Charleston Defense Contractors Association to host 14th Annual CDCA Defense Summit Dec. 7-9 at Charleston Area Convention Center
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Less than one month remains until the Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) is scheduled to host their 14th Annual CDCA Defense Summit at the Charleston Area Convention Center Dec. 7-9.
The three-day event, which expects to host more than 1,400 attendees, is designed to bring together government, academia, business and military leadership to discuss ideas, innovation and solutions to current and future national defense challenges.
Some of the topics of focus at this year’s event include unmanned systems, national defense strategy, cyber hardening, and more.
One of the largest defense conferences in the Southeast, the CDCA Defense Summit will feature nearly 100 vendors and exhibitors, including Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, SAIC, Red Hat and more at the 77,000-square-foot exhibit hall located at 5000 Coliseum Dr.
“We are so excited to finally be back and in-person for this year’s event,” said CDCA President April Nadeau, who expects this year’s summit to have record-breaking attendance. “This conference brings together some of the brightest minds in the national defense space, and we thank each and every one of our sponsors, vendors and attendees for making it possible.”
Among the long list of accomplished speakers at this year’s summit is Rear Adm. Douglas Small, Commander of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, and Rear Admiral Kevin Lunday, Deputy for Material Readiness of the U.S. Coast Guard. The two are some of the many key leaders who are scheduled to attend and speak.
In addition to exhibit demonstrations, keynote addresses and high-energy technology exchanges, the 2021 CDCA Defense Summit plans to host the presentation portion of the Palmetto Tech Bridge Prize Challenge, as well as the CDCA Summit 2021 Innovation Pitch Jam. The two competitions of innovation feature pre-chosen participants who will propose their avant-garde concepts addressing issues and challenges surrounding national security.
At the conclusion of all oral presentations, a government judging panel will determine the Prize Challenge winner for each category. Additionally, Defense Summit attendees will vote for the winner of the People’s Choice Award for both the Innovation Pitch Jam Event and each category of the Palmetto Tech Bridge Prize Challenge.
The Prize Challenge winners will be announced on the third day of the Defense Summit and presented with $15,000 in cash prizes and concessions.
The annual conference has hosted influential speakers and attendees in years past, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Tim Scott, Rear Adm. Christian Becker, Lt. Gen. William Bender, Lt. Gen. Dennis Crall and more.
For registration details, summit schedule, sponsors and vendors, and other pertinent event information, visit www.charlestondca.org/cdca-summit-14.
Members of the media looking to register for media credentials can do so at www.charlestondca.org/media-registration.
About CDCA
The Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) supports the defense community in the Charleston metro area, South Carolina and the Southeast U.S. The CDCA advocates defense issues with the community and represents its members with the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC), Atlantic, Coast Guard and other Government agencies in the area and surrounding regions. The CDCA also provides input on issues and initiatives to the broader community in such areas as education, small business mentoring and congressional affairs. To learn more about CDCA or to join, visit: https://www.charlestondca.org/join-us-overview.
