northern ireland’s biggest tech and digital event

belfast
2024

Digital DNA

The home of local tech communities with Global Ambitions

where

the future

begins

Join 2,000 people from right across the tech ecosystem in Northern Ireland, to explore what the future looks like, connect with the change-makers tackling the biggest challenges facing business and society, and learn about the innovations that are changing our world today.

startups

startup village • investors • office hours • live pitches

4 stages

main stage • reboot • imagine • frontier •
Featuring 100+ speakers

networking

matchmaking app • After PArties • vip dinners • meeting areas

doors open

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Secure your place and book today

featured speakers

Maria Purcell

VP, Head of International Advertising | Insider

Lory Kehoe

Chairman | Blockchain Ireland & Former Coinbase

Ross Hompstead

Site Lead | Asos NI

Aga Siugzdinis

head of digital | synechron

oli hills

ceo | nonsensical

Morné Rooschuz

Head of QA Engineering | Aflac ni

Gavin shorten

Leader | OpenXChange at IBM

Eithne Devine-Hynes

Global Program Director | Dell

Bobby healy

ceo | manna drone delivery

Ruth McGuinness

Head of the Data & AI | kainos

Some of our previous speakers have come from the biggest companies in the world

aws
Paypal
nyse
adobe
salesforce
visa
nasa
starling bank
pwc
google
hp
cisco
meta
nextdoor
bt
microsoft
intel
twitter
hubspot
insider inc.

mcdonalds
Allstate
BBC
verson1
kainos
kainos
united nations
aflac
rakuten
bazaarvoice
songtradr
first derivative
tech nation
liberty it
seagate
citi

schedule

Our Stages

Schedule Subject to Change

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The Main Stage at Digital DNA is where the future begins! The main stage features keynote talks and thought-provoking panel discussions from influential thought leaders and experts in the world of technology. Attendees can expect to hear from pioneers who are shaping the future of technology, exploring topics ranging from cutting-edge developments in AI and robotics to the latest trends in cybersecurity and digital transformation. With a focus on sharing insights, sparking debate, and inspiring action, the Main stage offers a unique opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the trends and innovations that are at the intersection of business, society and technology.

Time	Track	Talk Title	Speakers
0945	Blockchain	Has the Blockchain bubble burst?	Lory Kehoe \| Coinbase
1015	AI	What are the risks of using AI in your business: Hype vs Reality?	Jack Balmer, Rory Campbell, Lewis Silkin & Guests
1045	Innovation	Imagining the Future of Sales	Eithne Hynes \| Dell
1115	Leadership	Surviving & Thriving in Uncertainty: Grit and the Evolution to CTO	Sean Devlin, MCS Group & Emma Pollock, Fintru
1145	Climate Tech	Innovative ESG technology powering a sustainable future?	Fiona Lehane, Anu Thomas, Kieran Bell \| PwC
1215	Marketing	The Road to Responsible Growth	Maria Purcell \| Insider
1245	Marketing	Unlocking the power of TikTok for your business	Oli Hills \| Nonsensical
1315		Lunch
1345	Startups	From back of the napkin, to hackathon and beyond	James Matchett and Josh Beatty \| Kainos
1400	Leadership	Embracing the Future of Leadership	Ross Hompstead \| ASOS NI
1430	Big Data	Unlocking the Value of Financial Services Data Through Monetization
1500	Starups	Irish Tech Ecosystem Fireside chat with Bobby Healy, Manna Drone Delivery (ex Cartrawler)	Bobby HEaly \| Manna Drone Delivery & Charlie Taylor \| Business Post
1530	Future Startups	Digital Futures Final Pitches
1615	Innovation	Disruptive Tech Today	Jason McBride, Daniel Murphy, Tara Simpson, Kyle Davidson
1645	Future Startups	Digital Futures Results
1700		Close

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The Imagine stage is where creative professionals come together to share their visions and insights on how technology is transforming the creative industries. Speakers on this stage will explore the intersection of technology and creativity, showcasing how cutting-edge tools and techniques are being used to create immersive experiences, innovative marketing campaigns, and much more. The Imagine stage is a place to be inspired by the incredible work being done by those pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with technology, and to gain valuable insights into how these technologies can be harnessed for the benefit of businesses and audiences alike.

