On Friday, July 31, TCCP’s TechNet series headed outdoors for a special summer edition as Central PA’s tech community gathered at Cedars Grove in Harrisburg for PICNIC in the Park, our celebration of SysAdmin Day!

A huge thank you to our event sponsor, Comcast Business, for making this special TechNet possible and for their continued support of TCCP and the technology community across Central PA. Their partnership helps create opportunities for technology professionals to connect, build relationships and strengthen our regional tech ecosystem.

And this TechNet looked a little different than usual. Instead of gathering inside, we spent the afternoon enjoying the park, catching up with familiar faces, making new connections and celebrating the technology professionals who spend their days keeping systems, networks and organizations running.

Of course, no summer picnic is complete without some seriously good food. Soul Lotta Empanadas and Hecker’s Handhelds kept everyone well fed while Wolf Brewing Co. provided beverages throughout the afternoon.

There were yard games. There were s’mores. There was plenty of networking. And yes, apparently the secret ingredient to professional networking really might be marshmallows! But underneath all the summer fun was exactly what TechNet has always been about: connection and community.

Strong tech ecosystems aren’t built in isolation. They’re built through relationships. They’re built when people from different companies, industries, backgrounds and career stages come together to share ideas, support one another, collaborate on challenges and create opportunities that wouldn’t happen otherwise.

Those connections don’t always have to happen in a conference room, either. Sometimes they happen over an empanada. Sometimes they happen during a yard game. And sometimes they happen while debating the proper level of toastiness for a marshmallow.

PICNIC in the Park was a wonderful reminder that creating space for people to simply spend time together matters.

Congratulations to Priyadharshini Rajmohan of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, who took home the raffle prize, a gift card to the TCCP webstore! We’re officially requesting a selfie from Priyadharshini once the prize arrives. No pressure…but also definitely pressure!

The good news? More TechNets are coming your way and we’d love to see you at an upcoming event.

Whether you’re a longtime member of Central PA’s tech community or looking to make your very first connection, TechNet is designed to be welcoming, engaging and community-focused for everyone.

Check out upcoming TechNet events and register to join us at: https://www.tccp.org/technet-2/

We hope to see you at the next one!