See You at TENWEST!

Anyone who has talked to me in even a vaguely professional setting for the past couple of years has heard me rave about Startup Tucson and their annual conference, TENWEST. As a second-career entrepreneur and a creative with more brain space used for color palettes than business administrivia, Startup Tucson and all of their activities have been crucial for my professional journey.

Maybe you talked to me at a fair about your own art journey and other side hustle, and I preached a bit of the TENWEST gospel. Or perhaps you talked about how your new in town or just otherwise feeling disconnected to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, and I shared all the links to Startup Tucson.

Well, here's some more. TENWEST 2026 kicks off on Tuesday, March 24, and carries on through social events through Sunday, March 29. With everything from full access insider passes to day passes, you've got all kinds of ways to join in the fun. You can share some extra professional hype my way by signing up through my referral link (make sure my referral code 829ec sticks in the little referral box).

What do I get from this referral? Materially, points toward a drawing for a free ticket to TENWEST 2027, which would definitely be great. But what really drives me? The chance to get you started on your own side-hustle-to-day-job journey and keep Tucson's small business culture thriving.

Beyond all the great talks and social mixers, the conference is hosted throughout Downtown Tucson. I am no stranger to professional gatherings that swarm over a dedicated conference center, gobbling up ballrooms and smaller venues and spilling into hallways and vestibules and so on. TENWEST takes over Downtown Tucson's various venues and assorted spaces that, in the evening, morph back into their original form.

I'm looking forward to this conference, and I hope I'll see you there!