Time	Track	Talk Title	Speakers
1000	VR & AR	The Art of Immersion: Creating Memorable Experiences with Emerging Technologies	Lucy Baxter, Dominic Holmes, Eva Robison & Michael McGlade
1030	Content Creation	AI in Journalism: How Insider is using AI to compliment its digital journalism	Harry Hope \| Insider
1100	AI	Beyond the Hype: Navigating the Impact of AI in Business	Andrew Gough, GCD Technologies
1130	Film & Gaming	The Future of Storytelling: How Technology is Transforming the Film and Gaming Industry</strong?	Emma Rose, Moderator – Rory Clifford NI Screen, Donal Philips , QUB, Mark McCourt,
1200	UI & UX Design	How generative AI is impacting UX & UI Design	Aga Siugzdinis \| Synechron
1230	Machine Learning & AI	The Art of Machines: Redefining Creativity with AI at the Helm	Jerry Staple, Origin Digital & James Griffiths, DWF (Northern Ireland) LLP
1300		Lunch
1330	Marketing	Innovative Marketing in the Age of Technology	Jamie Gordan, Andi Jarvis, Fiona Browne, Ryan Clarke
1400	Marketing	The Importance of Brands’ Unique Digital Presence through Creative Content	Matthew McGeady & Callum Bailie, Right Now Social
1430	Marketing	The robots are already here. How to use AI and automation in Digital Marketing before they replace you	Jason Riahi \| Web Bureau
1500	No Code	Should Low Code Platforms Co-Exist in a Business?	Jonathan Watters, PwC & Guests
1530	Content	Don’t Believe Your Eyes: Can the law do anything to combat deepfakes?	James Griffiths \| DWF

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The Frontier stage is where the most forward-thinking technologists and innovators come together to explore the latest trends and innovations that are shaping our future. With a diverse range of topics including blockchain, cyber security, climate tech, future of work, and entrepreneurship, the Frontier stage is a hub of cutting-edge ideas and insights. Speakers on this stage will share their expertise and experiences in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing society today, from building sustainable technology to creating innovative solutions for the future of work.

Time	Track	Talk Title	Speakers
1000	R&D	Harnessing Academic Research to Drive Product Development	Philip McDonough Richard Newman Vishal Sharma Federico Cruciani
1030	Diversity & Inclusion	Inclusivity, Diversity & Equity in the Future Tech. Sector: Showcasing Next Practice
1100	Startups	Stepping into Startups: Journey into Tech	Ryan OReilly, NetworkFit Olanike Adebayo, Adexa Laboratories Stephanie McEvoy, Farming Carbon Jenny Ervine, Raise Ventures
1130	Startups	Listening and Learning from the Ecosystem – Insights and Lessons from a Turbulent year in the IT Industry	Gavin Shorten \| IBM
1200	Digital Transformation	Growing Your Digital Business	Brenda Clerkin, Queen’s Management School Jemma Simpson, Diverse Talent Ian Wilson, IBC Music Arron Ayre, Alsop Software
1230		TBC
1300		Lunch
1330	R&D Tax Credits	Tax for the Tech Sector	Richard Blakeman, ASM Chartered Accountants Caelan Kelly, ASM Chartered Accountants
1400	QA Testing	Accelerating Automated Testing with Visual AI	Morné Rooschuz, Aflac Northern Ireland
1430	Innovation	Igniting Innovation – From Disruption to Dominance
1500	Innovation	Are the Robots coming for my Job?	Andrew Kirke, Tughans & John Bustard, Queen’s University Belfast
1530	Learning & Development	Uncover your hidden talent through impactful L&D	Diane Morrow, Aflac NI
1600		TBC
1630	Leadership	Hive Mind: Harnessing Bee-Inspired Wisdom for Teamwork, Leadership, and Diversity	Jonathan Sinclair, Inclutech

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The Re[boot] stage will feature lightning talks that focus on the advancement of coding and software development. Here, engineers, researchers, and software developers come together to share their insights and expertise on the latest trends and innovations in the world of coding. From cutting-edge programming languages to the latest tools and frameworks, speakers on this stage will cover a wide range of topics that are of interest to developers at all levels of expertise.

Time	Track	Talk Title	Speakers
1000	Devlopers	career.Change() – From Civil Servant to Software Engineer in Slightly Over a Year	Michael Way \| Asos NI
1030	Big Data	Data is Business, Business is Data	Jason Bell \| Synthetica Data
1100	UI & UX	Navigating the Path to UX Design	Laura Shevlin \| Pytilia
1130	Machine Learning	Automation with Large Language Models at Allstate	Barry Dillon \| Allstate NI
1200	UI & UX Design	For the User Experience team of one	Lucy Cook \| DHD
1230	KDB+	From Wall Street to F1: Data and the Need for Speed	Ronan Corkery \| First Derivatives
1300		Lunch
1330	Mobile App Development	Innovate Faster, Deliver Sooner: Supercharge Mobile App Development with React Native and Expo	Nick Cousins \| Agilicent
1400	GraphQL	GraphQL: Getting to a Production Deployment
1430	Green Tech	Machine Learning and Green Tech in Energy Management	Aisling Spain \| The Electric Storage Company
1500	AI	Callie: AI for Healthcare	Matthew Fitch & James McGrath \| Bazaarvoice
1530	Diversity	Being autistic, neurodivergent and talent for tech roles- is there a link?	Sharon Didrichsen \| Specialisterne
1600	Data Mesh	Data Mesh: The “What”, “Why”, and “How”	Conor McCormick , Gavin Sinnerton, Shane O Hanlon \| Synechron

tickets

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