GigaZone Gaming Championship & TechXpo Set for April 22

(Bemidji, MN) (January 4, 2023) – The GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo with special guest Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak, a Paul Bunyan Communications Event, is set for Saturday, April 22 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. The event will feature free gaming on various console and arcade games, numerous tournaments, door prizes, and a new TechXpo that will showcase different ways the latest technology is being utilized in northern Minnesota. All the fun is free.

"We are very excited to bring back the GigaZone Gaming Championship. Our last in-person event in 2019 drew over 4,000, so this year, we're taking over the entire Sanford Center and adding the TechXpo, which will give businesses and schools a chance to demonstrate their use of technology innovation to thousands of potential students, customers, and employees. To top it off, the pioneer of personal computer technology, Woz, will be here. It is going to be an amazing day." said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General manager

The GigaZone Gaming Championship will feature various gaming tournaments, the specific games/tournaments will be determined by March 1. Registration for all tournaments will start at the Sanford Center the morning of the event, April 22 at 10 a.m. and go until full. There is no cost to enter the tournaments.

The GigaZone TechXpo is a new part of the event with the mission to spark excitement and create opportunities with technology by connecting students, job seekers, employers, educators, and technology enthusiasts from northern Minnesota. The TechXpo will expose a growing regional audience to technology innovation and help them realize their potential to leverage their technical skills and enthusiasm into successful careers in northern Minnesota. Start-ups and companies creatively leveraging technology will be able to demonstrate their innovation to a large group of tech-savvy potential employees. Educators and educational institutions can have their tech-oriented students show off projects and promote the technology training programs they have to offer. There is no cost to be an exhibitor but space is limited, and the exhibit must display innovative use of technology. To apply to be an exhibitor, visit http://www.gigazonetechxpo.com Application deadline is March 1.

This one-of-a-kind event showcases Paul Bunyan Communications' IT and web development team, which custom-built and integrated much of the online technology being used and leverages the speed of the GigaZone, one of the largest rural all-fiber optic Gigabit networks in the country. The entire gaming event is run off a single residential GigaZone Internet connection.

"Our cooperative continues to expand one of the largest rural fiber gigabit networks in the country, and that brings many advantages to our members. The GigaZone provides extreme speed and low latency, which are critical for the best online gaming experience, and the GigaZone Gaming Championship showcases just that," added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Technology Experience Manager.

"There is no other gaming event like it anywhere I've seen, and the new TechXpo is going to be super cool. I don't think people realize just how innovative our schools and businesses are and how they implement the latest technology to their advantage. It is going to be fun to see that on display with the gaming fun all around," added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes the talents of many local partners, including NLFX, Accidently Cool Games, Northern Amusement, and the Sanford Center, and support from several regional and national partners.

For more information on the GigaZone Gaming Championship, visit http://www.gigazonegaming.com.

Paul Bunyan Communications has one of the largest and fastest rural all-fiber optic networks in the United States, with over 6,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties. The Cooperative provides GigaZone Internet with speeds up to 10 Gig, digital and high-definition television services, digital voice services, and Residential and Business IT services. It is also northern Minnesota's certified Apple Service Center.

https://paulbunyan.net/gigazone-gaming-championship-apply-to-be-a-techxpo-exhibitor-by-march-1/

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Show your technology to thousands of potential customers, students, and employees!

The fi rst of its kind GigaZone TechXpo, a Paul Bunyan Communications Event, will be Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, MN.

• Does your college off er innovative use of technology in degrees or programs you off er?

• Does your company use technology in a unique or innovative way?

If so, we would like to invite you to consider applying to be an exhibitor. The GigaZone TechXpo is FREE to the public and it is FREE for exhibitors as well!

The mission of the GigaZone TechXpo is to spark excitement and create opportunities with technology by connecting students and job seekers with employers, educators and technology enthusiasts from across northern Minnesota.

The event leverages the success of, and will be held concurrently with, the GigaZone Gaming Championship, an arena-style e-gaming competition produced by Paul Bunyan Communications which attracted more than 4,000 gamers to the last annual event. Info at http://www.gigazonegaming.com

The TechXpo will allow businesses that are creatively leveraging technology the opportunity to demonstrate their innovations to a large group of tech-savvy, potential employees. Educators and educational institutions can have their tech-oriented students show off projects and promote technology training programs they off er to their students.

If you are interested in being considered as an exhibitor where you can display your leading edge technology in front of thousands of potential students/customers/employees, please fi ll out the application online at http://www.gigazonetechxpo.com. Applications are due by March 1, 2023. Not all applicants will be selected, there is limited space available, and the applicant

must display their innovative use of technology. You will be notifi ed by March 15, 2023 if you are chosen to be an exhibitor.