A wave of technology hit Weber State University on Wednesday afternoon.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Tech Expo was held at the Shepherd Union building. Many students and faculty were able to visit over 30 vendors.

Cassandra Carlisi, a student in her first year at Weber State University didn’t know about the expo, but really enjoyed her experience there.

“I was a little bit surprised, but it’s really cool,” Carlisi said.

The technology ranged from headphones to digital canvasses.

Taw Naylor, an employee at  Wildcat Tech in the bookstore said that the Tech Expo gets to show that Weber State University is leaps and bounds ahead of most schools in Utah in technology.

With partnerships at Skullcandy and Apple, Weber State University was able to have an Apple-certified store built downtown.

Naylor believes that the technological opportunity Weber State University offers shows that it is not just a commuter school, and that we are ahead in certain areas.

Blake Duffin, who has been a vendor at the expo since the beginning, said he thought it was cool to see it mature from a tiny event to a big product.

Duffin said the next big thing coming up is wearable technology. Duffin works from a company called Petra based in Oklahoma, but he works in Ogden.

A Tech Expo veteran, Josh LaVitry has loved going to the expo since 2009 when he first came to Weber State University.

LaVitry is a fan of the free stuff he accumulated at the expo.

“This is where I restock on all my pens,” he said.

The expo also offers deals to students, faculty and staff that drop by the expo.

To the students who weren’t able to attend the expo, LaVitry said, “You missed out. There is so much knowledge that is free here, knowing what’s out there is half the battle.”

Brian Hoshie was a vendor for his first time at the expo. Hoshie works a company called Wacom and was excited to show what they have to offer. Wacom has a device called the Cintiq. The device allows you to draw directly onto the computer.

“It’s a more natural way of creating art, it’s like a digital canvas,” Hoshie said.

Many of the vendors feel that they offer a lot more personal and reasonable prices that generic big name stores don’t have and with much more advanced technology.

Having been a vendor for three years, Terry Bieler feels that the student participation has grown a lot.

“They are very engaging which is great,” Bieler said.

Tyler Cahoon, who first organized the Tech Expo is proud of the progress it has made. Starting at only at two or three vendors the expo has now grown to approximately 35 to 40 vendors each year.

Students are encouraged to give feedback on their thoughts about the expo. Feedback could help determine what students see for the next tech expo, as well as who they would want the keynote speaker to be.

Those involved with the expo now start to look forward to next year and what big name vendors can come.