A revolution is upon us – Intelligent Systems are all around us and they are changing our world in profound and exciting ways. Mobile, social, cloud and big data technologies are converging, creating an explosion of information access and usage.
The Intelligent Systems Summit 2013 provides an exclusive business-to-business platform to share, network and engage in a focused interactive environment with IT industry peers, senior executives, government officials, senior decision makers, IT leaders and internationally recognized academic experts in the area of Intelligent Systems.
The organisers invite Irish companies to take an exhibition stand in the demo area. This is free to EI clients. Other exhibitors include Intel, The New York Stock Exchange, CoderDojo, Here & Now, Northern Ireland Science Park, Citroen Ireland (Intelligent Car Systems), The Nerve Centre, G-Tech Medial Technologies, Invest NI, and many more.
Any exhibitors that are demonstrating IT / Tech systems are welcome.
Enterprise Ireland wishes to determine the level of interest among our client companies to attend Microsoft WPC (July 7-11), VMworld (August 26-29) 2013.
Each of these events
deals with technology internal to your company
targets companies in the US and worldwide market
gives you an opportunity to sell your products both directly and through partnerships
offers access to networking events
Company participation at these events may be part-funded by Enterprise Ireland (subject to eligibility – eligibility will be assessed on a first come first served basis, by the extent of previous EI support for similar events, etc). More details on potential funding will be available at a later date.
If you are a client of Enterprise Ireland and are interested in attending either of these events as part of an Enterprise Ireland group, please fill out this Expression of Interest formbefore Thursday 28th March.
Mobiles now serve as our books, health monitors, payment transfer devices, social connectors and tour guides. Mobile technology is embedded in our cars, homes, appliances, governments and utilities. Mobile World Congress 2013 is the premier exhibition and network event worldwide for this vital industry.The Mobile World Congress will take place in Barcelona, Spain. Click here for details re location, dates and Times.
EI client companies exhibiting at the Irish Pavillion:-
Aislinn Mahon explains how Enterprise Ireland can provide retailers in the UK, and across global markets, with access to emerging technologies from Irish companies with world class solutions for retail. Aislinn is a member of the New Market Entrants Team in Enterprise Ireland UK, and supports the Retailer Solutions Initiative. For more on Retailer Solutions, check out this short video. eTail, the practise of selling products to consumers over the Internet, is a key area for focus for retailers in the UK and across global markets. The UK is Europe’s leading eTail economy and, at £68.2bn in 2011, now accounts for 17% of all UK retail sales. According to IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group), eTail sales are expected to reach £77bn in 2012, and there are now 37m online shoppers in the UK.
Not so long ago, many of the most successful retailers across the UK had little more than transactional websites to offer customers. Nowadays with the prominence of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, customers expect personalised and interactive experiences across all channels, buying when, what, where and how they like.
Bricks and mortar retailing has evolved, and serving this multichannel customer is at the top of retailers priorities. The concept is relatively new in the retail industry, and investment is essential as retailers compete with each other to offer the best multichannel experience for customers. Irish suppliers offer a plenitude of innovative solutions to help retailers in their quest to stand out from the crowd.
Strength of Irish Companies
Every multichannel strategy is underpinned by an ecommerce solution, which enables retailers to optimise the online experience for consumers. Established Irish company Buy4Now, led by CEO Michael Veale, has been assisting major retailers to build this foundation since 2000, and is behind some of the fastest-growing and most successful eCommerce websites.
The 24/7 consumer is always switched on, with touch screen devices such as smart phones and tablets transforming the way consumers interact with brands and retailers. According to KPMG’s latest annual survey, willingness to compare prices and complete transactions on mobile devices has rocketed. Bricks-and-mortar retailers need to respond to this rapidly changing consumer behaviour by directly engaging with their customers using the mobile channel. Tony Burke of Actus Mobile, who have just launched an App for Dundrum Town Centre, Ireland’s largest premier retail location, agrees: “Branded mobile applications built on Actus Mobile’s “Mobishop” platform assist retailers in building customer engagement before, during and after their shopping experience, thus driving footfall and increasing revenue”.
The rate of adoption of tablet usage is on the rise, with retailers striving to optimise this new consumer buying experience, referred to as “couch commerce”. According to Amplience, who has developed a platform for creating and managing multi-channel retail experiences “The rise of tablets is placing demands on retailers and brand owners to create super-rich merchandising experiences in yet another medium, one that constitutes an entirely new channel, with new technology, customer journeys and content and production demands”.
In a world filled with choices, consumers look to their peers for guidance on what to buy online. Customer reviews play an important role in persuading consumers to part with their money. Conor O’Neill, CEO of LouderVoice, the customer reviews solution provider, points to the benefits of investing in this technology: “Reviews grow sales through confidence, feedback, search engine optimization and social media referrals”.
