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2012 Software and Service events in US, Canada, UK and Europe; Your Call!

Enterprise Ireland wants to continue to help grow the Irish economy during 2012 with a focus on jobs and exports. For Software and Service companies, a key success factor in growing export sales is taking part in the right event, in the right market, at the right time.

We need your feedback about which events you rate most highly. Take 10 seconds to fill out the form below, and let us know which events you’re most interested in.

More details on these events are at the bottom of this post (click on ‘more’).

Of course, these events are only a small part of the full list of EI Events that are taking placing during 2012. The RSA (Security) , MWC (Mobile World Congress) and SxSW (IT and Digital Media) events are already well underway. If you’re interested in BestConnected updates on EI Software and Service events, and the other activity in the sector, you can subscribe for updates via Email or for updates via RSS

Update; The expression of interest form is now closed. If you are interested in any of the events below, please contact your DA (Development Advisor) – click here to find out the name of your Company’s DA.

IAMCP

The IAMCP is the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners. It is an independant grouping of people and companies within the Microsoft Ecosystem and offer a major opportunity for EI clients to learn, network, and find the best ‘route to market’

In Brussels on 26-27 March 2012, the major event will bring together up to 140 of your IAMCP colleagues from across Europe to network, create business links, and influence the development of vital policies that affect your business. This is a chance to catch up with IAMCP peers, meet new colleagues and forge exciting new business opportunities, as well as to learn more about developing EU policies that affect your business, such as the Single Market, privacy and data protection.

Website: iamcpsummit.com

For more info: Paul.Browne[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Rural Cellular Association

March 28-30 in Orlando, Florida

This is on of the best event to target the tier 2 and 3 carriers in the USA. It is small and the speakers and executives are very accessible.

Website: rca-usa.org/events/spring-expo/2012-spring-expo/916072

Website: rca-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2012-spring-reg-12.19.11.pdf

For more info: David.Smith[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Social : Mobile : Payments Conference

April 11 – 12 in Orlando, Florida

A CxO level event that is focused on the convergence of social media, mobile connectivity and payments technology.

Website: socialmobilepayments.com

For more info: David.Smith[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Security Software & Services Networking Dinner

April , Date TBC, London

Event size 25 EI clients. A business dinner at the Irish Embassy London for clients operating in the information security sector. Information Security Ireland (ISI) was established in 2009 as a networking body to act as a central force in the industry. In addition to 6 founding companies there are now 50 Irish companies operating in the information security sector. Objective is to increase exports by Tier 1-2 clients and provide business development arena for Tier 3 companies, facilitating introductions, new relationships and positioning of suppliers as well as Ireland as source of high quality info security.

Due to the limited size of this event, the final invitee list will aim to achieve the maximum impact on Irish jobs and exports.

For more info: Gavin.McWhirter[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

CTIA 2012

May 8 – 10 in New Orleans, Louisiana

We will have an Ireland Pavilion at CTIA and will host 7 clients

This is the largest wireless show in the USA with 40,000 attendees

Website:ctiawireless.com

For more info: David.Smith[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2012

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2012 takes place in Toronto, Canada from July 8th to 12th and provides a forum for companies to connect with other channel partners and with Microsoft staff, and to learn about the latest Microsoft programs, strategies, and cutting-edge technologies.

The WPC is an annual gathering for the Microsoft partner community to learn about Microsoft’s roadmap for the upcoming year, network and build connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills and techniques. The Microsoft WPC week is anchored around keynote presentations from Microsoft’s senior leaders, training sessions led by partners, Microsoft professionals, and industry leaders and thousands of meetings responsible for many new business transactions.

Enterprise Ireland hope to have a stand at Microsoft WPC and are looking for expressions of interest from client companies to be involved. Please visit Digital WPC to find everything you need to know about the event.

Website: digitalwpc.com/

For more info: Paul.Browne[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

IBC

6 to 11th September. RAI Amsterdam

The IBC Conference is the leading international forum for analysis of the electronic entertainment industry. Attended by the most influential thinkers from the world’s foremost companies including The Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures, Facebook, Microsoft, Vodafone, Liberty Global and ESPN the IBC Conference gives a unique insight into the state of the industry and a glimpse at the roadmaps that will govern its future.

