Presented by Yaap AI
CT Business
Forward 2027
The Future of Business Starts Here.
Attendance is free and by application. Inaugural event: venue, exact date and program are being confirmed, and this page is updated as each one is settled.
- When
- April 2027exact date to be confirmed
- Where
- Greater WaterburyNaugatuck Valley, Connecticut
- Format
- Half-day conference and expo8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- The room
- 250 seats, by applicationevery one read by a person
What this is
A working morning for the people who actually run Connecticut businesses.
Owners of small and midsize companies are being asked to make decisions about artificial intelligence, security and operations faster than they can get good advice. CT Business Forward puts the questions and the people who answer them in one room, close to home, and ends before lunch.
The program combines educational sessions, live demonstrations of tools already doing real work in small companies, structured networking, and a curated exhibitor floor. No travel and no full day away from the business, which is the format a busy owner reliably attends.
This is the first CT Business Forward, built to become an annual fixture in the Valley.
Four pillars
Artificial Intelligence
Where AI earns its keep in companies of ten to a hundred people, shown not described.
Business Technology
The systems underneath a growing company, and when it is time to stop patching them.
Cybersecurity & Risk
What actually puts a small business on a breach notice, and what a defense costs.
Business Growth
Operational decisions that let a company take on more work without more chaos.
The morning
Four hours, shaped so none of them are wasted.
The full program and speaker list are announced closer to the date. The shape of the morning is already fixed.
Doors, registration and the exhibitor floor
The floor opens with the doors, so the first hour is for coffee and conversation rather than a queue.
Sessions and live demonstrations
Short, practical sessions across the four pillars, including tools demonstrated live on real business problems.
Expo and networking windows
Dedicated time on the schedule for the exhibitor floor, rather than conversations squeezed into the gaps.
Close
Finished by noon, with the afternoon still intact.
Call for speakers
The program is being built now.
We are looking for practitioners who can show something working: an owner who put AI into a real workflow, an advisor who can explain a risk in plain terms, an operator with a system worth copying. Sales presentations are not the format.
If that is you, or someone you know, write to us with a paragraph on what you would show.
Or write to [email protected] with the subject line “Speaking”.
Who gets in
The room is built, not filled.
Attendance is free, capped at 250 seats, and by application. Every application is read by a person before a seat is confirmed.
That is unusual for a regional business event, and it is the entire point. The reason owners stop going to these mornings is that the room quietly fills with people selling to them. Here the people selling are on the floor, they paid to be there, and they are outnumbered deliberately.
Approved and you have a seat at no charge. Not approved and you hear that too, with the reason.
Approved
- Owners and founders of small and midsize Connecticut companies
- Presidents, principals and general managers
- Operations, finance and technology decision makers
- Accountants, attorneys, bankers, insurers and HR advisors who serve this market and are coming to learn
Not approved
- Anyone attending in order to sell to the room. If you sell to businesses, come as a partner instead
- Delegates sent in place of the person who actually decides
- Recruiters, list builders and lead resellers
- Students and job seekers. This particular morning is built for people with budget authority
Apply
A few fields, about a minute. No account, no ticket checkout, no payment step.
We read it
A person reviews it against the standard above. You hear back either way.
Your seat is held
Approved applicants get the venue, the directions and the program as each one is confirmed.
Apply to attend
April 2027, Greater Waterbury.
Applications are read in the order they arrive. Seats are confirmed once the venue is set, and everyone hears either way.
Where
Greater Waterbury, at the center of the Valley.
The Naugatuck Valley runs south from Waterbury along the river. Route 8 and the Metro-North Waterbury Branch follow it the whole way, which is why a morning here reaches a dozen towns without asking anyone to cross the state.
The valley from north to south. Route 8 and the Metro-North Waterbury Branch run the length of it, with stations at Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby-Shelton.
The venue is being confirmed.
We are settling a venue in the Greater Waterbury area for April 2027. The announcement carries the address, parking and directions, and it goes to the update list before it goes anywhere else.
Exhibitors receive the floor plan and load-in details at the same time.
Sponsor and exhibit
Partner with Connecticut’s business community.
This is an inaugural event, so there is no attendance history to quote and no past sponsor list to show you. What there is: a vetted room, a half-day format busy owners attend, and a floor small enough that every table gets seen.
The floor is sized to the room, not the other way round.
A table only opens once approved attendance supports at least 12 owners and decision makers standing behind it. That is why there are 15 of them and not sixty. If the applications are not there, the floor gets smaller rather than thinner, and the firms already on it keep the morning they paid for.
A table is $750. Against 12 decision makers that works out to about $63 each for a morning of their attention.
Presenting Sponsor
- Recognition as Presenting Sponsor
- Premier logo placement on promotional materials
- Premium exhibitor booth
- Recognition during opening remarks
- Featured company profile in the event directory
- Six complimentary event passes
- Recognition in event-related social media posts
For the bank, lender or firm that wants its name on the morning itself.
Gold Sponsor
- Preferred exhibitor booth
- Prominent logo placement
- Recognition during the event
- Four complimentary event passes
- Company listing in the event directory
- Social media sponsor recognition
For the firm that wants a strong position on the exhibitor floor.
Community Sponsor
- Company logo on sponsor materials
- Event recognition
- Two complimentary event passes
- Company listing in the event directory
No booth included. For a smaller firm or association lending its support.
Standard Exhibitor
- One standard six-foot exhibitor table
- Two exhibitor passes
- Company listing in the event directory
- Time with attendees during the networking and expo sessions
Final table specifications and venue arrangements are confirmed by the organizer.
Founding partners are confirmed first.
Packages are confirmed in the order they are returned, and the allocations above are the whole inventory. We will send the two-page prospectus, answer questions about the floor, and hold a spot while you decide.
Or write to [email protected], or call (203) 896-4482.
Questions
The things people ask first.
Anything not answered here, write to the events inbox and we will add it to this page.
Why do I have to apply?
What does it cost to attend?
I sell to businesses. Can I come?
Is this a sales event?
How many people will be there?
When will the date and venue be confirmed?
Can I exhibit without sponsoring?
What is included with a table?
Will sessions be recorded?
Who is behind the event?
Not applying yet
Hear it first.
Date, venue and program as each one is settled. Four or five emails between now and April 2027, nothing else. If you already know you want a seat, apply instead.
This opens a message in your own mail app, addressed to the events inbox. Nothing is stored on this page.