Every month, dozens of the region’s most talented IT specialists flock to one location for breakfast, “bytes” and deep discussions about everything from the General Data Protection Regulation to the Internet of Things.
“Breakfast Bytes” meetings are one of the many perks nonprofit IT association, The Circuit, offers its 150 member companies. Some may remember The Circuit’s founding name — The Greater Society Software Association — when it launched 20 years ago. Under today’s leadership, things look quite different.
“We started as only software, and then turned into an association for small IT companies,” said Tracy Ruberg, executive director for The Circuit. “That model didn’t work well, because it was just a bunch of competitors standing around and looking at each other. We decided to have a forum that allows members to learn from each other and connect.”
Today, The Circuit’s members vary in size and industry. Membership is open to any company with IT staff; some of the best-known members include Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport, Fifth Third Bank, Kroger and United Way Greater Cincinnati.
One of The Circuit’s most popular membership levels, the CIO Circle, gives IT executives the chance to collaborate and learn from fellow, non-vendor members. Given its popularity, Ruberg and her team are putting the final touches on a new membership segment that will launch this month.
“The new Emerging Leaders Circle is designed to be the same as the CIO circle, but for the folks one level under them,” she said. “This is a peer-to-peer sharing circle. It’s not open to service providers; our members like the 'what’s said here stays here' approach.”
Beyond the monthly Breakfast Bytes events — set to focus on IoT in September — The Circuit hosts an annual spring conference, Momentum Developer Conference, along with an annual, invite-only event for CEOs and CIOs in September. Brian Cobb, the chief innovation officer for CVG Airport, will keynote this event.
Education is a priority for The Circuit’s members, but that’s not the only reason they join. A strong community with opportunities for collaboration brings members back year after year.
“We have people who’ve actively participated in our CIO Circle for more than 10 years,” Ruberg said. “I think being able to meet up with peers to share and leverage experiences is really important for our members.”
The Circuit has three part-time staff coordinating regular events and membership opportunities. While their member gatherings take place in office buildings and event spaces throughout Cincinnati, these three work-from-home staffers have one unexpected team-meeting space: the Kenwood Mall Food Court. It may be low-frills, but this central hub is where some of The Circuit’s most important and exciting future-planning happens.
“Our long-term vision for The Circuit is to not only unite the IT community, but to make sure the IT community knows this is a great place to work,” Ruberg said. “The goal is to attract IT staff; then businesses will want to come here, stay here and grow.”
