Science, comedy and country music: Notre Dame's IDEA Week kicks off Monday

SOUTH BEND — The second annual IDEA Week will begin on Monday, featuring speakers and performers that include television personality Bill Nye the Science Guy, comedian Ali Wong and country music artist Tim McGraw.

The seven-day festival was founded by the University of Notre Dame as a way to celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation in the South Bend-Elkhart region.

This year, changes to the format mean each day will have a tailored focus, ranging from advanced manufacturing to blockchain technology, with sessions including competitions, lectures, networking opportunities and entertainment events.

Pre-registration for the week and specific events is open online, at ideaweek.com. Pre-registered attendees will be able to reserve a spot at different sessions and get preferred seating.

According to Nick Swisher, executive director for IDEA Week, spots are full for the Bill Nye the Science Guy event and some other lecture and panel sessions throughout the week.

“So far registrations are more than 50 percent higher than they were last year,” Swisher said. “We didn’t know where we were going to be with those in the second year, we had estimated about a 20 percent increase.”

Attendees who pre-register will be able to pick up their packets and badge on Friday at Notre Dame’s Innovation Park.

As far as the entertainment events, tickets are sold out for the Tim McGraw concert on April 13. But tickets are still available for Tuesday’s magic show by Michael Carbonaro, Wednesday’s Elkhart show with country music star and American Idol alum Scotty McCreery, and Thursday’s stand-up comedy show with Ali Wong, all at the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend.

“All three of those should be sold out or close to sold out (by the end of this week),” Swisher said Monday.

According to event organizers, more than 5,000 people are already registered for IDEA Week and more than 14,000 people are expected to attend just the four entertainment events.

The week’s 60 different sessions will include more than 110 different speakers and panelists.

Find out more about the schedule of events at ideaweek.com.