Scene from Inspirefest 2015. Image via Conor McCabe Photography
What are you doing this summer? Well, if you want to hear some fascinating stories from people you typically don’t see at a sci-tech conference, now’s your last chance to get an early bird ticket.
It’s only a few months until we will enjoy what should be an incredibly exciting few days for Inspirefest 2016, featuring some of sci-tech world’s most inspiring people.
Dozens of speakers are already confirmed for the event, which will take place from 30 June until 2 July, with many more names to join them in the coming weeks.
Here’s a flavour of some of the people you’ll hear if you (smartly) pick up your early bird tickets before they sell out and the offer ends this Wednesday (16 March):
Isis Anchalee – Founder of #ILookLikeAnEngineer
Anchalee found herself as the unexpected leader of an online movement to turn the spotlight on the stereotypes that exist in STEM, asking, ‘what does an engineer look like’?
As the movement’s founder, she believes that cognitive ability is not limited by external appearances and she is an incredibly passionate autodidact and platform engineer at OneLogin.
Niamh Scanlon – EU Digital Girl of the Year 2015
Niamh Scanlon, 13, is EU Digital Girl of the Year 2015, a CoderDojo mentor and an award-winning app developer.
When she was 11, she developed reCharge my eCar, an app to help drivers of electric cars to find charging points and see whether they are available for use, for which she won Coolest Projects and two Eir Junior Spider Awards.
Brenda and John Romero – Award-winning game designers
The duo of Brenda and John Romero is certainly a pairing who has made major strides in the gaming industry both abroad and in Ireland.
As a game designer, Brenda has contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon and Dungeons & Dragons franchises. Away from the machine, her analog series of six games, The Mechanic is the Message, has drawn national and international acclaim, particularly Train and Síochán Leat (The Irish Game) which is presently housed in the National Museum of Play.
Meanwhile, John is best-known as the person behind the iconic gaming titles of Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake, as well as co-founding eight successful game companies, including the likes of ID Software, Gazillion Entertainment and, most recently, Loot Drop, which celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2015.
There’s plenty more speakers too, so keep an eye on the website for who else will be there, and ones added in the coming weeks.
Last year’s inaugural event was an absolute blast, so if you want to really catch the worm, you should head over to the Inspirefest website and snap up the remaining few early bird tickets before it’s too late!
Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Join us again from 30 June to 2 July 2016 for fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation and diversity. Get your Early Bird tickets now.
