The Fingal Enterprise Week starts on September 27^th 2010 and boasts an impressive line up of free workshops, mentoring, seminars and debates for anyone in business, wanting to set one up or reporting on business stories in Ireland.

When:

Running from Monday September 27^th to Friday October 1^st 2010 in various locations throughout North Dublin (www.fingalenterpriseweek.ie – all events are free).

Ones to Watch:

Bill Cullen joins Nicola Byrne (11890), Pat Delaney (IBEC) and Paul Sweeney (Economic Advisor to ICTU) for the kick-off event next on Monday 27^th for the ‘Business Panel – Questions & Answers’. Chaired by John Bowman, this event takes place in front of 300 small business owners, from 8:30am to 10:30am at the Europa Academy in Swords.

Other Highlights:

George Lee takes charge of the ‘Finance and Funding Symposium’ at the Grand Hotel in Malahide on Tuesday September 28^th (6:30pm – 9:30pm).There’s a ‘new opportunities’ double-header in Blanchardstown on Wednesday, September 29^th (green business & innovation/e-business Ireland) and the Fingal Enterprise Awards take place on the final day, Friday, Oct 1^st at the Europa Academy in Swords (12:00 noon – 1:45pm).

Suitable for:

Reports or features around home-grown entrepreneurs, new opportunities in business, the opinions of small business owners or the stories of ‘recession entrepreneurs’ who have little choice but to set up their own business

Results:

Pfizer

Events:

Work the Web

Work the Web is a series of web workshops running throughout May and June 2010. This is a collaboration of Kro IT Solutions and Spiderworking.com offering workshops to business owners, providing the knowledge you need to unleash the potential of your website.

Tuesday, 1 June:

Results:

Tesco

Volex

Events:

Assess if Rapid E-learning Suits Your Organisation

Meet with the expert, Colette Gallagher of Olas, who will share with you some carefully selected examples of how we helped our customers achieve the Top 3 benefits of rapid e-learning.

Owner/Manager Network (Wexford) – June

The Owner/Manager Network meetings are open to all owner/managers in Wexford. This breakfast network enables members to meet other business owners, discuss business topics, build on previous learning and provide the potential to generate further business opportunities.

Wednesday, 2 June:

Results:

Applied Signal Technology

OnVista

Events:

IDMA Loyalty & Retention Conference 2010

Loyalty and retention are the focus of the Irish Direct Marketing Association (IDMA) annual conference, which takes place in the brand new Aviva Stadium on Wednesday 2 June 2010.

Thursday, 3 June:

Results:

Comtech Telecommunications

Events:

Obscured by Clouds

Cloud computing is heralded as a panacea to many of the traditional challenges of IT infrastructure which have often prevented small companies becoming large companies.

Friday, 4 June:

Results:

Comverse Technology

Proliance International

Events:

No events scheduled for this day.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

Results:

Adaptec

Proliance

Events:

ITW 2010 - International Telecom Week

International Telecoms Week is the meeting point for the international telecoms wholesale community - each year more than 4,000 delegates from nearly 1,300 companies and from more than 130 countries meet in Washington, DC, to buy and sell voice and data products and services.

Tuesday, 25 May:

Results:

Hutchison Telecommunications

Medtronic

Events:

CRM Acceleration Dublin 2010

Come along and join SugarCRM co-founder Clint Oram for a morning and discover how SugarCRM is helping more than 500,000 users manage their customers, generate more sales, increase leads and boost productivity.

Wednesday, 26 May:

Results:

Trintech

VeriFone

Events:

InterTradeIreland Venture Capital Conference 2010

Meet investors with access to more than £275million worth of funds!

Human-Machine Improvisations (Cork, 2010)

A unique and exciting on-stage meeting between human and machine improvisers takes place on 26 May 2010 at Blackrock Castle Observatory (Cork, Ireland).

Public Sector Transformation Through Shared Services - A Case Study

Barry Lowry, who leads the IT Assist Program in the Department of Finance and Pensions in Northern Ireland, will outline how the transformation to a shared services model has radically changed and improved how IT services are managed and delivered, creating significant stakeholder value and satisfaction (Government, IT staff, NICS staff, citizens and suppliers).

Thursday, 27 May:

Results:

Novell

Events:

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Executive Briefing

Drive profitability with Microsoft’s Business Management Solution.

LTE Advanced Workshop

This free event will introduce the key elements of LTE+, then survey the ongoing activity in the area in Ireland, covering Government strategy, academic research and industrial activity.

Real World Cube Design & Performance Tuning with Analysis Services 2008

This course is targeted at BI Developers who have at least three months' experience of working with SQL Server Analysis Services.

Friday, 28 May:

Results:

Mentor Graphics

Events:

There are no events scheduled for this day.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

Liao, along with Lars Hinrichs, co-founded Open Business Club in Hamburg, Germany, in 2003 as a platform for business professionals and renamed it XING in 2006. XING was one of the first Web 2.0 companies to go public and has grown to become one of the world’s leading business-to-business social networking portals.

Recalling his experiences starting XING from Hamburg, he said trying to register businesses in countries like France, Germany and the UK was harrowing.

What could work as Ireland's advantage

Europe's fragmentation could actually work to Ireland's advantage as a key interface for US companies targeting Europe.

“I hear a lot of talk about Ireland wanting to be the Silicon Valley of Europe. What Silicon Valley has however, is finance and a density to its network. It's the density of the network, the creators and entrepreneurs that drew the capital to the Valley, not the other way round.”

Liao said the reason the venture capital industry started in the US was down to three scientists who set up Digital Equipment Corporation to make and sell computers. Those scientists, who got a 50,000pc return on their investment, had incredible networks of contacts that brought together the money.

“Europe is fragmented – there is a limited density because of so much difference. When you look at at that and wonder how to bring all that density of money and entrepreneurship together, you need a place that is friendly. That has the advantage of a social scene, the density and an optimism that is irreplicable. Why not Ireland for that?

“Ireland has the incredible heritage of being the interface to the US anyway – there's so many Irish diaspora in the US. As an Australian in Ireland, Ireland is a friendly country – great place to come and interact and socialise. Ireland has a density to it, you can come here and meet powerful people quickly.

“There's an ability to get things done here that is underutilised. Also, the educational system here is good in parts, you've the smart generation of Irish people. Why not use that to bring it all together. It has to happen and has to happen fast.

“It's a little too slow here, it has to speed up.”

