Game Changer Week in Roanoke and Blacksburg is packed with opportunities to hone in your leadership skills and network with the best in the technology ecosystem. The events – Sept. 13-15 – are free. (But you do have to register.)

Register now for networking events including:

• Coffee, Networking & Lab Tours at Virginia Western Community College (Sept. 13, 9-9:45 a.m.)
• Game Changer Week Kick-Off Party at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Riverside 4 Lobby (Sept. 13, 4-6:60 p.m.)
• CEOs and Founders Happy Hour at Starr Hill Pilot Brewery (Sept. 13, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
• Coffee and Bagels at Virginia Tech Roanoke Center, Room 709 (Sept. 14, 8-9 a.m.)
• Luncheon with VIPC at VTCRC Amphitheater (Sept. 14, 12:30-1:15 p.m.)
• Regional Ecosystem Celebration at Lane Stadium North Outdoor Club 4^th Floor (Sept. 14, 5-6:30 p.m.)
• VTCRC Block Party on Innovation Drive (Sept. 15, 4-9 p.m.)

Maybe professional leadership is what you are looking for. There are plenty of events there as well.

Register now for professional leadership events including:

• Unboxed Lunch-n-Learn (Sept. 13, 11:45): The world has changed dramatically over the last couple of years and will continue to change. To stay competitive, marketable, and relevant you need to change too. But, you can’t apply your old way of thinking if you want different and better results! You need a game changer…but you need to get out of your own way! Change your mindset. Ultimately, dig deep within yourself to discover who you authentically are (not what everyone has told you to be). Only then can you truly change YOUR game and unbox your thinking!
• Moving from Groupthink to Teamthink: How to Make Smarter Decisions Together (Sept. 14, 9 a.m.): In the workplace, there can be daily pressure to make smart decisions. Limited resources and conflicting data can make it challenging to choose the best path forward. Although group decision-making is often thought to lead to better outcomes, research suggests that it can rob us of fulfilling our individual and collective potential. In this session, we’ll explore strategies to mitigate the pitfalls of group decision-making through a teamthink approach that encourages creativity and contribution so we can make smarter decisions together.
• The Value of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: Assessing the Impact of Your Efforts (Sept. 14, 11 a.m.): In this session, participants will learn about the basics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), with particular emphasis on measurement strategies to link efforts to actual business outcomes. By the end of the session, participants should have a high-level understanding of how to assess the impact of their work unit’s DEIB efforts and express its value to organizational stakeholders.
• LX Council Sample Meeting + Lunch (Sept. 14, 11:30 a.m.): Company owners or CEOs find that a peer group of diverse companies can be a great way to regularly share their challenges, ideas, opportunities and problems. LXCouncil provides a moderated monthly half-day meeting for an intentionally curated group of 8-12 CEOs. Two groups have been meeting in Blacksburg for over 17 years, and a new group is forming in Roanoke. Come participate in a sample meeting, see what’s involved, and meet other CEOs with similar interests!
• VT Women Impact Virginia Lunch and Learn (Sept. 14, noon): Microcontrollers are used to control the way embedded systems work in appliances, robots, power tools, toys, medical equipment and more. Join us for a catered lunch, followed by an introduction to microcontrollers and discover how these modest mini personal computers (PCs) control small features of a larger components. In this interactive session you will learn how to program LEDs to blink using Raspberry Pi Picos, and see how microcontrollers work in practice.
• Leadership for a New Generation (Sept. 14, 1:15 p.m.): We are leading a multi-generational workforce with five generations in it today. It is more complex than ever before. Companies need to stop hiring for skill and firing for behavior. By partnering with The Q Works Group to build better processes, you can achieve significant retention and an engaged team.
• What’s the Change Curve and How You Lead People Through It (Sept. 14, 1:30 p.m.): Do you want to be a gamechanger but fear the resistance of leading change? Come learn about the change curve and the normal processes and feelings that we go through in any change-even those that will result in a better result! Participants will hear about the change curve, the normal effects on productivity and morale, and hear practical, actionable tips for each stage of leading others through change! 
