Photos: ARtechBBQ party gets the beer cheese flowing with a salted pretzel tech twist
November 4, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Sweater weather returned Friday night alongside Kansas City’s premiere after-hours celebration of tech, and ARtechBBQ organizer Greg Kratofil couldn’t have been happier, he said.
Greg Kratofil, Polsinelli, and Michael Graber, RSM, speak from the stage during the ARtechBBQ; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“How about this being back in the fall?” Kratofil asked a crowd of well-fed revelers at the party within the party on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. ARtechBBQ — now in its 13th year — coincides with the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
“I’ve got hot chocolate right now,” added the Polsinelli shareholder, chair of the technology transactions and data privacy practice, and co-office managing partner for the law firm’s Kansas City office. “Beats the hell out of 95 degrees.”
The ARtechBBQ — presented by Polsinelli, RSM, SecurIT360, NextEra Energy Resources, Sailes, Rack Coach, and the KC Tech Council — brought together hundreds from the tech community at what Kratofil calls the closest thing that Kansas City has to Mardi Gras.
Click here to read more about the history of the ARtechBBQ.
Check out a brief event photo gallery below, then keep reading.
Members of the party band Lost Wax perform during the 2024 ARtechBBQ; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“There’s a lot of exciting things going on in Kansas City right now, especially around our tech community,” Kratofil said.
“We’ve been a sponsor and have been investing in the tech community for a long time,” added Michael Graber, RSM partner and blockchain lead, joining Kratofil in front of the ARtechBBQ crowd. “We just love being out here and being part of this.”
With this year’s event moving deeper into the fall schedule, it featured an Oktoberfest theme, complete with bratwurst, a biergarten, pretzel bites with beer cheese, and string lights. Of course, no ARtechBBQ would be complete with smoked meats, so brisket and pulled pork was also on the menu.
Attendees also enjoyed live music from local party band Lost Wax.
Startland News served as the event’s media sponsor.
Check out a photo gallery below by Startland News reporters Taylor Wilmore and Nikki Overfelt Chifalu from the ARtechBBQ below.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Bottom line, their ‘Grief Forecast’ calculates how much ignoring employees’ loss will cost a company
An Overland Park-based HRtech startup has added new tools to its B2B software platform that equips corporate leaders with the necessary knowledge to support grieving employees. This summer, Workplace Healing launched its Grief Forecast, a free resource that calculates how much a company will lose from its annual bottom line by not properly supporting employees…
Sunflower fest opens at KC Wine Co as popular pumpkin patch grows into year-round destination
Transforming from a Jurassic farm to a winter wonderland, the green thumbs at KC Pumpkin Patch have grown their niche as a year-round destination in rural southwest Johnson County. Next set to bloom: a sunflower-rich selfie oasis on the prairie (with wine). “We loved having folks come for the fall [pumpkin patch] season, but people…
Hemp could be the next superfood: How one state-backed company is connecting farmers to retailers now
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. AUGUSTA, Kansas — A Kansas company specializing in agricultural and industrial hemp hopes that a collaborative, educational approach in a burgeoning industry will benefit farmers, the environment, and end users…
17-year-old social entrepreneur among finalists tapped for healthtech pilot competition
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WICHITA — A Kansas teenager’s telemedicine nonprofit was selected as one of nine finalists for a local health tech startup competition — the only Sunflower State venture chosen for the…