‘eTail at the Embassy’, one of the many activities run by Enterprise Ireland under the Retailer Solutions Initiative
While online sales are on the rise, retailers are still committed to the value they can derive from the traditional, bricks and mortar experience. Indeed the worlds of online and offline are constantly converging, with many stores now offering consumers experiences that are traditionally found online. Eoghan O’Sullivan, CEO of Von Bismark, confirms this; ‘We have developed The Von Bismark Wardrobe platform which allows consumers to physically try on digital clothing, create biometrics profiles and share their experiences via social networks. It allows retailers to lower costs and returns while increasing customer retention and ultimately sales’.
When it comes to paying, customers expect that their experience is fast, secure and convenient, paying how, when and where they like. Realex Payments, who process payments for some of the largest names in retail, help retailers manage international transactions across multiple channels. Consumer payment habits are fast evolving, and managing multiple sales channels is a key challenge area for any retailer.
Not only are consumers becoming more mobile, retailers are too. Worldnet TPS, a provider of multi-channel online payment solutions, has recently developed Payjack, a mobile solution that enables mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets to accept payments. According to Will Byrne, CEO of Worldnet TPS: “This means that now all merchants no matter how big or small can accept credit card payments”.
Retail is a fast paced world, with customers dictating the pace of change. Enterprise Ireland client companies can assist retailers in staying ahead of the game, with a host of innovative solutions that can enhance customer experience and raise the level of innovation.
Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Finance are hosting the World Bank / IFC in Dublin next Tuesday 19 June for a Business Opportunities in Emerging Markets seminar. The focus of this event is investment and procurement opportunities within the World Bank group of organisations.
The event will be held on Tuesday 19 June 2012, 08.30h to 17.30h in the Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2 and will be opened by the Minister for Finance, Mr Michael Noonan TD.
This seminar will be of interest to companies who are interested to learn more about:
- Emerging market trends and opportunities
- The World Bank Group
- Introduction to the IFC – its role, objectives, value proposition, financial products and services
- The role of MIGA
- How Enterprise Ireland, IFC and MIGA can support Irish companies in the emerging markets
- Procurement opportunities at the World Bank Group
ICT is the focus of one of the parallel sessions at 13.30. Jennifer Condon (Divisional Manager, International Traded Services & Software) is facilitating and presenting sector profile & EI supports at this session.
Agenda
08:15 Registration and Coffee 08:50 Opening Remarks, Department of Finance 09:00 Key Note Address: Opportunities for Investment and Growth in Global Markets, Mr Michael Noonan, TD, Minister for Finance 09:15 Welcoming remarks, World Bank 09:30 Trends and opportunities in Emerging Markets, IFC 10:15 Introducing the IFC 11:30 The Role of MIGA 12:15Enterprise Ireland 12:30 Lunch 13:30 Parallel Break-out Sessions (Opportunities in the ICT sector/Agri-business sector/Energy sector) 15:00 Parallel Break-out Sessions (Procurement Opportunities with the World Bank Group / Opportunities in Africa / Opportunities inAsia 16:00 Networking
For further information, please contact Evelyn Smith (01) 727 2717
Some of the key companies of the 16 exhibiting on the Enterprise Ireland stand also included:
Accuris Networks, Wi-Fi Offload and Roaming Inter-Working solutions not just for data offload but voice and messaging also.
Brite;bill, provides latest generation EBPP (electronic bill presentment) capabilities to Telecommunications companies to achieve the three goals of reducing cost to serve, improved upsell and cross sell and reducing churn.
Feedhenrycloud-based Mobile Application Platform solutions that enable the development, deployment, integration and management of mobile apps.
Socowave is launching its UMTS-based active antenna with horizontal /vertical beamforming system at this year’s MWC.
A number of Enterprise clients will also be exhibiting on their own stands including Ezetop, Adaptive Mobile and Openet.
This is a guest post from Dermot Daly, of Irish Mobile Apps development company Tapadoo.
The introduction of the iPhone, along with the ability to create applications to run on the device is said to have created a whole new industry. Ireland has been no exception, with a number of new companies sprouting up offering app development services, or creating their own unique apps over the last couple of years.
With such an interest in app development, and with so many new exciting app companies here in Ireland developing for Apple’s iPhone and iPad we realised that there’s enough interest to hold a world-class conference for the app community right on our own doorstep.
Our discussions took us to consider what would make such a conference unique? We wanted to reflect the passion that developers bring to their apps and to do so, we recognised that excellence is what would tie it together. We wanted to ensure that every aspect of the conference would exude this excellence.
