Cork welcomes Global Technology Leaders for ITLG Summit

Silicon Valley descends on Rebel County as part of The Gathering 2013

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Global ‘Gathering’ of tech leaders in Cork set for January as Silicon Valley returns to Ireland - Cisco SVP Barry O'Sullivan and ITLG's Cian Hughes, with a hurler and an American football player

Photo by ITLG

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Cork will host many of Silicon Valley’s most successful entrepreneurs, senior technology executives and investors next week when the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) arrives in Ireland for the Global Technology Leaders Summit.

Technology will be to the forefront of this event, and the Cork team, which includes Cork City Council, Cork Chamber, UCC and CIT, have provided an event schedule that will not disappoint.

The US delegation will visit the Nimbus Centre at CIT to explore opportunities to invest in new and innovative solutions in the areas of biotech, nanotechnology, cloud, gaming and software. 

Approximately 50 companies will pitch their solutions to the global investors, but already it is evident that the calibre of companies going before the US panel is extremely high. These companies have been shortlisted from over 200 applications from all over Ireland to meet the ITLG delegation.

Visits to Tyndall National Institute, EMC, and key tech organisations in the region will form part of the delegates’ itinerary while in Cork, and the delegation will also be hosted by UCC President Michael Murphy at a dinner on campus with An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore the evening before the summit.

As well as showcasing the innovative culture that thrives in Cork at the Tyndall Institute and the Nimbus Centre, delegates at the Global Technology Leaders Summit will also encounter some innovative event technology solutions during the summit itself.

Cork will showcase that technology is in the Region’s DNA, as this event will use an unprecedented level of innovative solutions to ensure the best possible delegate experience.  All information such as attendee lists, seating plans, speaker bios and the running event agenda will be available to delegates via QR codes. These customised QR codes will route the conference participants to a customised website that will provide all the necessary information on the event. By embracing smartphone technology, the need for excessive printing and paper at the summit has been drastically reduced.

The ‘questions and answers’ component of the event will also be handled by a new technology developed in Ireland by startup Instant Opinion. This solution enables conference goers to post their questions using the web, smartphone or mobile device and allows panellists to view and respond to questions from the floor. It reduces the need for roving mikes and also encourages more questions and engagement from the audience, particularly those who may not wish to ask a question vocally. Founded by Aidan Kenny in 2011, Instant Opinion has already received investment from Enterprise Ireland, and is looking to international markets with its revolutionary product.

AerTV have a dedicated channel for the ITLG event which will livestream throughout the summit, ensuring that those unable to attend will be able to share in the day’s presentations and discussions.

Cork City Hall will have free wifi available for all participants, and of course there will be a twitter wall, which will stream delegates and speakers posts on the summit, using the hashtag #GTLSummit. This will have the added benefit of allowing those that are not in attendance to see the event activities and participant comments. It is anticipated that #GTLSummit will trend in Ireland during the course of the day.

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