Last edited 5 Oct. 2026 1731 - Covers October, November, December. Feedback welcome via LinkedIn.  

Geotags > • West | • Central | • Eastern | • Virtual or non-TN 

OCTOBER

ImagineIF's Rod Roudi

  Oct. 5-6 • SOLD OUT Bitcoin, Energy, AI are threads in Nashville's Bitcoin Park Founder Rod Roudi-led "Imagine IF" event at Fisher Event Center, Belmont University, details.

  Oct. 5 •  Public discussion of Nashville's Jefferson Street Corridor plan by HBCU students, et al. 6p-8p. Details. Background.

  Oct. 5 • Manufacturing Interest Group Happy Hour, TailGate Brewery Germantown, 5p-8p. Backed by Siemens + the Association for Advancing Automation. Details.

  Oct. 5-6 •  EXPO: Technology and Software Solutions for Vacation Rental Management Association attendees, Music City Center, details.

Oct. 6 • VC Landscape demystified, lunch and learn by Vanderbilt Center for Tech Transfer & Commercialization, featuring Brian Cashin of Teamworthy Ventures; Jonathan Sadlowe of ImageAssist; and Cameron Crain, CTTC venture acceleration manager. Campus invitees only.

Oct. 6 • Greater Nashville Private Capital Association program on building relationships with endowments, details. Speakers: Anders Hall, Bill Spitz, Michael Brakebill.

Oct. 6 • 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. Details.

Copilot

Oct. 6 • "Lessons from Inside the Pentagon: Engineering for a New Era of Technology and National Security," with Victoria Coleman, associate provost for Berkeley Air & Space Center and a professor of EE/CS at UC Berkeley. Coleman's prior experience includes being director of DARPA, USAF Chief Scientist, and more. VU community. Details.

Oct. 6-7 • Dealflows' PREDICT 2026 prediction markets event, NYC, details.

Oct. 6-8 • Security Week Cybersecurity Conference, W Hotel Nashville, details. Release.

Téa Phillips

Oct. 7 • The Biz Foundry, Cookeville, Lunch Club, speaker: Téa Phillips, inventor of the MetaFlex glove and founder of ATS Innovations, on "building the systems that let you work on your business instead of in it." Noon. Details.

Oct. 7 • theCO, Jackson, Tenn., workspace: Work here Wednesday, details.

Oct. 7 • LaunchTN SBIR/STTR funding briefing, 1pm CDT, register in advance, details. 

Oct. 7 • The Wall Street Journal's "Future of Health", Washington, D.C., registration.

Oct. 7 • (Chattanooga) Small Business Resource Center - Cohort begins for Peer learning circle hosted by Urban League of Chattanooga and the city's Small Business Resource Center, submit interest form in advance.

Oct. 7-9 • (Chattanooga) 2026 Summit of Thrive Regional Partnership, program, registration.

Oct. 7-9 • Customer Contact Week, Omni Nashville, details.

Oct. 8 •  DEADLINE for application by student entrepreneurs for America's Startup Competition awards, details, application.

Oct. 8 • Building a Bankable Business: Debunking Myths about Grants & Finding Real Funding Opportunities, Greater Memphis Chamber, hybrid. Details.

Oct. 8 • "A Conversation Ahead of the Midterm Elections on Healthcare," convened on campus by Dialogue Vanderbilt, details.

Oct. 8 • "GNTC Takes Flight" fundraiser for nonprofit Greater Nashville Technology Council Foundation, 6p-9p, details.

Oct. 8 • Crucial Conversations | After the Deal: Protecting Clinical Culture in a Private Equity Environment, Nashville Health Care Council, details.

Oct. 9 • "Innovation to Enterprise" helps members of the Vanderbilt community improve understanding of the process for moving pressure-tested innovative ideas through commercialization, via "entrepreneering," the concept by which scientific method may be applied toward evidence-based business model formation. Details. 

Oct. 10-13 • Xerox Partner Summit, Nashville. Details not published.

Oct. 12-13 • Startup Mountain Summit, Johnson City, Tenn. Details. Major Pitch event. 

Oct. 13 • Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce presents YP Nashville Summit 2026, details.