Website: ibc.org

For more info: JanJaap.Dijkman[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Dreamforce 2012

Dreamforce 2012 takes place Sept 18-21, 2012 in San Francisco

Dreamforce is salesforce.com’s annual user and developer conference and the enterprise cloud computing event of the year. This year’s event takes place from September 18-21 at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, and it’s an all-you-can-learn, one-stop-shop for success! There’s no better way to take on the latest advances in cloud computing: sales, marketing, customer service, and social CRM. We’ll have you doing the impossible in no time. The types of companies that attend Dreamforce are just as varied—ranging from large enterprises to small startups. From long-time customers to those just implementing Salesforce CRM. And from ISVs to systems integrators. More than 350 of the leading solution providers in cloud computing. From more than 40 countries across the globe.

Website: http://bit.ly/mX3B3I

For more info: William.Corcoran[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Oracle Open World

The Oracle Open World Conference 2012 takes place September 30th to October 4th in San Francisco.

It provides an opportunity for companies to connect with other channel partners and with Oracle staff and keep abreast of the latest Oracle trends through keynote sessions, forums, demos, and exhibitions created by and for Oracle business and technology users. It offers a premier chance to meet partners, industry luminaries, and experts for education and networking. With more than 1,800 sessions, 400 partner exhibits, and hundreds of demos to explore, Use this opportunity to meet with Oracle industry leads and product managers, to understand their strategy and to position yourself in the Oracle eco system.

Enterprise Ireland hope to have a stand at Oracle Openworld and are looking for expressions of interest from client companies to be involved.

Website: oracle.com/us/openworld

For more info: Paul.Browne[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Showcase Ontario , Canada

First week of September, dates TBC

Showcase Ontario is the Ontario Government’s primary technology event. Following the interest in Irish companies at GTEC, (the equivalent federal government event), Enterprise Ireland will be taking a stand at Showcase with limited space for a number of Irish companies. This will be an opportunity to find out about potential opportunities in supplying to the Ontario government, and to network with senior IT and technology heads over the course of the conference.

Website: http://www.showcaseontario.com/

For more info: marguerite.bourke[at]enterprise-ireland.com

Financial Services Networking Dinner

15th November, London

Event size 25 EI clients. Increase exports by Tier 1-2 clients and provide business development environment for key Tier 3 companies, facilitating introductions, new relationships, more effective positioning in a risk averse industry. Position Ireland as source of high quality financial services and solutions and Enterprise Ireland as an important partner organisation to UK institutions.

Due to the limited size of this event, the final invitee list will aim to achieve the maximum impact on Irish jobs and exports.

For more info: Gavin.McWhirter[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

PhoCusWright Travel Conference

The annual PhoCusWright conference brings the most influential industry leaders together to debate and define the most influential trends shaping the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Top executives, visionary thinkers and innovators from across the world attend this engaging conference. The Travel Innovation Summit@The PhoCusWright Conference shines the spotlight on the new applications and ideas that change the industry.

Scottsdale, AZ November 2012

Website: phocuswright.com

For more info: Edel.Coen[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

Telecom Time

12th and 13td December Expo Houten, The Netherlands

The largest and most visited trade fair for telecom professionals in The Netherlands. The fair gathers suppliers of telecom equipment, system integrators, and telco operators.

Website: telecomtime.nl

For more info: JanJaap.Dijkman[at]Enterprise-Ireland.com

CTIA, Dreamforce, IAMCP, IBC, Mobile, Open World, Payments, PhocusWright, Rural Cellular Association, Security, Showcase Ontario, Social, Telecom Time, WPC

London Web Summit

Following on from the success of the Dublin Web Summit in 2011, the 19th of March will see two of the best know web events for start ups join forces for the first time. GeeknRolla and the Dublin Web Summit, are merging to create the London Web Summit.

TechCrunch Europe Editor Mike Butcher will co-curate the Summit with Paddy Cosgrave of the Dublin Web Summit. With a focus at the summit on Trends in Local, Social and Mobile, Growth and Investment Strategies for Start Ups and Insights on Cloud and Data, speakers at the Summit include an array of exciting speakers including Matthew Prince Founder, CloudFlare, Jason Goldberg, Founder of Fab.com, Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital, Jessica Powell, CMO of Badoo and many more.

“We’re really delighted to be teaming up with the Dublin Web Summit lads. They’ve managed to do it again and put together a fantastic lineup of incredible speakers. Hopefully we’ll have a bit of that Irish magic in London for the London Web Summit”

-TechCrunch Europe Editor Mike Butcher

There is a lot of buzz around the event with over 350 people registering to attend within the first 3 days of registration. Paddy Cosgrave encourages Irish startups to get get over to the event:

“We’re offering Irish startups an opportunity to exhibit at the London Web Summit and we’ve seen quite a number of investors sign up, people from Accel, Atomico, Balderton, Index, Graylock and many more, so its a great opportunity to meet some of the top investors in London. For any startups under two years old we’re also running a startup competition to find the top five startups who’ll present in front of an audience of 800 at the end of the day.”

