The 13th annual Forward Festival will take place Aug. 15-19, with a new condensed format, at various locations in the Madison area.

The festival features approximately 30 events over five days instead of eight that are designed to inspire collaboration in Madison’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“As a festival, we pride ourselves on being people-focused,” Hilary Stohs-Krause, festival board member and co-owner of Ten Forward Consulting, said in a statement. “After doing research and getting attendees’ feedback, we decided to change the format of the festival. We hope participants and speakers will appreciate how the new schedule better aligns with the workweek.”

This year, DevFest WI is replacing the Forward Tech Conference as the flagship event of the festival. Organized by women, the conference lineup centers on a variety of topics related to inclusivity in the tech industry.

Meanwhile, staples such as the Badger Startup Summit (Aug. 15), Pressure Chamber (Aug. 16) and Doyenne’s 5x5x5 (Aug. 17), are returning.

The festival also is venturing into new areas such as manufacturing (“Entrepreneurial Thinking In Manufacturing” on Aug. 18) and sports (“Innovation in Soccer Technologies” on Aug. 19).

As in years past, the festival will conclude with the Rooftop Social, hosted by Capital Entrepreneurs, on Aug. 19 at the U.S. Bank Building.