Looking at Delaware

Returning to bureaucracy, Liao pointed to the US State of Delaware that is integral to companies forming rapidly in the States. “There is no 'Delaware' in Europe – the UK has tried a bit, Ireland has helped a little, but why not some place Ireland can go and set up a business quickly? Why isn't it here?

“Do you know what you need to go through to get a VAT number – you are deemed either a terrorist or money launderer – and you're guilty until proven innocent.

“Ireland has enough density and knowledgeable people that systems that could be made fast. For young and small businesses, the bureaucracy of Europe is vast. Some 100,000 francs of capital needed in Switzerland to register a business.

“There is a regulatory and bureaucratic arbitrage opportunity to create a State change not just in Ireland or Europe.”

Ireland's digital opportunity

Liao says he hears a lot of talk about Ireland's digital opportunity and talk about the 'knowledge' or 'smart' economy but it's just talk. “It's also about listening. It's about creating an environment to listen and get the density to get the mass so this critical mass can be unleashed. You just need to create a context

“Make it OK to be proud of what's going on – make it easier to do business, not harder. What is stopping the Irish standing up and making the most of achievements in the digital world, you have Google, Microsoft and Intel here.

“In America, you are your own press release, Ireland needs that – it needs to be its own press release. The noise is loud out there in the world, make it easy to come here. I was told early in my career that if you want rock star performance, create a rock star environment – Ireland has everything it needs to be its own rock star environment.

“I know there are deep cultural reasons – humility is a good thing – but shouldn't hide under a bushel, get out there. It's a really global world and we're all part of that world.

"In this incredibly connected world we are just one country, with an incredible density, with an openness to new people. That friendliness has to be advertised,” Liao said.

By John Kennedy

Photo: Social networking entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Liao

Results:

Agilent Technologies

Nortel Networks

Universal

Events:

Digitise the Nation

The Irish Internet Association is on a mission - to Digitise the Nation. So what better time to run this national campaign than the week of the annual conference in May.

WIT Research Day 2010

WIT Research Day 2010 will be a celebration of research, innovation, scholarship and creativity, with a day of posters and presentations.

Top Tips to Showcasing your Business to More Than 200m Customers in Continental Europe

Learn about the steps you should take to translate and localise your website for continental European markets at a free seminar and clinic.

Breakfast Invitation: NCI Innovation in Business Breakfast Series & IIA Digitise the Nation

Ditch your servers! How to get rid of your servers and run your business online.

7 Essential Steps for Marketing Your New Business Online

In this webinar, learn how to successfully market your business online to attract more leads and increase sales.

'Getting Started' Computer and Mobile Phone Classes

Dublin City Council and Age Action's 'Getting Started' Computer and Mobile Phone Classes are being offered to those over the age of 55 in centres throughout the city.

Tuesday, 18 May:

Results:

Hewlett-Packard

Ubisoft

Vodafone Group

Events:

Ipex 2010

Ipex 2010 is the global technology trade event for print, publishing and media.

Building Cloud Communities

This could be your opportunity to help drive Ireland's smart economy by joining EuroCloud Ireland.

Social Media Surgeries

This event is free of charge and open to anyone who wants to learn more about any of the social media tools.

Wednesday, 19 May:

Results:

Autodesk

Synopysys

Target Corporation

Telecity Group

Events:

Microsoft Development Technologies

Microsoft Development Technologies – Are they suitable for my business applications?

A&A Computing Internet Day

Learn about Skype, emails and more through demonstrations and hands-on experience led by A&A Computer Training.

Start Your Business Workshop & Business Technology Workshop

Course topics include advice available, entrepreneurial self assessment, writing the business plan, marketing and sales, funding requirements, setting up a company, directors’ responsibilities, government departments and regulations, and technology management review.

Google I/O

Google I/O is a developer gathering focused on pushing the boundaries of web applications using Google developer products and open-web technologies.

OpenStreetMap Information Evening and Mapping Party

On 19 May from 6pm - 9pm, Irish users of OpenStreetMap will be holding an information evening and mapping party in The Bleeding Horse on Camden Street in Dublin.

Thursday, 20 May:

Results:

Computer Sciences Corporation

Dell

Gamestop

Salesforce.com

Events:

IIA Conference 2010: Vision 2020

We'll look at the next wave of opportunities for the internet industry, as well as immediate benefits for businesses in terms of improving their processes, productivity and profitability.

Net Visionary Awards 2010

The Net Visionary Awards, now in their 12th year, are unique as they are run and voted on by the internet industry in Ireland.

Espion Webinar - Portable Storage Device Security

Portable storage devices, such as USB flash drives, are increasingly popular in most enterprise environments. They are convenient and enhance productivity, but present new security risks to the enterprise.

Friday, 21 May:

Results:

Acorn International

Events:

Trainer Talk Live

Trainer Talk Live is a learning and networking event designed exclusively for freelance trainers.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

Results:

No results scheduled for this day.

Events:

2010 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2010)

Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection.

Tuesday, 4 May:

Results:

MasterCard

Merck

Pfizer

Plantronics

Events:

CSETs Commercialisation Forum

Dr Chris Horn, the founder and former CEO of Iona Technologies and a member of the Government’s Innovation Taskforce, will be the guest speaker at a Commercialisation Forum of the Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSETs) to be hosted by Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre.

Wednesday, 5 May:

Results:

BMC Software

Garmin

Gartner

Quest Software

Swisscom

Symantec

The Sage Group plc

Time Warner

Events:

Meeting the Security Challenges of Virtualisation and Cloud Computing

Virtualisation and cloud computing have gained significant traction in the past year, but there are risks involved - and security is one of the most pressing concerns.

Thursday, 6 May:

Results:

Alcatel-Lucent

Level 3 Communications

Events:

2010 CLOUD ACADEMY

CA is hosting a series of free, interactive educational sessions with local and international experts discussing specific aspects of cloud computing for Irish businesses.

Simply Zesty Social Media Training Day

This one-day course is designed to teach you about using the free tools available in social media to engage with your customers and make social media start working for your business.

Software Testing Webinar

The Software Testing Webinar: The business benefit and challenges of implementing TMap Next will outline the business value and the practical issues associated with deploying TMap Next.

Work the Web

Work the Web is a series of web workshops running throughout May and June 2010. This is a collaboration of Kro IT Solutions and Spiderworking.com offering workshops to business owners, providing the knowledge you need to unleash the potential of your website.

Friday, 7 May:

Results:

Panasonic

Events:

MetaMeets 2010

Europe's premier 3D internet and virtual worlds conference, featuring enterprise, community and education tracks.

