Area companies and their successes through innovation will be highlighted Oct. 20 in a public event hosted Oct. 20 by LaunchPad Inland Northwest.

The sponsored event will start at 3 p.m. at the Meadowwood Technology Campus in Liberty Lake. The event will include a speaker’s panel and breakout sessions afterword, said Bill Kalivas, co-founder of LaunchPad INW.

The evening winds down with a trade show and networking from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

 Rebecca Lovell, chief business officer for GeekWire, will discuss Seattle’s globally competitive technology community.

 The event is free for LaunchPad paid members, $25 for others ($5 for college students). Registration can be made at Launchpadinw.com.

LaunchPad INW and Leadership Spokane are co-sponsoring a Tuesday afternoon session as part of an ongoing effort to nurture and support young professionals.

The free event will include a keynote by Tyler Lafferty, founder of the Spokane companies Seven2 and 14Four. The two digital media companies provide marketing and agency work for clients across the area and the country.

The session starts at 4 p.m. at LaunchPad’s Spokane office at 120 N. Stevens. For more information, go to LaunchPadINW.com.  

The ongoing series is called Next Generation Leaders, and has the objective of nurturing and encouraging area young professionals to work together and develop personal and business relationships.