There are three important aspects when organising a conference such as this:
The venue - We wanted to ensure that the venue would impress; Historic in nature, centrally located and well appointed for conferences .
The content – People come for the talks. We contacted the very best speakers; world-renowned in their circles of iOS development, Mac Development and Design.
The experience – we’re attracting an audience from all over the world; we feel their needs should be considered – We’ve picked local entertainment on Friday evening, and have engaged Ross Lewis, of Chapter One to design the menu for our gala banquet.
The result ?
Úll is a conference for iOS / OSX / mobile web developers and designers. The three day event will include workshops, keynotes, talks and in-depth presentations on all the aspects of building, designing and marketing your apps; It will be held in Dublin on April 27th-29th in the Coach House, Dublin Castle. See http://www.ull.ie for more information.
There are a limited number of discounted tickets offered on a first come, first served basis for Enterprise Ireland Client companies. Please contact Ruarí Ó hAilín on Ruairi.OhAilin(AT)enterprise-ireland(DOT)com for details.
There’s clever and there’s very clever, but we reckon the most savvy thing you can do in relation to what is being termed ‘Smart Energy’ is to get yourself to a free workshop (the second in a monthly series presenting opportunities that Ireland’s evolved electricity market will offer this year) that takes place in Dublin at the start of February.
The reason for the Smart Energy workshop is to stay one step ahead of the competition – smart meters are installed in over 60% of commercial properties and households in Finland, and energy supply companies are eager to commercially exploit this growing industry. As Ireland commences the implementation of its own Smart Energy infrastructure – based on successful recent trials – many opportunities exist in this sector, notably from ICT, demand side management and product development for both domestic and export markets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastpole/
The Smart Energy workshop, hosted by Enterprise Ireland in association with Pöyry – a leading specialist in Finland’s energy sector, and the provider of strategic, commercial, regulatory and policy advice to Europe’s energy markets – will provide perceptive insights into this area. If your business is smart meters, and you’d like to learn from Pöyry’s tried, tested and trusted implementation programme (which constitutes a multi million-unit meter rollout), then reserve your place at the workshop as soon as possible. You know it’s the smart thing to do!
The Innovative Energy Solutions and Smart Meters Workshop takes place at EI Head Office, East Point Business Park, Wednesday February 1st, 2pm-5.30pm. Topics covered include the status of smart metering in Finland, Smart Energy infrastructure, and Commercial Opportunities. Places on the workshop are limited, so reservations are recommended. Contact me , Simon.Bradshaw@enterprise-ireland.com for further details before close of business Monday January 30th.
Movidius recently achieved great editorial coverage for its mobile 3D technology in Wired, the UK-based gadget magazine. This is the latest in a long string of strong, on message media coverage we’ve had since we started engaging with the press back in 2008.
Ireland is a hotbed for innovative business. But great ideas do not automatically lead to great coverage. You really have to work at it. Our good friends at Enterprise Ireland asked us if we’d mind outlining a few tips, based on our own experience, to help other Irish companies achieve high end media coverage. We’ve boiled it down to our top ten tips:
1) If you can, employ a PR agency
If budget allows, we’d recommend enlisting a specialist PR company. The quality varies, so make sure you shop around, see a few people, and take recommendations.
There are numerous advantages working with a good PR agency. A credible, established PR agency will have traction with a wide range of publications and will boast excellent media contacts. While the PR agency help build up your relationships with key media, you’ll have more free time to concentrate on your core business.
2) Define what you want to say and keep saying it
Consistent messaging is key and it’s important for everyone in the company to sing from the same hymn sheet. Messages will change over time and should be reviewed regularly to ensure they reflect where you are as a business. Consistent delivery of these messages in all interactions with the media will ensure that over time your key points filter through.
3) Make your offering tangible
Think of your audience when you speak to a publication. While a gadget magazine is interested in the ‘what’s new and cool’ factor, a national newspaper cater for the man on the street so give them something the man on the street can relate to. Spend money on prototyping an end-form-factor-product for any media briefings, or set up an interactive demo.
It is incredibly important, particularly for the national press, that your product or service has a strong visual element. Production of good concept images to illustrate your product or service, at a few hundred euros a pop, should pay you back in increased coverage.
Even the biggest national papers have websites that are crying out for novel, non-textual content. Good videos, flash animations or games that carry your branding can be made for anything from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds.
4) Respect the journalist
Speaking to journalists is not rocket science. Journalists are people too.
Take the time to understand the focus of a target publication, the journalist’s brief and their personal areas of interest. Bear in mind that journalists are one of the most time-starved groups of people you are ever likely to meet. If they don’t have the time, back off. Introduce yourself succinctly and with content that’s relevant to their interests quickly and with civility. An initial email introduction or an invitation to meet face-to-face is a great way to kick start your relationships with the media.
