Dublin Tech Summit: Exploring What’s Next

From a panel discussion featuring a life-sized humanoid robot to an exploration of the emerging SexTech industry, the first ever Dublin Tech Summit had no shortage of topical content to inspire.

Core themes ranged from Big Data to online marketing, with a host of sector-specific talks covering the areas of FinTech, MedTech and fashion. Dublin Tech Summit CEO, Noelle O’Reilly, explains: “We hope DTS serves as a drawing board for tech leaders and innovators worldwide, stimulating discussion on some of the most topical issues for the coming year such as AI, VR, the Internet of Things, ad-block technologies, and the future of FinTech.”

The two-day conference took place in Dublin’s Convention Centre and attracted an international audience, with over 10,000 people swishing through the centre’s revolving doors.

Emerging Tech

Emerging tech was the focus of day two with Christine Preisach, Head of Data Science in IoT and Predictive Maintenance at SAP, who spoke about the concept of making all applications intelligent. Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn, also gave a compelling argument as to why SexTech is the next trillion-dollar industry.

Experiencing Innovation

There were a range of panel discussions over the course of the two-day event. One featured RoboThespian – a life-sized humanoid robot designed for human interaction – who joined a panel discussion entitled Rise of the Robots. RoboThespian’s creator, Will Jackson noted, “The future of robotics is the future of humanity. Not because robotics alone is more profoundly important than any other technology but because technology itself exists and will inevitably progress.”

Those searching for a hands-on experience headed to the ExpoHall, where Samsung were in attendance offering demonstrations of the latest VR technology. While London Based studio Seeper gave an insight into the intersection of art and technology using 3-D projection mapping. And CoderDojo, a global network of free, community-based programming clubs for young people, were showcasing projects from across the country.

Something for Start-Ups

Budding entrepreneurs were also well-served by the summit. A host of startups tested their mettle at the StartUp100 pitch competition final in which 100 companies from around the world got the chance to connect with investors. And there was expert advice too, with the StartUp Lab offering hands-on seminars and tips on business growth and development.

Networking into The Night

The event’s size offered an unrivalled chance for attendees to network and make connections and for those interested in carrying on the socialising into the night, there were a host of after-hours events around the city.

There’s so much happening in Irish Tech. Take a look at our events section to find out more.