Yesterday, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events opened up pre-registration for its new Lake FX Summit + Expo, a four-day conference for artists, creative professionals and entrepreneurs. Presented by Google, the panels, keynotes, workshops and showcases that make up the Lake FX's free programming are an attempt to unify past city-presented events like the Chicago Music Summit and the Chicago Film and Media Summit. The summit takes place April 16–19 and anyone interested in attending can register for free access to the various events.
Lake FX's programming is split into five tracks, focusing on the music, film, culinary, fashion and visual/performing arts industries. Notable guests include Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, Skywalker Sound engineer Leslie Anne Jones, Frontera chef Rick Bayless and Kickstarter founder Charles Adler. Additionally, the city has partnered with CIMMfest and The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter to present showcases of local musicians and artists at venues throughout the city. You can see a full list of programming and event at the Lake FX website.