For more information about the event and the opportunity to showcase your company as one of Europe’s hottest start ups, see the startup competition entry.

Enterprise Ireland will be supporting the event and the London Web Summit have agreed a rate of £995 + VAT to any Irish companies who wish to exhibit at the event.

To avail of this special exhibition rate, please contact the London Web Summit directly on bronagh@websummit.net

Trade fair support from Enterprise Ireland may be available to Enterprise Ireland client companies only (subject to eligibility) up to the value of 50%. For more information, Enterprise Ireland clients need to discuss their eligibility with their Development Advisor directly.

For general information, please contact Claire Bodys on Claire.bodys@enterprise-ireland.com

How Movidius got covered by Wired Magazine (and how you can too)

Posted by Jean O'Sullivan on 6 December, 2011 in Mobile | Mobile Solutions | UK | US - (Be the first to comment)

This is a guest post from Bob Tait, Director of Marketing, Movidius ,a maker of 3D chips for Mobile devices, who have just secured $9m in funding.

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.

3D, Movidius, Potential Exporters, Wired

DrupalCamp Derry – October 22nd & 23rd 2011

Posted by Robert Bushnell on 13 October, 2011 in Event | Ireland | Open source | Training | UK - (1 Comments)

This is a guest post from Conor Cahill who uses Drupal to make people friendly and search engine friendly websites.

What do the White House, Oxfam International and Bob Dylan have in common?

All have noteworthy websites built with Drupal – an open source content management platform which powers millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world.

DrupalCamp Derry is geared to both beginners and those experienced in using and developing Drupal – with a view to learning about and sharing knowledge of Drupal.

Experienced developers will enjoy lightning talks on topics including responsive design and development best practice, as well as practical problem solving discussions. Beginners will enjoy a 3 hour training session in getting started with Drupal.

The conference is free.

Community, Content, Derry, Developer, Drupal, DrupalCamp, Learning, LondonDerry, Management, Northern Ireland, Open source, Potential Exporters

Quest looking to hire a Professional Services Manager in Dublin

EI Client Quest are entering a phase of growth and are looking to hire a Professional Services Manager, based in Dublin. Quest produce and service Grant Management software for the Public and Private sectors.

Quest is a profitable indigenous Irish software company, founder led with 40 employees and further new hires planned in 2011. The company consists of a services business based in Ireland and a product based business ( international clients in UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada and Germany), with resellers in Canada, Malaysia and Netherlands.

(more…)

Guardian TechWeekly Coverage of Ireland

Posted by Paul Browne on 2 December, 2010 in eMarketing | Links | UK - (Be the first to comment)

Thanks to Ray and a lot of other people behind the scenes, The Guardian Tech Weekly had a good visit to Ireland, with a lot of follow up coverage of EI Client companies in what is probably the most influential tech section in the UK.

The full Podcast is here, a quick overview of what’s in the Podcast and an ongoing summary of the UK view of what is happening in Ireland’s technology Sector and all live on the Guardian site.

MicksGarage looking for a Head of Online Marketing – could it be you?

A client company I’ve been working with over the past few months, MicksGarage www.micksgarage.ie, is recruiting for a Head of Online Marketing. MicksGarage is a young, exciting, fast growing, iGAP company well known in Ireland and the UK.

The successful candidate will be someone who has strong online marketing skills with a specific focus on the UK market.

Key responsibilities include: (more…)

International Markets Week – 1,660 Meetings with 660 Irish Exporters

The RDS has seen many big events over the years; Rugby Internationals, Horse Shows and even Bruce Springsteen concerts. But perhaps the biggest event, at least from the viewpoint of the Irish Economy, is happening next week; Enterprise Ireland’s International Markets week where (at the time of writing) 660 EI clients will meet my overseas colleagues all with aim of gaining more exports, and export led jobs.

(more…)

1) If you can, employ a PR agency

2) Define what you want to say and keep saying it

3) Make your offering tangible

4) Respect the journalist

5) Use the news to reinforce your position

6) Think of new, interesting and unusual angles

7) Be a thought-leader

8) Think about where your customers are

9) Use every channel.

10) Be patient

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