Geekend, the annual conference that draws the brightest and most innovative minds in technology to Savannah, Georgia, announced that Devin O’Bryan, design advocate and facilitator of IBM’s Strategic Talent Program, is the event’s keynote speaker.

Geekend 2018, scheduled for Feb. 2-3 (tickets available here), brings makers, hustlers, hackers, and designers together with other entrepreneurial innovators in the technology and creative spaces — to foster new partnerships, pursue networking opportunities, and kick start the launch of new ideas.

O’Bryan is a designer-educator and currently serves IBM’s Strategic Talent Program as design advocate and facilitator. His past four years have been filled with guiding and co-creating within IBM Corporate HR and IBM Design’s global education efforts with programs like IBM Design Bootcamp Experiences, IBM Designweek events, and building the immersive and award-winning, Maelstrom internship program.

As part of his keynote address entitled “Open for Business: How Emotional Intelligence spurs innovation and creativity within teams,” O’Bryan will detail what it takes to create and sustain an emotionally healthy dynamic that fosters innovation and drives outcomes entrepreneurs and their teams.

He also will share his experiences and lessons learned through Maelstrom as it grew to become the prime IBM’s premier software design experience.

“Dylan’s success in building the IBM Maelstrom program embodies what Geekend is all about- people building products, experiences and companies,” said Aleshia Howell, CEO of Codebase and one of the Geekend organizers, “His keynote will be an inspiration to everyone who is passionate about building something new.”

In addition to O’Bryan’s keynote, Geekend 2018 will feature a number of speakers who will be leading various breakout panels and sessions that will explore several themes including:

• Building experiences using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning

• Building immersive video game experiences

• Building and scaling consumer brands

• Marketing automation and eCommerce tools

• Angel investments

• Founder success stories

These featured speakers hail from Savannah and across the nation, and represent leading designers, technologists, CEOs, and other cutting-edge thought leaders. Geekend attendees will also be able to participate in several interactive experiences, including an AR/VR exhibit, a Pitch Circus, and video game arcade to showcase games built by local developers.