This year Joint Venture’s State of the Valley conference will be a two-day virtual experience due to the pandemic. The online-only format will enable us to broaden programming and to provide a full spectrum of speakers and topics to inform and inspire. Watch for updates, coming soon.
What is the State of the Valley Conference?
State of the Valley is Silicon Valley’s annual “town meeting” – a tradition at least as old as our nation’s founding, when concerned citizens met on the village green to mobilize for the challenges ahead. In that same spirit, Joint Venture’s town meeting convenes the entire region – concerned citizens and stakeholders, thought leaders and opinion makers, journalists, our elected representatives, educators and academics, business executives, labor and workforce leaders – for dialogue and discussion about the Valley’s challenges and opportunities.
The 2021 State of the Valley conference will be entirely online this year due to the pandemic. Rather than one full morning, we will expand the experience over two half days. Enjoy a broad range of speakers and panels and expect music and entertainment from arts groups, high school bands, and elementary school choirs.
There will be virtual “booths and exhibits” showing off entrepreneurs, established corporations, and non-profits who are working in Joint Venture’s project areas. The event is a celebration of our region–who we are and who we’re becoming.
Who attends State of the Valley? Everybody! In years past, more than 1,500 people have participated. This year, our audience will be international and we expect more attendees than ever. They include senior business executives; federal, state and locally elected officials and their senior staff; heads of organizations, labor leaders, venture capitalists, journalists (print, television and electronic media), academics, and a host of other community members.
What is the Silicon Valley Index?
To inform the discussion, our principal analytical tool is the Silicon Valley Index, a nationally-recognized publication that has been telling the Silicon Valley story since 1995. The indicators measure the strength of our economy and the health of our community, highlighting challenges and providing a data-rich foundation for decision making. The 2021 Silicon Valley Index will be available online. Watch for more details.
Here’s what happened at the 2020 State of the Valley
Joint Venture played host to a standing-room-only audience when iconic newsman Dan Rather took the stage at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose for the 16th-annual State of the Valley conference on February 14. We also heard updates on high employment growth, eye-popping land transactions, and record megadeals.
Joint Venture thanks its presentation sponsors Accenture, Applied Materials, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Stanford Children’s Health as well as dozens of other supporting sponsors and organizations.