Oct. 13-15 • Neurodiversity: Neurotech Frontiers Conference, Vanderbilt University, details. Panels, live pitch competition exploring how AI, robotics, assistive technologies are shaping more inclusive future of work. Supported by Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and Janus Innovation Hub. Langford Auditorium.

Oct. 13-15 • "Business Side of Sports: Careers in the fast lane", UT Haslam College students travel to Charlotte, NC, to explore the sports industry. Details.

Oct. 14 • Event: Exploring Memphis's Advanced Manfacturing Cluster," Memphis Chamber, details here.

Oct. 14 • Knoxville Chamber Morning Momentum: two entrepreneurs share their experiences in overcoming business-growth hurdles, details.

Oct. 14-16 • Epicenter Memphis holds DelTech II, culminating with Pitch competition. More info.

Oct. 15 • "How the CIO and CISO partnership is evolving in the Age of AI," with execs from St. Judge discussing the matter, Memphis chapter Society of Information Management, 5p-8:30p. Details.

Oct. 15 • Vanderbilt Women in Business (VWIB) and Wells Fargo pro's discuss investment banking careers, and related. Details.

Oct. 16 • 2026 National Security Symposium, Sarratt Cinema, VU campus 3p-5:30p. Hosted by Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, VU. RSVP. 

Oct. 17-18 • Oracle and Hackathons International conduct event at Vanderbilt University, details.

Oct. 17-18 • Southern Festival of Books, details. Nashville.

Oct. 18-20 • Cobblestone User Conference 2026, Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown. Focus: contract life-cycle management and related AI. Details.

Oct. 18-21 • AdvaMed MedTech Conference, Boston, details.

Oct. 19 • Nashville Entrepreneur Center NEXT Awards, Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, details.

Oct. 19-21 • America's Credit Unions annual Attorneys Conference, Conrad Nashville, details.

Malcolm Gladwell

Oct. 20 • Malcolm Gladwell -- journalist, author, speaker -- joins a guest yet-to-be-disclosed for discussion of his latest book, "The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic." Event hosted by Jean & Alexander Heard Libraries, Dialogue Vanderbilt, in collaboration with Parnassus Books. Langford Auditorium. Details.

Oct. 20-24 • (Chattanooga) International Blue Grass Music Association 2026 IBMA Business Conference, details. Includes IBMA Music Awards and Blue Grass Live! festival.

Oct. 21 • Advancing Women in Nashville, Fall Executive Roundtable, featuring Wendy Timmons, sr. managing director, Ankura. Details.

Oct. 21 • AI:AF Artisans & Founders Showcase, free, 121 Tech Hub, Knoxville, details.

Oct. 21-22 • INNOVATE SUMMIT in Nashville by nonprofit Innovate Summit Inc. Details.

Oct. 20-22 • Detroit. 2026 e.Builders Forum of International Business Innovation Association, details.

Oct. 20-22 • FINTECH: MultiState User Group, for banking executives who manage Fiserv, IBM or Unisys systems and solultions, Nashville, details TBA.

Oct. 22 • (Virtual) Launch Tennessee Board Meeting (Tennessee Technology Development Corp., TTDC), 10AM CDT, zoom link here.

Oct. 22-24 • Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education (CUIBE) annual Governance Meeting, UT Knoxville. Details.

Oct. 22 • Next Wave Marketing Summit at GEODIS Stadium, Nashville. Event is produced by the Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee. UT says it is previewing this event in Nashville. It is successor to UT's "Marketing & Sales Innovation Conference." More info.

Oct. 22 • LGBTQ+ Founders Circles - sponsored by Nashville Entrepreneur Center and Tennessee Pride, details. 

Oct. 22-23 • (2 business events) Franklin, Tenn. - Women Connect Live + Create Live, details.

Oct. 23 • Content Economy's The Remix: How the world's evolving entertainment economy affects Nashville's advancement, 1:30p-4p, registration. 

Oct. 25-27 • Southeast US/Japan Association meets in Nashville. Details.

Oct. 26 • Chattanooga - Freightwaves' Future of Freight Festival Awards Dinner, including reveal of Shipper of Choice and FreightTech Award winners, details. Note: followed by Future of Freight Festival, Oct. 27-28.

Oct. 26-28 • Hot Topics Studio World Studio: Tech leadership insight, immersive experiences, Global C-Suite Awards, Country Music Hall of Fame, 11a-13pm. Details. 

