Who are we?
In a nutshell, Speck&Tech is the digital community of Trentino.
In a few more words, we’re a non-profit association formed by a group of enthusiasts (some might call us nerds or geeks) with a clear goal in mind: creating a community of people united by the passion for technology, innovation, and much more. We meet every month (possibly even more frequently), and since 2016, we have fostered the exchange of ideas by hosting more than a hundred free events in our city, Trento, and its sorroundings. These monthly gatherings mirror the typical meetup scheme found in major cities:
- One topic. This can vary a lot, but it will always be tackled from a technological or scientific perspective.
- Two talks. The more diverse, the better. In-depth technical presentations? Got ‘em. Entrepreneurial advice and hands-on experiences? For sure. Philosophical discussions? Piece of cake.
- Half an hour each. Let’s keep it simple.
- Usually delivered in English. As much as we love to sprinkle some “dialetto trentino” here and there, we care deeply about our non-Italian friends and we always try to make our events accessible to them.
- Hot five-minute Q&A session. Not enough? There’s time to go on asking questions while sipping a beer.
- Networking. This is the real deal. Speck*, beers, and chiacchiere (*we have vegetarian/vegan-friendly options, as well). Here’s where job opportunities arise, friendships come to life and the most interesting discussions take place.
Our community now counts thousands of people, all scattered around the World. No, for real. Hola, Ciao, おはよう, Bonjour, Добрий день to all of you! There are so many things we’d like to tell you, so here’s a brief recap of how we got here.
Our story
Founded on March 1, 2016, by a group of young tech enthusiasts, Speck&Tech was officially registered as “Associazione Culturale” on April 18, 2017. Since its inception, the association has pursued an ambitious and clear goal, as stated in the motto on the homepage and in the section above: to create a community of people united by the passion for technology, innovation, and much more.
Over the years, we have undertaken initiatives of all kinds. These range from “itinerant” events (held in Piazza Duomo at #TSCW18, in Munich, at the Caproni Airport during Festivolare, at UniTrento’s Auditorium, at Wired Next Fest Rovereto 24, etc.) to collaborations with international players and local authorities. A notable example is the MUSE::Next series — three events organized with Trento's Museum of Science that drew over 300 participants on its opening night. We’ve co-organized a Hackathon with the Government's Digital Team in 2017 and established the acclaimed Speck&Tech Retreat, now at its fifth edition: a weekend getaway in the mountains blending outdoor activities in the Dolomites with Trentino gourmet cuisine, career fairs, SPA relaxation, talks, and technical workshops.
Towards the end of 2020, we launched a podcast to keep our audience engaged and explore new media horizons. This experimental venture received positive feedback and helped us navigate the challenging period of the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2021, after an 18-month hiatus from in-person events, Speck&Tech as we know it finally came back with its monthly meetups at Impact Hub Trentino. The revival was made possible by the influx of new members and the contributions of additional volunteers, bringing the total membership to about 20.
Early in 2023, the Association introduced two new activity branches: Pan e Botóni and Speck&Trek. The first is based on the idea that no one should be left behind, and it’s one of our responsibilities to help each other. Therefore with many other private and public stakeholders, we have put together a series of free workshops to help elderly people with their smartphones, whether that means installing apps, managing their photo albums, avoiding phishing attempts, and much more. Pan e Botóni’s schedule is always evolving, date and location-wise. You can stay up-to-date by subscribing to our newsletter here.
As for Speck&Trek, it’s pretty self-explanatory: we like hiking, we like talking about tech and we like hanging out together. Mix these ingredients and you get the recipe for Speck&Trek. A few photos say more than a thousand words.
All in all, it’s been a great journey so far and we keep adding new things and reaching new highs. When we began, it felt like we would only reach friends and family, but in the last couple of years, we’ve managed to host events with John Graham-Cumming (CTO @ Cloudflare), Stefano Nazzi, Richard Stallman, Beatrice Mautino, and other amazing guests from many different fields of technology and science. We have built stronger relationships with the local administration, cultural institutions, and other fellow non-profit organizations.
What next? It’s up to us, and potentially to you, to decide.
If you’d like to get involved in the Association, let’s talk.
Do you want to support Speck&Tech? Here is how.