NDRC Dublin Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is a 54-hour start-up event that provides networking, resources and incentives for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. Get connected with local developers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Build your community. Start companies. No talk. All action.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

This year will see the very first sessions on making applications for the new iPad tablet computer. The new iPhone OS 4 and Mac OS X will be the topics of other sessions.

Who will give the traditional keynote speech on the opening day of the event has yet to be announced.

Traditionally, the opening WWDC keynote speech has been the event where Apple announces details about the next version of the iPhone, including sales dates and specs.

Vision 2020

The theme of the 2010 Conference is Vision 2020.

This year's IIA conference will have a dual focus: what's good in 2010 and what's possible for 2020. It will critically assess the next wave of opportunities for the industry, as well as more immediate benefits for businesses in terms of improving their processes, productivity and profitability.

Our keynote speakers include Bill Liao, Xing.com and Anthony Whelan, Head of Cabinet, European Commissioner for Competition - check out the full programme details.

Results:

Advent Software

Canon

Check Point Software

Zyxcel Communications

Events:

‘Building a Business on Your Ideas'

Entrepreneurs and inventors will have a chance to develop their business ideas with a free seminar from the Irish Patents Office that will advise on best practice around developing and protecting intellectual property.

Data Protection – Essential Knowledge

This practical training session, led by internationally-acclaimed data protection expert and trainer Peter Carey, examines core concepts of practical data protection compliance.

Tuesday, 27 April:

Results:

ARM Holdings

Broadcom

Cirrus Logic

Flextronics

Tellabs

ARM Holdings

Broadcom

Cirrus Logic

Flextronics

Tellabs

Events:

New Media Technology in the Public Sector

PAI is organising a highly focused half-day seminar on New Media Technology in the Public Sector, offering specialised presentation on how to maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks associated with the use of new media technology.

Wednesday, 28 April:

Results:

AOL

Baidu

Logitech

Visa

Xilinx

Events:

Responding to the New Economic Environment - Evolve to Succeed

This business breakfast forum will take place at the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor's Lane, Dublin 8.

Thursday, 29 April:

Results:

Acer

Digital Realty Trust

Digital River

Expedia

Forrester Research

France Telecom

Intermec

Motorola

ShoreTel

Siemens

Events:

Cloud Computing Briefing

Learn what cloud computing is really all about and how to build your own cloud infrastructure.

Friday, 30 April:

Results:

Actel

Sierra Wireless

Events:

Social Media Workshop

Shaw will provide a topical overview of digital media trends and look at how businesses can create and structure strategies using social media and online content, both audio and video.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

The campaign behind the week of the Irish Internet Association’s annual congress is aimed at making the public realise the power of the internet and services at their disposal, from uploading pictures on Flickr, making video calls via Skype, starting a blog or awakening in children the magic behind digital animation.

Why Ireland needs to be digitised

I asked Mulvihill why she believes Ireland need to be digitised? “It comes back to some of the points I’ve been trying to reinforce since I joined the IIA. It is the question over the digital economy – is it a digital economy or is it just the economy and we need to digitise all of it? What I’m trying to do is represent IIA members and the best thing I can do for them is drive demand, create investment opportunities for them and show people how they can interact and use the internet.

“There are people who have a fear of computers or feel it is not something that is relevant to them. But by digitising the nation and getting everybody online and encouraging people to look at the applications of the internet and how they can use it to add value to their lives we’d be doing a great service not only to our members but also to society, generally.

“Just think of the number of people who can call relatives overseas by learning how to use Skype, or children who can get excited about digital media, how secondary school students can get involved and understand the value of STEM subjects for their future careers. The opportunity to digitise the nation is to bring everybody on board and showcase what we can do.”

Business opportunity

Mulvihill is adamant that the digital economy represents a major opportunity for traditional businesses. “Prior to joining the Irish Internet Association, I actually worked with a lot of family-owned businesses in the SME sector and a lot of those were traditional businesses. What I would say to them is what is the big opportunity you can grasp this year that will change your business from struggling in a recession and break out. This is whether from the perspective of business productivity, through tools like Microsoft BPOS, Skype calls or using the internet as a sales channel.”

Ireland’s legacy of broadband infrastructure problems are a critical reason as to why not enough SMEs are using the internet to the same level of sophistication as their counterparts overseas, and more needs to be done to correct this.

“I think we do need to have a National Digital Development Plan at the very heart of everything we do. This needs to be the same as pre-boom when we set out a national infrastructure development plan for our roads, now we need to have the same infrastructural investment in broadband capacity and bandwidth.

“The more businesses are online the more demand for bandwidth we’ll have and the people who can control that need to make sure it is delivered in a very democratic way to all members of Irish society, and if we talk about decentralisation or regional development plans, they are not consistent if we do not have broadband accessibility and bandwidth available to everybody throughout the country. There are still black holes, there are parts of this country impossible to get a mobile phone signal, much less to get online. There are issues that have to be addressed.

“The great thing about doing Digitise the Nation is in doing that we actually would be engaging with consumers and really take a temperature reading of where we are in terms of accessibility throughout the country. Then we would have a really good feeling and a base for lobbying Government and agencies and providers to say this is what we need, this is why we need it, these are the potholes, these are the blackholes and what can we do about that?”

IIA congress speakers

This year’s IIA congress features major speakers like Bill Liao, founder of European social network for businesses Xing.com and Bill Thompson, the pioneering technology journalist who established The Guardian’s technology website, as well as Anthony Whelan, Chef de Cabinet for EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. The conference will also feature contributions from economist Jim Power and digital marketing entrepreneur Colm Grealy.

The inspiration for this year’s congress, Mulvihill explained, is where the internet industry and Ireland find themselves at this point in time. We are 10 years on from the dot.com crash of 2000, yet 10 years away from 2020 and a vision of where Ireland can be.

“After the dot.com bubble burst, the internet industry had to start afresh and get back to basic business principles and sound business models. We are at this lovely half-way point where it’s important to take stock. The industry as a whole looks west to the US and things coming out of Silicon Valley. While that is very important and gives good inspirational road models, we also have to recognise that we are here, Ireland is part of the EU and the size of the market on our doorsteps here.”

Returning to Digitise the Nation, Mulvihill called on IIA members to really showcase their technology and abilities in their respective communities. “We’ve asked our members to work within their local counties, communities and towns to bring digital agenda to as many people as possible. There are some really interesting activities happening, such as a Skypethon and we have digital animators who will go to their local school and show children how digital media is made.