Oct. 27-28 • AMAZON Business Reshape 2026. Nashville. More info.

Oct. 27 • Salute to Excellence Awards 2026, Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee, Music City Center, details.

Oct. 27-28 • 2026 Musculoskeletal New Ventures Conference, Memphis, details. 

Oct. 28 • Nashville Downtown Partnership Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon, Music City Center, details.

Oct. 28 • EPICENTER Memphis, Intro to Claude AI, 11am-1:30pm, first in series of Claude events with Vista Data, details.

Oct. 28 • Clarksville: Legends of Business: Janet Wilson, vice president for urban development for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council, addresses Austin Peay State University College of Business within "Legends of Business" speaker series. Details.

Oct. 28-29 • Summit on Higher Education Technology and cybersecurity issues. Info.

Oct. 29 • 2026 Business Perspectives conference by Doeren Mayhew, Spencer Fane, Wilson Bank & Trust at Loews Nashville Hotel. Details.

Oct. 29 • 2026 Nashville Business Hall of Fame, by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, honors Damon Hininger, former CEO and now advisor to CoreCivic, Music City Center. Details.

Oct. 29-30 • The Body Politic: symposium highlights artists, community leaders, scholars, and other civic actors whose work advances democratic ideals in and beyond Nashville. Supported by the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy in collaboration with Dialogue Vanderbilt, the James Lawson Institute, and the Program in Culture, Advocacy and Leadership. Details. Agenda.

Oct. 31 • Technology Maturation Awards - Deadline for applications for University of Tennessee Research Foundation, details. 

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1 • Startup Bootcamp, The Biz Foundry, Cookeville, cohort begins work, details.

Nov. 2-4 • AthenaHealth Thrive Summit, Nashville. Details.

Nov. 2-5 • Women's Venture Summit, San Diego, details.

Nov. 3 • VU Center for Entrepreneurship, Firestarter Pitch Competition concludes as VU Owen Graduate School of Management students pitch their ventures, competing for feedback and prizes.

Nov. 3 • U.S. General Election Day.

Nov. 3-5 • CBRNe Convergence evenet addresses emergency threat and incident response for pros in chemical, biologic, radiological nuclear, and high-yield explosives. Mayor players include Oak Ridge National Laboratory and UK-based Falcon Communications. Agenda. Registration.

Nov. 5 • Operation Stand Down's Nashville Heroes Breakfast, Music City Center, details.

Nov. 5 • Life Science Tennessee LSTCON conference, Nashville, interim info.

Nov. 5-8 • Indie Memphis Film Festival. Details.

Nov. 6 • "1776 Labs Hackathon Day" 9am-Noon, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. Details. The 1776 initiative was launched in Pennsylvania by OnGov Founder Silas Deane Jr., who grew up in the Nashville area and is an alumnus of Vanderbilt University. 

Nov. 6 • 17th Annual Haslam College of Business Alumni Awards Gala, details.

Nov. 6-8 • Startup Mountain Summit and The Pitch. Johnson City. More here.

Nov. 9-11 • ACG NY "Middle-Market Week," New York City, Assoc. for Corporate Growth, details.

Nov. 11 • U.S. Veterans Day.

Nov. 12 • (Virtual) National Venture Capital Association President & CEO Bobby Franklin addresses members-only Greater Nashville Private Capital Association, details.

Nov. 12 • The Biz Foundry, Cookeville, luncheon speaker Lisa Garcia, founder of Cleanse Wellness Spa, details. Register.

Nov. 12 • Scott Kelly's Black Dog Venture Partners hosts 2nd VC Fast Pitch in Nashville. Nashville Entrepreneur Center. 5pm. Details.

Nov. 12 • Epicenter Memphis and Society of Entrepreneurs hold "Next Big Thing" pitch competition, details. Deadline for entry was Sept. 21, 2026.

Nov. 12-13 • Hack 4 the Community - Greater Nashville Technology Council partners with local nonprofits to partner with GNTC member companies for possible assistance. Details.

Nov. 12-13 • Tennessee Bar Association 38th Annual Health Law Forum, details.

Nov. 13 • Lipscomb University, Nashville: "The Well Coffeehouse Story: Past, Present & Future," presented by The Well Co-founder Rob Touchstone, executive director of LU Center for Vocational Discovery. Details. Venue: Longview Mansion. Details.

