01
The Workforce and the Skills Gap
More than half of Florida's manufacturing workforce is 45 or older.3 78% of manufacturers nationally report active labor shortages.4 What's Tampa Bay's real plan?
The Sapphire · 4410 W Boy Scout Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607
Six panels. Two workshops where you walk away with a tool, a framework, or a decision made. One room where Tampa Bay's most senior manufacturing leaders, across aerospace, medical device, marine, and manufacturing, sit together and get to work.
leave with something you can use the next day
Date
October 22, 2026
Time
8 AM – 6 PM
Location
The Sapphire, Tampa FL
Audience
C-Suite & Senior Manufacturing Leaders
Tickets from
$99 Early Bird
Aerospace, medical device, marine, and manufacturing rarely sit in the same room. That collision is the point. Manufacturing Day is a curated full-day summit built for senior leaders, panels that name real problems, workshops where you leave with something usable, and conversations that don't happen at a tradeshow.
The gap we're filling
"We don't have the ecosystem to support manufacturing."
, Craig Richard, President & CEO, Tampa Bay EDC
Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, June 2026 →
Richard's assessment is backed by the numbers: only 12% of manufacturing prospects that show interest in Tampa Bay ultimately choose the region2, compared to a 24% close rate across other industries. This day starts closing that gap.
Sponsors
the structure is the message
More than half of Florida's manufacturing workforce is 45 or older.3 78% of manufacturers nationally report active labor shortages.4 What's Tampa Bay's real plan?
62% of frontline workers are skeptical of AI. 45% of failed AI initiatives trace back to excluding frontline leaders from the design.5 How do you actually get buy-in?
Nearly 45% of manufacturers are pursuing reshoring.6 Tariff regimes are moving faster than supply chain contracts can absorb. Building for uncertainty isn't a strategy, it's the only option.
Tampa Bay closes manufacturing prospects at half the rate of other industries.2 Workforce pipelines, incubation space, and education pathways are the gap. What happens next?
Manufacturing has passed the tipping point. Data analytics and machine-to-machine communication are no longer optional. Who's leading the implementation on the ground?
Aerospace. Medical device. Marine. Advanced manufacturing. Florida leads nationally in boat building and ranks second in medical devices.1 These sectors rarely sit in the same room. That's the point.
The workforce clock
Florida TaxWatch cites October 2025 testimony from Florida's Secretary of Commerce, and notes that in Tampa specifically, only about 10% of workers entering the trades are between 19 and 24 years old.
Tampa Bay, named on record
"About 25% of the manufacturing workforce are 55 years and older. So, they will be retiring, and in the next 10 years there will be many openings."
, Beth Galic, President, Bay Area Manufacturers Association
FOX 13 Tampa Bay, May 14, 2026 →
The statewide picture and a named Tampa Bay voice saying the same thing independently, that combination is stronger than either number alone.
This event is curated by seniority, not sector. We keep the industry mix wide, the collision is what makes it valuable. We keep the seniority floor high, the conversation is what makes it worth your day.
CEO · COO · President · Owner · VP of Operations · Plant Manager · CHRO · CTO · VP of Digital Transformation · VP of Supply Chain
Not a ticket purchase
Request ConsiderationPricing & Fees
All prices are all-in, no processing fees or service charges added at checkout. Early Bird pricing locks at $99 GA / $297 VIP through August 31. Standard pricing applies from September 1.
Seat Limits
General Admission is capped at venue capacity. VIP is limited to a fixed number of reserved seats, when they're gone, they're gone. Executive Roundtable seats are invitation-only and are never available for purchase.
VIP Seating
VIP ticket holders are assigned to the reserved section at the front of each session room and are seated before general doors open. At lunch, VIP access includes the separate roundtable setup, not the general lunch floor.
Lunch & Reception
Lunch is included for VIP ticket holders only, GA attendees are on their own during the 90-minute lunch break. The Close + Networking Reception (4–6 PM) is included for all registered attendees regardless of tier. No separate RSVP required for either.
Refunds & Transfers
Full refunds are available through October 1, 2026. After that date, tickets are non-refundable but fully transferable to a colleague through October 15. To initiate a transfer or refund, email hyloinno@gmail.com. No-shows are not refunded.
This is a conversation event, not a tradeshow. There are no booths. Sponsorship means your organization has a presence in the program, not a table in a hallway.
Content Participation
Panel involvement, curated speaking positions, and session ownership. Your organization contributes to the conversation, not just the acknowledgment that opens it.
Hosted Roundtables
Anchor a curated lunch roundtable or workshop-adjacent session. Your team sits at the table, not outside it.
Curated Introductions
Pre-event access to attendee profiles, warm introductions from the HyLo team, and structured post-event follow-through with the specific companies that matter to your business.
Content Visibility
Featured in HyLo Inno pre- and post-event coverage, program recognition, and distribution through the Tampa Bay: Tech, Beats & Bytes audience. No cold-logo placements.
Presented by
Hyper Local Innovation Investments · Tampa Bay, Florida
Statistics current as of July 2026. Fast-moving numbers, AI adoption rates, tariff policy, will be refreshed closer to the event date.