“They are the fun activities but also we have very much a business-to-business element – we have experts in the IIA who are very happy to share their skills and knowledge with local business communities as part of digitise the nation,” Mulvihill said.

By John Kennedy

Photo: Irish Internet Association CEO Joan Mulvihill

With everyone coming online, the digital economy becomes the economy.

So the Consumer Calls to Action for Digitise the Nation are this:

1.     Take a photo, upload it to Pix.ie and tag it DTN10 for inclusion in our DTN10 Digital Time capsule.

2.     Make a YouTube video of your online family and tag DTN10 for inclusion in our DTN10 Digital Time capsule.

3.    Tag your favourite places on Foursquare.

4.    Attend a Digitise the Nation event in your local community.

Introduce your grandparents to Skype or Blueface and connect with family overseas, bring your local sports team or community group onto Twitter or check out the 1911 census online and make your very own “Who do you think you are?” video for YouTube (tag it DTN10).

The person who can access the internet anytime and anywhere has a full lap headstart on the competition and those who control our connectivity are arguably more powerful than the media we wish to access through them. They are the power supply and platform for our connectivity.

As consumers, we choose the cafes and restaurants with free Wi-Fi and we buy services from those online from whom we can get an immediate response. E-commerce, customer relationship management, communication internally, from business to business and with the end user is only achieved through solid reliable connectivity.

The Digitise the Nation connectivity call to action is this:

1.     Make your calls using a VOIP application this week, via Skype or Blueface.

2.     Tag all your favourite free Wi-Fi locations on Foursquare and email us where they are: members@iia.ie (subject WIFI MAP)

Consumers are now increasingly setting the pace, creating demand for online solutions. Offline businesses are now online. Internet entrepreneurship is not just about the pure-play players, but about those offline businesses who are using the technology to manage loyalty and service.

If you’ve set up a new online business in 2010, please tell us and we will record its date of birth in our DTN10 Digital Time Capsule.

Entrepreneurship Day is sponsored by:

So let’s look at some good examples. The year 2010 kicked off with a deep freeze of snow and ice. How many business days were lost by homebound employees who could not get to the office? And again, as recently as the Icelandic volcano disruption, businesses were grounded and confounded! It seems that the very forces of nature are imploring businesses to look at operating in a faster, cleaner, cheaper and more productive way. 

In the area of business security and data management, online resources such as remote access and remote backups can save a business when things go wrong. Using smartphones and netbooks, sales people and engineers can communicate directly with the office, improving the speed of service for the customers and reduced logistical costs for the business. And online payment systems simply speak for themselves, less paperwork and errors and greater security and traceability and improved cashflow.

If you would like to run a B2B Digitise the Nation event to show your local business community how your business uses the internet to maximise productivity, then let us know and we will help you promote the event online and record you as a Digitise the Nation supporter for our DTN10 Digital Time Capsule.

Business Productivity Day is sponsored by:

Call to action!

What can you do? We are asking all of our members to use the Digitise the Nation week to showcase your business’ skills and expertise. Share your ideas with the world.

There will be themes throughout the week around which you can run activities, creating a forum for everyone to get involved in promoting web activities for the week. Each day’s themes will focus on a key area of the internet in Ireland, from business productivity to connectivity, from web entrepreneurship to social media and consumers.

We’re looking for you to come up with innovative ideas and exciting activities that you will run on each of the days. Video guides, top web tips, eBay auctions and Twitter events – what ideas do you have? Get your community involved.

This is an exciting opportunity for IIA members to collectively promote the Irish internet industry and thereby grow awareness and ultimately sales. The digital economy is the economy. We just need to bring everyone else online.

So if you want to be involved, email joan@iia.ie and tell us what you plan to do.

Some Ideas to get you started ...

·    We want to create an online time capsule of online Ireland 2010. We would like you to upload videos to the dedicated IIA YouTube channel and share your photos on Pix.ie

·    Make your mum a star – show her how to create her own Julie and Julia style home cookery programme!

·    Show your Dad how he can earn a DTN ‘merit badge/certificate’ by simply learning how to take a digital photo, upload it to his PC and tag and upload it to Pix.ie.

·    Run a clinic for your local business community on your area of expertise – SEO, social media?

·    Run a Skype-a-thon in your community where people can drop in and learn how to Skype with their children and grandchildren living abroad.

·    Get your local sports club tweeting.

The week's schedule:

Digitise the Nation will run Monday to Friday.

Theme days are as follows:

Monday 17 May – Business productivity

Tuesday 18 May – Connectivity

Wednesday 19 May – Entrepreneurship

Thursday 20 May – IIA 2020Vision Conference and Net Visionary Awards (Click here to book).

Friday 21 May – The consumer and social media

Results:

Citigroup

Cybex

Eli Lilly

Royal Philips Electronics

Events:

ad:tech San Francisco 2010

ad:tech is an interactive advertising and technology conference and exhibition. Worldwide shows blend keynote speakers, topic-driven panels and workshops to provide attendees with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a changing world.

Tuesday, 20 April:

Results:

Amphenol

Apple

Juniper Networks

Novartis

TeliaSonera

Tesco

VMware

Events:

EWEC 2010 - European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition

The European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition (EWEC) is widely regarded as the most professional, comprehensive and informative in the wind sector. It offers a unique opportunity to generate new business leads.

Wednesday, 21 April:

Results:

Abbott

Amgen

AT&T

eBay

Elan

EMC

SanDisk

Events:

Kellogg Technology Conference 2010

The 16th Kellogg Tech Conference will explore the challenges of monetising technologies emerging in today’s business world.

Irish Recruiters Social Media Spring Conference

This event will focus on major recent changes in the recruitment industry in Ireland and abroad, and will feature speakers from some of the key innovators in this area in Ireland. 

Improving Access to Information and Services Using Web and Email

Web and email-based services can improve access to information for the public and also help to manage crises.

Free R&D Nationwide Breakfast Briefings

Companies from varying industries are invited to attend to gain valuable information on Ireland’s R&D Tax Credit scheme and R&D Grants.

Cash is King - Financial Planning Workshop

Dublin Business Innovation Centre will host a half-day workshop which will enable the micro enterprise to understand and implement financial management.

Thursday, 22 April:

Results:

Amazon

Amdocs

Microsoft

Nokia

Events:

Green IT Summit 2010

Discover the bottom-line benefits of Green IT.

Do We Need Wings to Get to Cloud 9?

Learn what cloud computing is really all about and how to build your own cloud infrastructure.

