City Leaders, IT Martini Vie for a Chance to Make Columbus 2014 Intelligent Community of the Year

COLUMBUS, Ohio - March 31, 2014 - PRLog -- For the second year in a row, Columbus residents are feeling smarter and walking taller because the city has been selected as a Top7 Intelligent Community by the international think tank, the Intelligent Community Forum. To celebrate, City of Columbus officials and IT Martini are partnering to host The Columbus Innovation Reception on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at the Columbus Museum of Art from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event marks one of the final milestones on the road toward becoming the 2014 Intelligent Community of the Year.

In its second year as a finalist, Columbus is in a stronger position to become the 2014 Intelligent Community of the Year. The ongoing partnership with area CEOs, support of TechColumbus, investment in fiber-optic infrastructure and emphasis on STEM education is a small slice of the city’s long history of tech innovation.

“We are honored to host the Intelligent Community Forum in Columbus for the second year in a row,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Our team has worked diligently to plan an inclusive site visit showcasing the best of Columbus, and we are hopeful to walk away in June with the title of Intelligent Community of the Year.”

The Columbus Innovation Reception welcomes John Jung, co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, alongside innovation, technology and civic leaders for the presentation of the Top7 Intelligent Community Award.

Columbus plans to share some of the city’s shining stars during Jung’s visit with trips to COSI, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the IBM Analytics Center and the Columbus Idea Foundry. The collaboration of leaders across all sectors of the city is what makes Columbus unique, John Bishop, co-founder, CEO and chief editor of IT Martini said.

“Columbus is unique, in the sense that it’s a big city that feels like a little city. Very few degrees of separation exist between our local leadership, which makes for unprecedented collaboration and an intense commitment to grow the opportunities for everyone in the region,” Bishop said.

According to the Intelligent Community Forum, “the Top7 represent models of economic and social transformation in the 21st Century...Each exemplifies best practices in broadband deployment and use, workforce development, innovation, digital inclusion and advocacy that offer lessons to regions, cities, towns and villages around the world. They are charting new paths to lasting prosperity for their citizens, businesses and institutions.”

The Columbus Innovation Reception takes place on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at the Columbus Museum of Art from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required. Join IT Martini, Mayor Michael B. Coleman and others to celebrate Columbus’ selection as a Top7 Intelligent Community.

More information and registration is available at http://www.columbusinnovationreception.com.

About IT Martini

IT Martini was originally conceived as an amazing party to bring together the hometown IT community in Columbus. From those humble beginnings, IT Martini has evolved into an online calendar for IT professionals, a weekly newsletter showcasing industry leaders and a production team that hosts large scale events in a growing number of Midwest cities

More information about IT Martini is available at http://www.itmartini.com.

About the Intelligent Community Forum

The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. The ICF seeks to share the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities in adapting to the demands of the Broadband Economy, in order to help communities everywhere find sustainable renewal and growth.

More information about the Intelligent Community Forum is available at http://www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Media Interview Contact Information: John Bishop | cofounders@itmartini.com