Prince George’s County is preparing to welcome the Quantum World Congress to College Park for the first time, bringing thousands of industry leaders, researchers, companies and innovators to a community that is increasingly becoming a center of the global quantum economy.
As reported by Mark R. Smith of The Business Monthly, the three-day Quantum World Congress begins September 23 at The Hotel at the University of Maryland after previously being held in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Organizers expect the College Park event to be the best-attended Congress to date, with attendance running approximately 50% ahead of last year’s event, which drew just under 2,000 attendees. The exhibition floor, featuring approximately 50 exhibitors, is also sold out.
The move to Prince George’s County places the conference directly within an ecosystem that has played a significant role in quantum technology’s development. The University of Maryland, federal research institutions and a growing concentration of private-sector companies have helped establish the College Park area as a hub for research, commercialization and entrepreneurship.
That ecosystem includes College Park-based IonQ, as well as Microsoft, which has established a quantum research and development center in the Discovery District. The Business Monthly also highlights the Quantum Startup Foundry as part of the infrastructure available to smaller companies and startups seeking to establish and grow their operations in the area.
For Prince George’s County, hosting the Congress creates an opportunity that extends beyond the event itself. Companies and attendees from more than two dozen countries are expected to participate, giving the County an international platform to showcase its research capabilities, workforce, institutions and business environment to organizations actively looking for connections and opportunities within the quantum industry.
That visibility can translate into longer-term economic opportunities. As quantum companies move from research toward commercialization, proximity to universities, federal agencies, laboratories, talent and other technology companies becomes increasingly valuable. Prince George’s County brings those assets together within a growing innovation corridor.
The Congress also creates immediate opportunities for the local economy as thousands of attendees travel to College Park, supporting hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and other businesses while engaging with the County’s broader innovation community.
The bigger opportunity, however, is positioning Prince George’s County as a place where quantum companies can remain after the conference ends. With established industry players, startups, research institutions and additional companies reportedly in the pipeline for the Discovery District, the County has an opportunity to turn increased global attention into business attraction, investment and job creation.
Read the original reporting: The Business Monthly — “For Quantum World Congress, first year in Maryland marks jump forward”