Green IT Economic Summit 2010

The Green IT Economic Summit showcases the benefits of breakthroughs in green hardware and software technology.

Friday, 23 April:

Results:

Merck

Events:

Angajatori de Top - April 2010

Angajatori de TOP is aiming to be the biggest recruitment and employer branding event of the year.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

Results:

Avensys Corporation

Jaco Electronics

Events:

Gartner Ireland Webinar

Please join Mick MacComascaigh and Myles Lynch as they address the changing marketplace in Ireland and how vendors in Ireland need to adapt to insure a return to growth in short to medium long term.

Black Hat Europe

The Black Hat Briefings are comprehensive events focused on internet security.

UCD Smurfit School Nationwide Open Evenings

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is hosting a number of nationwide open evenings where it will be showcasing its range of MBA and specialist masters programmes.

Tuesday, 13 April:

Results:

CSX Corporation

Infosys Technologies

Intel Corporation

Wednesday, 14 April:

Results:

DRI Corporation

iGate Corporation

JP Morgan Chase & Co

Events:

The Energy Show

Presented by SEAI, the Energy Show is a must-attend for industry and businesses to see and learn about the latest sustainable energy technologies and practices.

Viral Marketing Webinar with UCD Business Alumni

Join UCD Business Alumni for a free lunchtime webinar on 14 April on 'Viral Marketing' with guest speakers Prof Damien McLoughlin and Dr John Fanning.

Transformation through collaboration and cloud computing

This webinar will examine how organisations are harnessing collaborative technology and cloud computing to enhance the way they function.

Thursday, 15 April:

Results:

Advanced Micro Devices

Fairchild Semiconductor

Google

Events:

The Software Investment Forum

Innovative Irish software SMEs and start-ups are being encouraged to participate in The Software Investment Forum, a landmark event, which offers promising software companies an opportunity to showcase their businesses to some of Ireland’s leading venture capitalists.

Google Apps Cloud Seminar

The internet has evolved from a place where businesses publish and find information into virtual workplaces where employees now create, store and share the information they need to do their work.

The Digital Café

This one-day event will offer free digital marketing advice to SMEs, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organisations.

Friday, 16 April:

Results:

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering

General Electric

Events:

East Point Jobs Fair

Tech multinationals at Dublin’s East Point Business Park are on the lookout for 175 candidates for vacant jobs at the docklands office park.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

 “Today some 440 nuclear reactors in 30 countries generate over 14pc of the world’s electricity, meeting 6pc of the world’s primary energy consumption.-*

"Over the two decades since 1985, the growth of nuclear power in the world was slow and mostly located in Asia, but recently, there is a general expectation that nuclear is going to experience a new period of sustained growth, dubbed the “renaissance” across European media,” he said. 

Nuclear not the total answer, but a component

Said Barré: “By itself, nuclear power cannot be the answer to the development versus environment dilemma, but there is no answer without a significant nuclear contribution and this applies to Ireland also.”
 
Engineers Ireland director-general John Power added that the contribution nuclear energy can make to Ireland’s energy mix will be one of the key discussion topics at the Engineers Ireland Annual Conference 2010.

“We will also be exploring engineers and innovation in the smart economy, whether the current education system supports Ireland’s need for engineers as well as the role engineers are playing in water management. In addition to experts from Irish industry, we will be able to hear the international perspective from a diverse speaker line-up over the two days,” said Power.

Speakers will include Dr Craig Barrett and Dr Chris Horn

Renowned faces of the IT world who will speak at  ‘Engineers - Leaders For The Next Decade’ event will include Dr Craig Barrett, former CEO/chairman of Intel, and co-founder of Iona Technologies and Engineers Ireland president, Dr Chris Horn.

Both Horn and Barrett will cover about the critical importance of the education system to the engineering sector.

The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Conor Lenihan TD will also speak on the role engineers can play in innovation, while other speakers will include John Mullins, CEO, Bord Gáis, Professor Roger Whatmore, Tyndall National Institute, Ian Quinn, Creganna, Tom Costello, John Sisk & Son, Terry Nolan, Shell, and John Lynch, DePuy.  

The Engineers Ireland Conference 2010 will take place on 22 and 23 April 2010.

By Carmel Doyle

Photo: Dr Bertrand Barré, scientific advisor to the French energy company, Areva Group. He is also professor emeritus of nuclear engineering at the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, INSTN, Paris

Business & Leadership is hosting a briefing on The Green Economy in May. Learn more about this event.

They will be accompanied by 650 coaches and official delegates, as well as a contingent of more than 4,000 family members. The Games will be supported by a team of 3,500 volunteers who will be recruited from Limerick City, county and beyond over the next number of months.

As a result of the new partnership, HP Ireland’s 4,000 staff located throughout the country will also have the opportunity to get involved in the games firsthand and become Special Olympics volunteers without whom the games would not take place.

As well as receiving tickets for the opening ceremony, some HP Ireland staff members will also get the unique opportunity to present awards to successful Special Olympics athletes at the games in June.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to come on board and support one of Ireland’s largest community and voluntary organisations,” Martin Murphy, managing director of HP Ireland, said.

“Special Olympics Ireland is a magnificent organisation and one that merits as much support as possible from the business community. This new partnership will also provide HP Ireland staff across the country with the opportunity to become involved in this initiative,” Murphy added.

By John Kennedy

Photo: Martin Murphy, HP Ireland managing director

“The connection between Ireland and the US continues to grow, as more and more Irish companies launch technologies for the US market,” said David Smith, senior vice-president (telecoms) at Enterprise Ireland.

“Ireland is the 10th largest investor in the USA, with the US government showing cumulative Irish investment at over $33 billion.

“The technology here at CTIA is truly ground-breaking and represents the cutting edge of innovation for the wireless and telecoms market.”

The following companies announced breaking news from the CTIA show floor:

Benetel, the wireless design and test company, announced today that it has launched the BTS-114, the first Femtocell mass production test system which can test four femtocell units in parallel enabling OEM’s and femtocell manufacturers to double test through-put compared to existing production systems.

With Benetel’s unique test strategy, OEM unit test costs can be driven down without compromising on network operator test requirements.

FeedHenry, the cloud-based solution for building and deploying cross-platform apps, launched the first end-to-end, cloud-based solution for extending business and telecoms applications across iPhone, Android, web and social media sites. FeedHenry solves an acute market problem where enterprises are looking for ways to reach out to customers and businesses with compelling mobile applications.

