ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Creativity and innovation will be on full display for all to enjoy this Saturday, April 23, as Imagine RIT returns in person on campus from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Rochester Institute of Technology President David Munson discussed the popular event Wednesday during our Greater Rochester Enterprise Why ROC conversation.

“Imagine RIT, our Creativity and Innovation Festival is really the University’s signature event,” said President Munson. “It’s a showcase that displays the ingenuity of our students, faculty, and staff. This is the first such event since the inception of the pandemic and it’s going to be great to be back in person, at least this will be the first in-person version.”

President Munson said there will be 272 exhibits — 150 of which are brand new.

“We’re also going to be hosting a futurists symposium with three RIT alums who are experts in the fields of technology, the arts, and design. So that will be a lot of fun. In addition, we’re going to be hosting a competition for students who are showing off the best of their work in technology, the arts, and design. We’re going to be offering $5,000 prizes to each of those categories.”

The festival is free. You can show up in person or enjoy it online.

“We are expecting about 25,000 visitors,” noted President Munson. “But it’s also possible to participate online. We’ll be streaming a lot of activities and descriptions of projects and so forth. The link for those who wish to participate online is RIT.edu/imagine. I do want to mention that we have COVID-19 protocols on campus. We are going to be asking that all attendees and participants age five and up to provide proof of vaccination in order to enter the parts of the festival that are indoors.”

Imagine RIT has opened the door of opportunity — on and off of campus.

“It’s a big energizer for the entire community,” President Munson said. “It’s just a really fun day. For RIT as an institution, it is a great mechanism for recruiting students. Sometimes there’s that youngster who may be in third or fourth grade and they really get captivated about something they see and years later we have them as a student on campus enrolled. There are also a lot of really cool ideas that get displayed and some of those actually have turned into start-up companies or different kinds of student-led ventures so there are a number of outcomes. I would also say that RIT is not just about technology. That word is in our name. But we’re also very much about the arts and merging arts with technology and so I would say that almost no matter what kind of interest a person has if you attend you’ll find a lot of things that will really catch your fancy.”

RIT is a long-time collaborator with Greater Rochester Enterprise, helping to grow the region’s economy. For more information about GRE, visit RochesterBiz.com.