A record crowd of more than 2,000 is expected at TechMedia’s Internet Summit, the digital marketing conference headlined by Apple co-creator Steve Wozniak and tech luminaries such as former personal technology columnist for the New York Times, David Pogue, on Wednesday and Thursday at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The action actually began with a party Tuesday night at the new Citrix Sharefile offices in the Warehouse District.

Pogue, now with Yahoo, says he will be speaking on Wednesday about “All things disruptive in the technology world – wearables, the instant gratification culture, and autonomous cars.” On Thursday, in what he calls a bigger treat for himself than the audience, Pogue interviews the tech icon widely known as “the Woz.”

The Internet Summit is TechMedia’s flagship event among others it produces in Atlanta, Phoenix, DC, and Denver. It brings speakers from top national digital brands such as Yahoo, Google, Twitter, Linkedin, bing, and IBM, to Raleigh.

The agenda also includes Research Triangle folks such as Lulu.com CEO and Red Hat co-founder Bob Young , Andy Beal CEO of Trackur, and Mark Gottfried, men’s head basketball coach at NC State.

“We’ve luckily been able to produce several large events, but this one looks to set a new record, which for us is amazing since we live in Raleigh and focus a lot of our thoughts on how to help grow the digital community here,” said TechMedia’s Scott Hedrick who originated the event with his partner Eric Gregg.

As a draw, “The Woz is huge,” Hedrick said. “When we talk about tech icons of our time, he’s on everyone’s list. He loves to dabble in leading edge stuff and stays involved with “What’s Next,” which is what he will focus on at the Internet Summit, Hedrick adds.

The improving economy may have something to do with this year’s record registrations, Hedrick said. “A rising tide is good for all boats. But I think it mainly shows in the number of people we have flying in. Beyond that, we’ve tried to focus on the immediate business return someone gets from attending so it makes sense to come to Raleigh for the conference regardless of what the economy looks like.”
Hedrick said they have “Completely remade the format for talks” this year to allow for longer presentations that provide “deeper dives and more practical take-aways for attendees.”

They have also implemented new ways for attendees to let them know who they think is a fantastic speaker so they can invite them to future events.

Schedule Highlights

The Internet Summit gets rolling following pre-conference intensive workshops with Pogue’s opening keynote at 1:15 Wednesday afternoon.

Separate sessions follow on a host of digital marketing topics. Those, Hedrick said, include content, context, personalization and improved use of data along with other tactics that remain relevant such as SEO, email, and user experience.

Sessions have titles such as “Strategy and Campaign Assessment: Re-upping Your Marketing Game;” and “VC Perspectives.”
Beal and Bob Young both speak during the 4:30 to 5:15 sessions Wednesday.

Thursday things start with a networking continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and sessions run until 5 p.m.

The Woz on Stage

Wozniak keynotes the lunch session moderated by Pogue at 12:35. The “Woz,” who co-founded Apple Computer Inc. with Steve Jobs in 1976, single-handedly designed Apple’s first line of computers, the Apple I and the Apple II and helped create the Macintosh. He’s never shy with his opinions and told CNN Money on Nov. 10 that he thinks the IPhone 6 with its large screen is “three years too late.”

While in college in 1971, Wozniak met Jobs, then in high school when a friend introduced them because they both liked electronics and played pranks such as hacking long-distance phone lines. Although he remained in touch with Jobs until his death, the two were not close friends and he has said the Macintosh was not a success until Jobs left the company.

He currently speaks at numerous events and is involved with a number of philanthropy and educational ventures.