A carrier-grade development environment enables enterprises to build applications and services, complete with access to an ecosystem of developers and readily available apps, without having to invest in new hardware or software.

FeedHenry, also announced that three new developers – NowCasting, Beehive and Terminal Four – are extending their existing products into the mobile and social domains by building new apps on the FeedHenry platform.

At CTIA Altobridge, the leading provider of wireless solutions for remote enterprises and communities, will be highlighting the company’s industry leading core technologies and their use in remote community, secure government network and emergency service applications around the world.  A Compact All-IP GSM Network Solution will be on display at CTIA, the first US show since their recent strategic acquisition.

Acision announced that it has more than a 60pc market share of total mobile subscriptions in the US, as of end-4Q09, as calculated by Informa Telecoms & Media, further highlighting Acision’s global leadership in mobile messaging and data services.

NewBay, the leader in converged digital lifestyle services, today announced its LifeCache Developer Program, designed to maximise user experience innovation. The program reduces the time and risk involved in developing digital lifestyle services and cloud-based solutions across multiple screens including handsets, desktops, TV, game consoles and set-top boxes. The LifeCache Developer Program uniquely establishes a user content ecosystem optimised to provide a powerful development environment for operators, OEM partners, user interface developers and social networks.

Other companies attending CTIA:

Tango Telecom, a leading provider of advanced messaging, real-time charging and policy control solutions to deliver advances voice, SMS and data;

Accuris Networks, a leading provider of mobile roaming inter-working, convergence and device management solutions;

Fifth Province Ventures, an Irish company that incubates and prototypes innovative technology concepts to make them credible and engaging to potential investment;

Mingoa, which provides Ethernet OAM hardware accelerators. The first product, MetRoam, detects faults and measures performance on Ethernet networks, supporting 802.1ag and Y.1731;

Yougetitback.com, which provides a multi-platform application and service that helps protect and recover mobile phones in the event they are lost or stolen.

By John Kennedy

Results:

Foxconn International Holdings

Regus Group plc

Ticketmaster

Events:

The International CTIA WIRELESS Show

The International CTIA WIRELESS Show is a premier wireless event representing a US$1-trillion global marketplace that brings together the wireless and converged communications, wireless broadband, mobile web computing and data industries.

Tuesday, 23 March:

Results:

888 Holdings

Adobe Systems

ATS Corporation

Progress Software

Tiscali

UTV Media plc

Wednesday, 24 March:

Results:

China Unicom

Red Hat

Events:

Managing the Customer Experience

Managing the Customer Experience is a Women's Executive Network (WXN) breakfast event in the Conrad Hotel on 24 March.

Marketing @ Night: Mobile 2.0

Zamano Interactive's Darragh Ballesty and Conor Mc Kenna address the subject of how marketers can address the power of Mobile 2.0 at this MII Marketing @ Night event on Wednesday 24 March.

Thursday, 25 March:

Results:

Best Buy

Oracle

Wyeth

Events:

Oracle Hosts High-Return SOA Strategies Event in Dublin

Oracle invites customers to attend its High Return SOA Strategies event on 25 March 2010, at the Guinness Store House, Dublin.

Complimentary Webinar: Transformation of IT Development and Delivery

This webinar will examine some best practices, challenges and benefits for IT departments in both the public and private sectors that are seeking to support timely and effective business transformation.

NDRC launch “Inventorium” programme at Guinness Store House

Inventorium is a three-year European-funded programme of events, activities and interventions, which focuses on digital sector innovation and interregional development between southeast Ireland and northwest Wales.

The InterTradeIreland 2010 Innovation Lecture

The InterTradeIreland 2010 Innovation Lecture at UCD entitled 'Corporate Entrepreneurship - The Key to Making Innovation Happen', by Prof Peter Russo, who is the director and chairman of the Strascheg Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, European Business School, Frankfurt, Germany, takes place at the William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium at UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4.

Executive Insights with Paul Donovan, CEO, Eircom

The next event in the UCD Business Alumni 'Executive Insights' series takes place on Thursday 25 March 2010 in O’Callaghan Davenport Hotel, Dublin 2.

Friday, 26 March:

Results:

Dana Petroleum plc

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

Results:

3Com

Aer Lingus Group PLC

Nortel Networks

Wyeth

Zoom Technologies

ZTE

Events:

Social Media World Forum – Europe

The Social Media World Forum - Europe covers social TV, mobile social media, Enterprise 2.0 and cloud computing.

Cloud Connect

Cloud Connect is the only event to bring together the entire cloud-computing ecosystem, creating the most efficient and effective platform to drive growth and innovation.

SANS Dublin

SANS would like to invite you to a week of training at SANS Dublin 2010 on 15-20 March. SANS is bringing our two top courses and SANS top-rated instructors to bring your security skills up to speed.

Tuesday, 16 March:

Results:

Deutsche Bank

Lightbridge Corporation

Events:

Shanghai International IT and Electronics Fair and SEMICON China

More than 100,000 professional visitors are expected to attend SEMICON China 2010, an event that will again be held under the banner of the Shanghai International IT and Electronics Fair.

Wednesday, 17 March:

Results:

BMW Group Plc

Nike

Thursday, 18 March:

Results:

Gamestop

Palm

Friday, 19 March:

Results:

Bechtle AG

JP Morgan

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

"The Future is Green." So said Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, at a conference in Dublin in March, and few today doubt the veracity of this statement.

“We live in a fabulously privileged part of the planet and have an opportunity by example to be part of the solution - and to do so in a way that does employ people and does improve the quality of life and does narrow the growing social inequality gaps. This agenda is full of win-wins," said Will Day, who will be a keynote speaker at The Green Economy - A Business & Leadership Briefing on 14 May.

"You can forget the idea that a low-carbon future will be boring and dull, it can be as exciting, as aspirational, as we want, so let's make it happen."

Hear Day speak at the briefing on May 14. To book a spot at The Green Economy - A Business & Leadership Briefing, visit the website.

You may be interested in reading our Green Economy Report, published in December 2009 with Irish Director magazine, which features interviews with two of our speakers: Ryan, and Dick Budden of the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com

Results:

Datalogic

Microvision

TIVO

Events:

BizSparkCamp 2010

Software giant Microsoft and Enterprise Ireland are holding a free day-long conference that will feature tech entrepreneur Brian Caulfield and a PitchSlam event that will provide the opportunity to be identified as one of the world’s most promising technology start-ups.

