CodeStock is back — and Knoxville’s tech community showed up in force
After closing for a couple of years, Codestock returned to Knoxville, greeted by more than 500 registrants for the annual developers conference.
After a four-year hiatus, CodeStock returned to the Knoxville Convention Center on Thursday, and the turnout made a statement.
More than 520 people registered for the two-day event, blowing past organizers’ original goal of 400 attendees and signaling that demand for a dedicated regional tech conference in East Tennessee is as strong as ever.
Day 1 of CodeStock 2026 brought together developers, IT professionals, innovators, and technicians from across the region for the first of more than 100 sessions spread across the two-day conference. The event runs through April 10.
A conference built by the community, for the community
CodeStock has always operated a little differently than your typical industry trade show. According to the organizers, there are no vendor pitches dressed up as keynotes. Instead, the conference is a grassroots effort of working professionals who share knowledge and hard-won experience with their peers. Speakers are challenged to educate, inspire, and connect their audience within a 60-minute window, covering topics ranging from artificial intelligence and software architecture to career development and emerging technologies.
Michael Neel originally founded the conference, which the organization has carried forward in recent years by a board of volunteers, including Don ‘Denny’ Uyl. The idea first took shape in 2007, then came to life in 2008. CodeStock has now been serving the technology community for 15 years.
Why this matters for Knoxville
The Knoxville Chamber has taken an active role in CodeStock’s return, with Amanda O’Dell, the Chamber’s vice president of investor development and experience, also serving as the conference’s marketing and community outreach director. For the Chamber, the alignment is strategic.
CodeStock is directly tied to the Chamber’s 2030 Protocol, which is focused on building a computing-centered economic environment in the Knoxville area ahead of the next industrial wave. The numbers make the case: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 377,500 computer and IT job openings annually, with a median wage of $100,530, which is more than double Knox County’s current median annual wage of $47,900 across all occupations.
Historically, more than half of CodeStock’s attendees travel to Knoxville from out of state, which is a meaningful economic draw for the city. Statistics on out-of-state percentages for this year’s event are not yet available.
Sponsors for the 2026 conference include Premier Staffing Partners, AI TECHX, Clayton Homes, Pilot Company, Segra Solutions, Zelvin, and Vaco, among others.
The conference continues April 10 at the Knoxville Convention Center. For session details and the full schedule, visit codestock.org.
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