National Digital Week 2015

4Days,60speakers...1inspirational location

Hear what the digital future holds for business, entrepreneurs, farmers, retailers, the internet-of-things, and the education sector at Ireland’s first ever National Digital Week in Skibbereen Co Cork from 4-8 November.

The event, which has been organised by Ludgate@Skibbereen, Ireland’s first rural digital hub, is an unmissable four days of world class speakers and workshops. The future of digital will be discussed by more than 60 high profile international and national speakers on two stages, including Ronan Harris, Vice President of Google EMEA, Dr. Laurence O’Rourke, Rosetta Mission Science Operations Coordinator at the European Space Agency, and Ingrid Vanderveldt of the US based Empower A Billion Women 2020 organisation.

Download the schedule and running order of events and speakers. Tickets can be purchased at www.digitalweek.ie.

Who will be there?

Google will also be running, for the first time outside of Dublin, their highly successful Google Breakfast Briefings as part of a workshop for attendees as well their Google Digital Garage, one to one clinics for businesses.

The event will give attendees practical sessions on the latest technologytrends and tools, advice and support ongrowing a business through digital,and taking it to the next level in terms of market,financeandinternationalisation. Speakers will also discuss working or running a business from a rural location rather than a metropolitan area and how that impacts companystrategy.

Ronan Harris, Vice President of Sales & Operations Google EMEA and Head of Google Operations in Ireland said, “National Digital Week is an opportunity to examine the opportunities digital technologies can bring to businesses and communities, whether they are located in urban or rural locations. It’s suitable for all, whether you are in business or retired, an apprentice or thinking about a start-up. As the digital divide narrows, due to initiatives such as the Government’s national broadband plan and SIRO, perhaps the biggest opportunities are available to those in rural Ireland, who can now compete effectively with urban centres and on the international stage. We have seen this at Google, where the Sales team has worked with many diverse companies across Ireland to help them internationalise their businesses. By 2016, estimates suggest over 20% of retail sales in G-20 countries will be made online and 80% of Europeans who use the Internet plan to shop online this year so it is important that businesses across Ireland recognise the opportunity this presents.”

AIB CEO, Bernard Byrne, said: “AIB is delighted to support Ireland’s first National Digital Week as the tech sector is playing a key part in Ireland’s economic growth. AIB is supporting technology companies from start-up to multi-national level and as a bank, we are constantly developing innovative digital products for our customers, half of whom now bank online.”

What else do I need to know?

The conference will demonstrate that rural digital hubs can compete admirably with urban centres and on the international stage. Skibbereen will enjoy high speed broadband connectivity as the first SIRO rural hub, the joint venture between Vodafone and ESB, to receive 1GB connectivity.

There will also be a multitude of seminars, workshops, exhibitions and extracurricular activities throughout the week, including cycles of the Wild Atlantic Way and live music from Jessie Kennedy, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Sasha Puttnam and special guests.

National Digital Week is supported by The Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (DCENR), as part of the government's national digital strategy for rural & maritime communities & towns across Ireland. The main corporate sponsors of the event are AIB and Vodafone.

Tickets can be purchased for individual full day sessions priced from €35 to €65 at www.digitalweek.ie.To keep up to date and for details of new speakers follow @DigitalWeekIRL #DigitalWeekSkibb and @AIBBiz #backedbyAIB on Twitter.