Web Content & Writing for the Web

The Web Content Master Class will provide participants with a thorough grounding in how to write and position content for the web, how offline and online content differ and how to deliver compelling online content to attract and convert visitors.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional 5-day Boot Camp

Clement Dupuis, Master CISSP and owner of www.cccure.org, will be teaching the upcoming Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Boot Camp, hosted by IT security company Espion.

Tuesday, 9 March:

Results:

Aer Lingus Group PLC

Analogic Corporation

Audi

Events:

GDC 2010 - Game Developers Conference

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the world’s largest professionals-only game industry event.

Training Staff in Data Protection

Having responsibility for training staff on data protection issues can be a daunting prospect. Yet it is essential that all staff who handle personal information understand the fundamental principles and the practical requirements for complying with data protection rules. It is also important that staff are able to identify breaches or potential breaches of data protection law, and to react appropriately.

Start Your Own Business course

On completion of the eight modules, participants will have learned how to develop a business plan, incorporating marketing, financial and management strategies.

Wednesday, 10 March:

Results:

Glanbia

JCDecaux

Tullow Oil plc

Events:

NGN Test Centre Launch

Technology providers worldwide working on new mobile phone applications can now test, trial and validate products, services and functionality on a private, carrier-grade test network before bringing them to market.

I-COM Global & Ibero-American Summits 2010

The I-COM is an industry-backed global forum for exploring measurement issues facing the digital advertising industry, with the goals of international co-operation, information sharing and working toward consensus on best practices.

New Directions for 2010 - Donegal

This free seminar will focus on new ideas and new directions for businesses in 2010 and how the internet and technology can boost the bottom line.

Thursday, 11 March:

Results:

Johnston Press

JP Morgan American IT

National Semiconductor

Events:

Google Apps Cloud Seminar

Baker Security & Networks, in partnership with Google Enterprise, are hosting a free cloud computing seminar on Thursday, 11 March, at 11am, in Google's European headquarters at Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4.

SharePoint for Collaboration

Ireland’s first “SharePoint for Collaboration” One Day Master Class, hosted by Storm Technology and led by industry guru Michael Sampson, will debate, discuss and provide the blueprint for the right approaches for planning and governance to make SharePoint a success in organisations. 

R&D Tax Credit & R&D Grants Seminar

R&D Finance experts, Leyton will host an R&D Tax Credit and Grants Seminar specifically aimed at the IT/Software industry.

Friday, 12 March:

Results:

Atoss Software

CAD IT

Events:

SXSW Interactive 2010

SXSW Interactive features five days of presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of networking events hosted by industry leaders and a line-up of programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and start-up ideas the community has to offer.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site.

The company confirmed to Siliconrepublic.com that it will be one of several smart-phone devices that will enter the market this year with the Samsung Apps Store.

“If you look at the numbers, Samsung are a clear No 2 in the world,” said Gary Twohig, country manager for Samsung Mobile in Ireland.

“We are 20pc of the global sales of mobile phones – that’s 230 million phones we sold in 2009 across the world.

“Our plans are to launch at least half of our devices this year with the Samsung Apps Store available on them. That’s 115 million handsets out there in the world with the Samsung Apps Store on them. So straight away the developer in Ireland has access to up to 115 million people’s most important daily tool to sell their application over.”

The Wave is the first mobile handset to be released on Samsung’s new, open mobile platform, Samsung Bada, and the cornerstone of the company’s commitment to provide a smart phone for every lifestyle.

About the Samsung Wave

The Samsung Wave offers a Super AMOLED 3.3” display that makes the screen truly come alive, a Social Hub to bring you closer to your contacts and connections, and TouchWiz 3.0 for an intuitive and customisable user interface. The Wave’s high-speed CPU ensures swift, smooth application experiences and multi-tasking, making the device an always-on mobile multimedia companion.

The head of Samsung Mobile worldwide, JK Shin, said recently that the plan is to bring social media via the smart phone to everyone in the world in an affordable manner, making apps available for everyone, not just the cash-rich few. “The Samsung Wave truly demonstrates our commitment to deliver rich, connected and innovative smart-phone experiences to everyone,” said Shin.

“Samsung Wave sees our platform vision become a reality. For the first time, developers have the freedom to create applications across multiple platforms, for consumption on a huge range of devices. In the Wave, our developer partners can see the ocean of opportunity that is offered by the Bada mobile platform and our device technology,” he said.

Apps prize fund by Samsung

In December, Siliconrepublic.com reported that Samsung is offering a US$2.7-million prize fund to recognise the best apps being developed for the rich social media world it is about to unleash.

Twohig explained: “It’s the largest prize fund as of yet for any development competition. Basically, there’s US$2.7 million up for grabs and that’s shared across a number of different prizes. The overall winner will win US$300,000.

“Those developers we’re dealing with here in Ireland, we want those developers to be putting forward their apps for this competition. The winners will be announced later in the year.

“What the judges will be looking out for the most will be uniqueness and creativity, whether it’s a commercially viable application or just general newness – is there a real market for that application?

“They’ll be judging on that criteria – the winning app has to be easy to use. These are the kind of apps that will win the prize at the end of the day,” Twohig said.

By John Kennedy

^{Gary Twohig, country manager, Samsung Mobile}

Topmost photo: The Samsung Wave

Results:

Kingspan Group plc

Nortel Networks

On2 Technologies

TIVO

Trinity Biotech

Vivendi

Events:

HIMSS10 Annual Conference & Exhibition

At the 2010 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, healthcare reform…meets the transition to electronic medical records…meets ARRA’s stimulus dollars…meets strategies and solutions.

RSA Conference USA 2010

The RSA Conference is the most comprehensive forum in information security, offering enterprise and technical professionals one-stop learning.

Tuesday, 2 March:

Results:

Aer Lingus Group PLC

AIB plc

CRH plc

FoxConn Holdings

Fyffes plc

Grafton Group plc

Informa PLC

Events:

CABSAT MENA 2010

CABSAT MENA is the third-largest event in the world and the most important event for the digital media industry in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

CeBIT 2010

With a clear display structure, new services, optimised visitor promotion and a broad-based range of press services, the leading trade fair for the ICT industry gives you what you need to build a successful future for your business.

Intranet Briefing March 2010

If you already have SharePoint in place and are looking to expand your use of the software or are considering deploying a new Intranet in 2010, then this seminar is ideal.

Hands On: Your Own Blog

Set up your own blog in one morning with step-by-step instruction from Ann Donnelly, managing director and expert online marketing consultant.

