It’s May, and there’s going to be a lot happening in Tampa Bay’s tech scene, including…
AI Salon St. Pete/Tampa (Wednesday, May 6)
@ spARK Labs / ARK Innovation Center • 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
This AI Salon will feature Chad Mairn, Professor and Founder of the Innovation Lab at St. Petersburg College. It’ll feature the this format: keynote → startup pitches → open mic → networking.
Find out more and register here.
TEKsystems’ Meet and Greet (Thursday, May 7)
@ TEKsystems offices • 6:00 p.m.
Ready to level up your network? Connect with industry-leading recruiters and fellow tech professionals at TEKsystems, one of the world’s premier IT staffing firms. Whether you’re looking for your next role in Web development, Cloud, Data Science, or Cybersecurity—or just want to be proactive in today’s shifting economy—this is the place to be.
Find out more and register here.
The Save the Kids Gatsby Gala (Friday, May 8)
@ The Orlo House & Ballroom • 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Organized by Disrupt the Bay, this is a Roaring ’20s-themed charity event in Tampa, FL, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer research, particularly targeting ATRT. There’ll be a premium cocktail hour, live entertainment, curated dining, silent and live auctions, and powerful stories showcasing the real impact their support makes for children and families. It’s not just a gala—it’s an experience where purpose meets style, and generosity fuels life-saving breakthroughs led by Save The Kids Foundation.
And hey, you’ll get to hang out with this guy:
Find out more and register here.
BSides Tampa 2026: Unlucky 13! (Saturday, May 16)
@ Marshall Student Center, USF • 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
BSides Tampa, a cybersecurity conference that brings in 2,000+ attendees and held right here in Tampa Bay, returns for its 13th year on Saturday, May 16! It’s a full day with…
- Great keynotes and presentations across seven tracks: keynotes, red team, blue team, cloud security, GRC and privacy, appsec, and AI and emerging
- The exhibitor hall, where they don’t scan your badge, which means that you won’t get spammed as a result and they won’t sell your info
- Interactive villages: malware, social engineering, IOT, network, lockpicking
- A chance to meet the technology and cybersecurity professionals in the area, including these two…
Find out more and register here.
SOF Week (May 18 – 21)
@ SOF Week campus (see map below), May 18 – 21
SOF Week (“SOF” being short for “Special Operations Forces”) brings the international Special Operations community together for one focused week of collaboration, learning, and capability development. Jointly supported by U.S. Special Operations Command and the Global SOF Foundation, the event serves as the central gathering point for SOF Operators, government leaders, and industry partners working to advance the mission. There’s a fair bit of overlap with the technology industry (including SOFWERX).
Find out more and register here.
poweredUP Tampa Bay Tech Festival (Wednesday, May 20)
@ Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater • Starting at 11:00 a.m.
One of the largest technology conferences in the Tampa Bay region returns on May 20, bringing together hundreds of technology leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and students for a full day of learning, insight, and connection.
This year, poweredUP Tampa Bay Tech Fest introduces an exciting new format designed to give attendees both the big-picture view of where technology is heading in our region and the practical knowledge they can take back to their teams.
Find out more and register here.