Promoting a product too directly can be off-putting. Focus on the angle and rely on the journalist accrediting you.
By the way, Wired-level publications rarely accept pre-written articles. Make sure you offer key media an interview and flatter them by offering a high-level executive as your spokesperson.
5) Use the news to reinforce your position
If what you do relates to a topic in the news, use it.
If you produce 3D, and a 3D film has just tanked publicly, talk about why. If you produce engineering solutions and something has been designed badly, offer your expert opinion. If somebody criticises your industry area, defend it.
Before you speak to any journalist take a look at the most recent pieces they’ve written as well as researching current news topics you could possibly reference.
6) Think of new, interesting and unusual angles
Think about how you could pitch your story to make sure you’re using every available opportunity to offer unique commentary and insight. If you are the only company offering a particular service or product that puts you ahead of competitors don’t be afraid to shout about it.
Don’t be afraid to go against the grain and offer your side of the story if you disagree with the general consensus but don’t make comments you can’t back up. Be creative without stretching the truth and damaging your credibility
7) Be a thought-leader
Seek to define the way the industry is going and explain certain concepts to the wider world. This will help to position you as a company that really knows what it is talking about, and win the respect of journalists. This kind of non-direct promotional material is more likely to be of interest to the journalist’s readers, and therefore more likely to get published.
8) Think about where your customers are
National press in your home country is always something to be proud of but don’t be afraid to look wider. In Movidius’s case, we’re proud to be an Irish success story but are target customers are spaced out across Europe, Asia and North America.
If you need to achieve media coverage abroad you should consider working with a PR company with international reach and a proven track record in your key markets.
9) Use every channel.
There’s more to gaining coverage than sending press releases and arranging interviews. Use social media like Twitter or LinkedIn to contact national journalists. Social media offers great insight into a journalist’s personal preferences and bugbears and shows that you care about more than just achieving media coverage.
Last but not least:
10) Be patient
Strong media relationships and reams of media coverage doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll need to continually knock at a journalist’s door with topical and interesting news. Regularly issuing interesting press releases with genuine news and updates will ensure you are top of mind with the media. Email first and then follow up with a call and where possible, try to be flexible. Offer telephone briefings, a chat over a coffee or a visit to their offices to show them your product or discuss your service.
It helps if your product is interesting, of course. And even if it is, it’s important to realise that you might only get one bit of coverage from several meetings with a national publication, especially when you’re first starting off.
Patience is key but in the end, perseverance pays off.
This is a guest post from Amy Neale, Marketing and Programme Manager at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC).
We at NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) have just announced that we are now open for applications to LaunchPad. This investment programme is open for applications from digital start-ups from Ireland and internationally, and 15 start-ups will be selected to work with us for a 3 month period starting 13th February 2012. During this time we provide these 2 or 3 man bands with a hands-on, intensive mentoring programme; weekly workshops and networking opportunities with experts; as well as the all important investment of up to €20,000 per project. The three months will culminate with NDRC’s ‘LiftOff’ competition, taking place in May 2012 where the start-ups will present to a room of investors and compete for access to a follow on investment prize fund.
We were delighted earlier in 2011 to be ranked in the ‘Top 10 EU Accelerators’ by the Kauffman Fellows, and – along with Enterprise Ireland’s iGap programme – we have been nominated for Best European Accelerator at The Europas 2011. NDRC LaunchPad is producing award winning startups such as Redeem&Get and Hit the Road, and developing technology entrepreneurs with early stage innovative digital start-ups. We invest in and collaborate with early stage start-ups to establish market focused, technically excellent and profitable ventures.
In 2010–2011 NDRC mentored, trained and developed 39 entrepreneurs, and has to date secured €4.8 million in commercial investment for technologies and start-ups. Just ten days ago, NDRC-backed start-up Redeem&Get won the Spark of Genius Award, giving them access to an ACT Venture Capital term sheet worth €100k. This year NDRC received a record 81 applications for 15 places on the current LaunchPad Programme, with Irish, European and North American start-ups participating.
If you are interested in NDRC LaunchPad, come along to our open evening to meet the team, ask questions and find out everything you need to know about the accelerator programme, before the application deadline of 16th December. This informal evening will be held on Thursday, the 1st of December, and will start at 6.30pm and will run to 8.30pm. It will take place in NDRC’s ‘Digital Exchange’ building on Crane Street, Dublin 8 – please register your details here.
To apply for a place on NDRC LaunchPad visit www.ndrc.ie/launchpad; deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on the 16th December 2011.
NDRC LAUNCHPAD CLOSING DATE 5pm 16th December 2011