Wednesday, 3 March:

Results:

Irish Life and Permanent PLC

ITV plc

Trintech

Events:

Digital Landscapes at UCD

Digital Landscapes is a half-day interactive conference designed to help businesses maximise their potential online.

Webinar: Business Transformation: The New Imperative

The webinar Business Transformation: The New Imperative will focus on trends in business transformation across Europe.

Thursday, 4 March:

Results:

Aviva plc

Psion plc

Events:

Cisco Business Solutions Workshop 2010

Cisco Business Solutions Workshop 2010 is open to members of organisations that have a reseller, managed service or service relationship with Cisco and other major IT vendors in Ireland.

"Creative Approaches in Challenging Times"- Project Management Annual Seminar

The seminar covers the key topics of leadership value, motivational strategies, communication principles and the need for trust in organisations, referencing examples of high-profile projects from across the globe.

Friday, 5 March:

Results:

Applied Nanotech Holdings

Events:

Enterprising Donegal Business Week

The week’s goal is to encourage local people who want to start or expand a business with the theme ‘New Ideas and New Opportunities’.

Do you have a tech event coming up?

Fill out the online form on Siliconrepublic.com's Events page to have your event considered for listing for free on the site. 

“At last year’s BizSpark event, we worked to provide business guidance on how to get start-ups off the ground,” said Clare Dillon from Microsoft Ireland.

“From feedback, this year the plan is to focus on ways to secure funding, as well as ways to build up new markets.

“Any company currently looking for funding, grants or other sources of capital – or currently looking to expand their business to new markets, they should come along to hear from local and visiting speakers about the programs and supports available through BizSpark and the Irish start-up ecosystem.”

Through the new BizSpark EUGA program, Microsoft Ireland is providing support for BizSpark companies interested in accessing local and EU grants, providing a facilitated application process to make applying for these funds easier.

Grants covered by EUGA include ICT infrastructure, training, R&D and recruitment. Nicky Martin from Affect Networks will be covering how Microsoft Ireland can help you access these grants.

Mike Sigal from early stage analyst firm Guidewire Group will be giving an overview of the Guidewire Group’s G/Score Assessment Methodology, an analytical tool to help you understand your competitive strength and market position.

Caulfield will give some key insights into the local VC landscape with tips on how to maximise your chances of securing VC funding.

Caroline Egan and Nigel Turner from MS Connections have worked with many Irish companies, helping them to enter the UK market and partner successfully with the Microsoft UK channel. They will talk about how to expand your business internationally and the best ways to build partner strategies.

In addition, there will be speakers from Enterprise Ireland and other BizSpark Network Partners to provide more advice for getting access to capital and new markets.

In addition to the planned BizSpark sessions, BizSpark companies will participate in Innovate!2010  – a global competition to identify and accelerate the Innovate!100: The World’s 100 Most Promising Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Startups.

Microsoft BizSpark has partnered with early stage analyst firm Guidewire Group to bring opportunities for expert feedback and validation, global exposure, cash and in-kind prizes (worth more than $100,000), qualified introductions to potential partners and investors, and the possibility of being named one of the Innovate!100: The World’s 100 Most Promising Startups.

Local Irish finalists will present their product or company at a PitchSlam event on the evening of 8 March.

Finalists will also be eligible to apply to present at Microsoft’s European Community Summit for investors and Start-ups in May 2010.

By John Kennedy

Photo: BizSparkCamp on 8 March aims to help start-ups get off the ground

In 2009, Mobile World Congress hosted about 47,000 mobile professionals from 182 countries. More than 50pc of these were C-Level executives, and 9,000 of them represented mobile network operators from around the world.

As well as the Global Mobile Awards, the event will feature a conference that will include keynotes from Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Vodafone’s Vittorio Calao and Ben Verwaayen of Alcatel-Lucent.

Siliconrepublic.com will provide reports and analysis from the conference on the latest devices, concepts and strategies that will define the mobile world in 2010.

Newmark and Mullenweg, who are regular keynote speakers at the world's largest technology conferences, will be talking about the lessons and direct experiences in scaling their companies, which have had huge impacts on global commerce and communication, as well as providing inspiration for Irish tech start ups.

Horn will reflect on his experience building successful global companies from Ireland. He will also touch on the broader issue of innovation and Ireland, as well as prospects and opportunities for Irish entrepreneurs over the coming decade.

We would like to welcome DoneDeal.ie as our headline partner. We are also pleased to announce a number of additional partners, including Enterprise Ireland, KPMG, Realex and Trinity College Dublin.

Book tickets to the Dublin Web Summit 2.0 now.

Craig Newmark is founder of Craigslist, which is generally regarded as the website that fundamentally reinvented the classified advertising business model. The site, which had an estimated turnover of US$100 million in 2009, now receives more traffic than either eBay or Amazon, attracting 47 million unique visitors per month.

Matt Mullenweg, the founder of content management system WordPress, which powers more than 202 million websites worldwide, will also speak at the event in Trinity College Dublin.

About WordPress

WordPress will power the Dublin Web Summit 2.0 website, and is used by CNN, the New York Times and Yahoo. In October 2009, WordPress.com attracted 151 million unique visitors.

Newmark and Mullenweg, who are regular keynote speakers at the world's largest technology conferences, will be talking about their experiences in scaling their companies, which have had huge impacts on global commerce, the media and communication.

The event will also feature talks by Chris Horn, co-founder and former CEO of Iona Technologies, which had the fifth-largest IPO in Nasdaq history, and Ben Hammersley, Wired magazine's editor-at-large. 

A panel of Irish technology entrepreneurs will also participate in a panel discussion on innovation and entrepreneurship in Ireland.

To attend the Dublin Web Summit 2.0

Attendees already registered for the event are a who’s who of the Irish tech scene, including Dylan Collins, CEO, Jolt Gaming; Caelen King, CEO, RevaHealth; and Patrick Holohan, CEO, NewBay.

“The Dublin Web Summit is a must-see event for anyone in the Irish technology industry or with an interest in how Web 2.0 has fundamentally changed the world of commerce,” said Dublin Web Summit 2.0 organiser Paddy Cosgrave.

“People will be able to hear the story of websites like Craigslist, which, despite only employing 30 people, attracts more traffic than eBay or Amazon. 

The Dublin Web Summit 2.0 takes place on 4 February in the Edward Burke Theatre at Trinity College Dublin.

The conference will be followed by a post-event networking event, where the 360 present at the summit will be able to meet fellow attendees, enjoy a drink, and exchange business cards.

Photo: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark

Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com