C Spire to hold major technology event in Mississippi in April

RIDGELAND, Miss., Feb. 28, 2017 -- C Spire is convening a major technology event in Oxford on April 27 that will feature nationally acclaimed speakers and cutting edge technology demonstrations capped off by a music concert by an alternative indietronica rock group at a popular downtown nightspot. CTX – the C Spire Tech Experience - is set for Thursday, April 27 beginning at 2 p.m. in The Pavilion, the new $96.5 million multipurpose arena on the Ole Miss campus.  "As the region's technology leader, we're uniquely positioned to bring to life an event at the intersection of culture and technology," said C Spire CEO Hu Meena. The one-day event will feature a trio of renowned speakers at the forefront of technology and culture, including Dr. Brian Uzzi, a Northwestern University professor and artificial intelligence expert; National Football League CIO Michelle McKenna-Doyle and Randi Zuckerberg, founder of Zuckerberg Media and former CMO at Facebook. Demonstrations also are planned for some of the leading technology innovations in the U.S., including streaming digital television, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.  "In the new digital economy, these are some of the leading innovations that hold promise for greatly improving the quality of our lives," Meena said. "We're excited to partner with an industry leader in hosting a major high-tech event on campus.  It will help spur ideas and innovation that will enable our students and faculty to more fully participate in the new digital economy," said Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter. Dr. Vitter said some of the technology demonstrations in virtual reality will feature cutting-edge work by students and faculty from the Ole Miss School of Engineering and the Center for Manufacturing Excellence. In addition, CTX 2017 is hosting a music concert on April 27 at The Lyric in downtown Oxford featuring Passion Pit, a highly regarded alternative indietronica band from Cambridge, Mass. and two other Nashville-based bands, The Weeks and The Lonely Biscuits. CTX's technology focus will help kick off the 22 ^nd annual Double Decker Festival on April 28 and 29 in the Lafayette County town.  The two-day event, which C Spire also is sponsoring, attracts thousands of visitors and will feature nearly 200 arts, crafts and food vendors along with live music and other entertainment. For ticket availability, pricing and more information about CTX 2017, visit cspire.com/ctx or follow C Spire on Twitter. For more information about C Spire, visit  www.cspire.com.