Cork Tech Summit returns, 9th May 2019

When and where is it on?

Thursday 9th May 2019 at 7:30 AM in the prestigious Cork City Hall

How many years has it been going?

This is the 8th year of Tech Summit

What was the inspiration to create it?

Tech Summit was created in response to feedback from it@cork members who were looking for a focussed conference in region which would demonstrate the latest trends in technology, and give attendees the opportunity to network with like-minded people in a single location.

The event has been going from strength to strength each year – attracting hundreds of IT and business professionals and enthusiasts as well as top-class speakers from all over the world. Attendees include developers, UX designers, CTO’s, CIO’s, product managers, project managers, Directors and a myriad of people from the broader tech community.

The growth we have experienced in this event year on year has been in line with the membership of the it@cork technology cluster.

Through the platform we’ve built here at Tech Summit, we’ve really shown where Cork is at in terms of its capacity, capability and strengths as an important Tech hub, both in an Irish and international context.

What exciting things can people look forward to?

This year, Tech Summit will see more technologies and more delegates than ever travel from all over the country to listen to best-in-class speakers, get up close and personal with new technologies and network with industry peers.

We are opening up the format even further this year, with the introduction of interactive panels from our keynote speakers as well as ‘deep-dive’ workshop sessions throughout the day, which will tackle areas such as cyber-crime, e-waste and the circular economy, GDPR, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and human resource challenges. We’re also introducing our ‘Skill Hub’ area for 2019, which will host Q&A sessions on all things Tech, from collaborative working to communication, training and management.

Themes that will be explored at the event include:

Cyber-crime: Some say we are living in an era of cyber insecurity more than cyber-security. The costs of cyber-crime, ransomware attacks and data breaches are only going in one direction – up! It’s no longer a questions of “if” but “when” you or your organisation will come face-to-face with these real threats.
Talent: With the Irish economy on target for 7.5% full year growth in 2019 and approaching levels of full employment, business’s ability to scale and attract/retain top talent is a major challenge. With advancements in Robotics and AI, and the challenges around infrastructure and accommodation, our talent needs and demands are changing. Through this theme we explore ways in which we can become more creative in solving these challenges together.
Diversity: “I’m not different from you, I’m different like you”. Embracing diversity is a strategic business imperative and creating an inclusive culture are not just words on a page, it takes real action to yield real rewards.
The Circular Economy – 50m tonnes of electronic waste is produced each year with 1/5 of it being disposed of correctly. Is your businesses disposing of its end-of-life equipment in a compliant and ethically responsible way, with full traceability? There are both legal and social obligations here at an individual and collective level.

What opportunities are on offer for those attending?

Along with our incredible line-up of speakers on stage this year, it@cork Skillnet will be hosting a ‘skills hub’ in the Millennium Hall breakout area. Steering group members from it@cork Skillnet will be on hand to chat about all things Tech, as well as answer any training queries attendees might have. Antonio Santos of Atos, a global leader in digital services, will hold a lunchtime QA session where he will interview Paul Gerrard of Gerrard Consulting on ‘The importance of diverse skillsets and collaboration in teams to deliver quality software products and projects’.

We will also be hosting an interactive session in which we will give attendees a live demo on social hacking trends and methods to protect yourself and your company against the growing threat of cybercrime.

As always there will be excellent networking opportunities in the Millennium Hall where attendees can connect with tech industry leaders and stakeholders including the MNC community, start-ups and scaling technology companies.

Who will be speaking?

We have an impressive speaker line up – including:

Dr Andrea C. Johnson – Director of Global Business Systems at Workhuman
Bill Boorman – King of Social Recruiting, MD of Recruiting Daily
John Riordan – Director of Support for Shopify
Caroline Dowling – Independent board member, advisor and former business Group President at Flex.
Robert McArdle – Director Forward Looking Threat Research Team at Trend Micro
Charley Woodward Director for VMware’s EMEA Wide Renewals
Sean Sheehan – Founder & CEO of Wisetek

What tips would you give to attendees in order to get the most out of it?

To maximise the Tech Summit experience we are advising participants to follow our social media channels which will give insight into upcoming speakers on the day and the topics they will cover – that way people can ensure they really hit their marks in terms of hearing about the tech topics of most relevance to them and their organisation. In following our SoMe channels, attendees can also get greater visibility on who is expected to attend on the day, which will facilitate valuable networking opportunities.

How can people book tickets/when does it usually sell out?

Tickets are available online at www.itcork.ie

Anything else you’d like to add/we should have asked?

At the moment we are currently offering a limited 3 for 2 offer on all tickets – this has proved a popular incentive in recent weeks and it is not open ended so anyone thinking of going should probably jump on it now!

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at [email protected] or on Twitter: @SimonCocking