Belfast’s St George’s Market played host to Ireland’s leading business and technology event this week when Digital DNA brought over 1,000 people to Belfast for its biggest and most impactful event yet.
Louise Phelan; Paypal with Simon Hamilton MLA, Finance Minster. Picture: Elaine Hill
Digital DNA 2016, in partnership with Deloitte Digital, brought inspirational speakers and delegates from around the world to Belfast to help businesses grow through a series of engaging talks, workshops and demonstrations. The event was attended by some of the world’s top digital strategists and business leaders from organisations including Uber, PayPal, Atlas, Manchester City, Intel, Seedrs and Google.
Digital DNA 2016 featured over 65 Speakers, 50 Exhibitors, and 18 Workshops across five stages in St George’s Market. Organisations from every industry and level attending the conference were inspired across five key themes; marketing, data, security, fintech and innovation.
The ultimate aim of the technology and business event is to help local companies grow by embracing digital technology. This year, Digital DNA had an impressive international line up from speakers like Elizabeth Filippouli from Global Thinkers Forum, Louise Guido from ChangeCorp, Peter Hughes form Deloitte Digital Canada and Raj Samani from Intel Security.
Picture: Elaine Hill
The event was opened at St George’s Market by Economy Minister Simon Hamilton. Speaking from the event, the Minister said: “Digital innovation plays an important role in day-to-day business in Northern Ireland. We live in an increasingly digital world, and this event highlights how every aspect of business continues to be impacted by technology; from the use of Big Data in HR to R&D innovation in the insurance industry. As local companies acknowledge how digital technology can improve efficiency, they adopt the skills and best practice which ultimately lead to competitive advantage and profitability. Northern Ireland is rapidly emerging as a world-class digital hub and the expertise of our companies in areas such as Cyber Security, Data Analytics and the Internet of Things offer the potential to explore new markets and deliver real economic growth.”
Digital DNA CEO Gareth Quinn added: “We’ve been blown away by the calibre of speakers, the number of delegates and talented exhibitors who’ve helped make Digital DNA 2016 our biggest and best event yet.
Roger Busby; Deloitte Digital with Simon Hamilton MLA, Finance Minster Picture: Elaine Hill
“The event has been a huge success not only for the businesses who’ve attended but for the city of Belfast, with record numbers of business people coming here from around the world to see just how great our city is. Northern Ireland’s marketplace is booming and it’s great to play a role in helping showcase our business credentials to the world.
“On behalf of the Digital DNA team, I’d like to say a huge thank you to our sponsors, delegates, speakers and exhibitors for their help in creating an unforgettable experience in Belfast City Centre.
Councillor Aileen Graham, Chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: “As a key sponsor of Digital DNA, Belfast City Council is committed to supporting those working in the city’s growing digital industries sector. It is an important event helping inform businesses of the emerging technologies and platforms that are available and helping educate and inspire kids, parents and teachers about the potential of a career in digital technology.
Simon Hamilton MLA, Finance Minster with Sinead O’Sullivan; AviOptix, Ex-NASA Picture: Elaine Hill
“The Council has supported a number of industry specific events and conferences during the year including Output Belfast and Beltech 2016 to promote our creative and digital industries to a national and international audience.”
Digital DNA is a leading business and technology event held annually in Belfast, Northern Ireland since 2013. It aims to give businesses the skills, knowledge and understanding to implement digital technology into their operations. Digital DNA does this by showcasing digital leaders and what actions they have taken to help them grow and engage with their audience.
The company aims to inspire entrepreneurs and businesses to embrace digital technology by providing an insight into these thought leaders and help local business owners turn into digital leaders, regardless of their industry.
