the next generation on how technology can impact, influence and improve business.