Nov. 13-15 • Tennessee Quantum Hackathon, Chattanooga - hosted by The Company Lab (CO.LAB) in partnership with the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative (CQC) and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Details. Also here.

Nov. 14 • Big Night for the Arts, venue: Studio 615, hosted by Arts + Business Council of Greater Nashville, details. This is A+BCGN's signature fundraiser.

Nov. 15-17 • FINTECH: Kinections 2026, Omni Nashville Hotel, sponsors include FISERV, Jack Henry, et al. Details.

Nov. 15-18 • HLTH Las Vegas, details TBA.

Nov. 17 • DEADLINE Kentucky Inno asking nominations of startup companies for possible inclusion in 2027 Startups to Watch, details.

Nov. 17 • Bull City Venture Partners "Founders First" event, Durham, NC, details.

Nov. 17 • Cumberland Region Tomorrow (comprised of 10 counties) produces Power of 10 conference at Music City Center, details here. 

Nov. 17 • ITIF National Power Industry Trade-War Conference (U.S.-China face-off), in D.C., register here.

Nov. 17 • Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council "Opportunities in Energy" conference, Knoxville, details.

Nov. 17-20 • World Affairs Councils of America, 2026 National Conference, Washington, DC. (Related: Tennessee WAC). Details. 

Nov. 18 • [Live] Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security conducts "Convening in the Capital: Autonomy at Scale," in Washington, D.C. Details.

Nov. 18 • NEXT LEVEL Women's Conference 2026, sponsored by Amazon, Belmont University, First Horizon, details.

Nov. 18 • Country Music Association, 60th CMA Awards, Bridgestone Arena, ABC Network, 7 CDT, details.

Nov. 19 •  Knoxville UT Research Park-based Spark Accelerator Cohort 5 concludes, details. 

Nov. 19 • Hack for Nonprofits, 121 Tech Hub, Knoxville, details.

Nov. 19 • AI for Marketing, workshop, The CO, Jackson, Tenn., 5pm Central. Details.

Nov. 19-21 • City Summit 2026: National League of Cities, registration. Music City Center, Omni Nashville, details. (Exec. workshops precede Nov. 18)

Nov. 20 • Lipscomb University and Colorado-based BoodleBox (a dba for Boodle Inc.) partner for "Campus AI Summit," Details.  

Nov. 20-21 • WriterFest, Belmont Universitiy, details.

Nov. 26 • Thanksgiving. 

DECEMBER

Dec. 1-3 • Docks EXPO and Marina Conference, Music City Center. Details.

Dec. 3 • Nashville Entrepreneur Day, Accelerator teams report, venue TBD. Details.

Dec. 8 • TheCO, Jackson, Tenn., Mini-Strategy Workshop, 5:30pm. Details.

Dec. 9-11 • "Edge" conference focuses on virtual care policy environment, American Telehealth Association (ATA), Watergate Hotel, Washington, D.C., details.

Dec. 10 • Zero To 510 Demo Day, Epimemphis, Fedex Event Center, Memphis, 5:30pm. Details.

Dec. 28 • International Conference on Business Law & Economics, details. Nashville. Organized by the Canadian Association for Scientific Research and Publication, details.

FOR THE RECORD Earlier October '26 events prior to Oct. 5 captured in this Calendar cycle:

Oct. 1 • Emerging Tech Expo, State of Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration, in the TN Tower. Invitation only due to space limitations. Details.

Oct. 1 • Logistics Innovation Showcase, Epicenter Memphis, registration. Related Logistics Challenges info.

Oct. 1 • EPB Chattanooga convenes "Quantum in Business (QiB26), Chattanooga, details.

Oct. 1 • Nashville Health Care Council "Women connect," details.

Oct. 2 • BrainTrust LIVE, off-record conference for women executives, Music City Center, resources, registration, background.

Oct. 1-2 • Gov. Bill Lee's GOVCON annual conference, Chattanooga Convention Center, details TBA.

Oct. 2-3 • Global Free Speech 3rd Summit by Future of Free Speech and Dialogue Vanderbilt, registration. 

Oct. 4-7 • NCQA Health Innovation Summit, Atlanta, details.

Previous VNC Calendars here. All VNC news coverage here. VNC

.last edited 5 Oct. 2026 1730