• React and Recover: Using Improv to Level Up Your Leadership (Sept. 14, 3 p.m.): This will be an interactive session. On your feet and using your voice. We aren’t doing SNL skits, and there is no requirement that you must be “funny.” Throw your shoulders back and wade into something new. Improv is about making choices and embracing failure. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so. Leading through the uncomfortable is essential for you, your team, and your future.
• Everyday Agile (Sept. 15, 9 a.m.): Agile is officially a buzzword; your eyes glaze over when you hear it. But did you know that successful people apply Agile principles every day without putting a label on it, including maybe you! Exelaration CEO Steve Cooper shares how living Agile principles every day makes people happier and more successful, at work and beyond. This fun, interactive workshop will open your eyes to how much we all use Agile every day, and opportunities to use it even more!
• Simple Prioritization Tools for Your Backlog and Life (Sept. 15, 10 a.m.): Are you working on the right things? How do you know? When our list of to do’s and requests feels overwhelming it’s time to prioritize for maximum benefit of our time and resources.  In this session Jessie Hirsh will show you how to use simple prioritization techniques to quickly organize and sequence your backlog of tasks, whatever it may be. 
• Employee Growth, Engagement & Accountability (Sept. 15, 10 a.m.): Let’s talk about some hot topics… Remote Working, Quiet Quitting, Salary Hikes, Turnover Rates, Employee Engagement, Performance Feedback.  These are not new problems, but they are definitely harder now than ever.  Moreover, these things have impacted what employees expect from workplaces and what workplaces expect from employees.  In this session we will shed light on how we (humans) work differently today vs. how we used to and we will attempt to project forward what other changes we (businesses) can expect and, hopefully, provide some useful tips and tricks on how to cope with them.  The format is expected to be CJ presenting out some data points, learned insights, personal stories, and a bit of collaboration as we dive into some of today’s biggest problems – employee growth, engagement, & accountability.
• Mental Health at Work (Sept. 15, 11 a.m.): Mental health at work has always been an important conversation, now it is an urgent one. Regardless of your industry, role, or position, having the conversational literacy to discuss mental health in a professional setting can be intimidating. In this interactive digital fireside interview, Katie Beach will have a critical discussion with Melissa Doman, MA – organizational psychologist, former mental health therapist, and author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work (Here’s why and how to do it really well) about why talking about mental health at work must be viewed as a core competency and skillset in today’s World of Work. Whether you are the CEO, a front line supervisor, Human Resource professional, or summer intern, this discussion is for you!
• Toastmasters Meeting (Sept. 15, 11:45 a.m.): Are you preparing to talk with investors, potential clients, or industry experts? Or looking at the next step in your career? Do you want to practice your public speaking and leadership skills in a fun and lively environment? The NRV Lunch Bunch is a Toastmasters club that believes skill building can be fun—and sometimes hysterically funny.
• Build for Tomorrow Keynote with Jason Feifer (Sept. 15, 2:30 p.m.): Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, author of the book Build For Tomorrow (out September 2022), a startup advisor, and host of two podcasts: Build For Tomorrow (yes, same name as the book) a show about the smartest solutions to our most misunderstood problems; and Problem Solvers, about entrepreneurs overcoming the odds in their business. What can Jason offer you? After getting to know the world’s smartest entrepreneurs, he realized that success comes from embracing the unknown. He studied how they do it. He tried their tactics himself. Now he can help you become more adaptable—and build a better tomorrow.

See the full schedule + register

Game Changer Week celebrates our innovative ecosystem where you will be inspired by disruptors from all industries, people with ideas, the curious looking to learn or invest, and the brightest talent among us. No matter the career or business stage you will find a catalyst to propel you forward at networking events, with thought leaders in action, and educational opportunities.

The events take place Sept. 13-15 in Roanoke and Blacksburg. Everything is led by your innovation community and events are free to attend. Register, download the app, and create an agenda of can’t miss talks, open houses, and networking events!