Conference News: Web Summit Dishes on Doha; Rebranded AI Summit; IOT CFP

Not just AI: AI Summit West has been reborn and rebranded as Applied Intelligence Live! Informa Tech believes “that four key disciplines and technologies comprise the Applied Intelligence concept: data science, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), quantum computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).” Therefore, they have decided to merge IoT World Conference & Expo and The AI Summit into one official event happening on 20 – 21 September in Austin. The organization will still host its AI Summit New York in December in the Big Apple. 

Data Down Under: In 2022 Economist Impact launched a virtual conference series, sponsored by IBM, that explores how organizations can harness the disruptive power of data. Programmed by Economist Impact and supported by IBM, The Data Dividend events “bring together pioneering leaders in government and industry to discuss how to establish the strategy, culture and skills needed to foster a data-driven enterprise and cultivate new ways of thinking and working for continued success.” While The Economist did have a few international locations on the calendar last year, they have added a new destination for 2023. On 16 November, Data Dividend will be in Sydney, Australia to consider what is top of mind for data and analytics leaders in 2023 and what key challenges they are facing.

Speaking Opportunity: The IOT Solutions World Congress is dedicated “to creating a dialog between leaders that are driving powerful digital innovation initiatives and are transforming the industries.” Next year’s event will be held at the Gran Via Venue in Barcelona from 21-23 May 2024. They are now seeking industry end-user presenters who can share case studies of how they are utilizing technologies such as AI, Digital Twins, AR/VR, 5G, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Big Data and Robots to evolve their businesses. If you have a story to tell, suggest it here before the 16 October deadline.

Conference Manager Q&A: Brian Curran, is SVP of Speaker Programming at Web Summit. In April, the Web Summit team announced that they would be expanding into the Middle East with Web Summit Qatar, happening from 26 – 29 February 2024 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). We sat down with Brian to get the scoop on the newest edition to the roster of Web Summit events.

Speaker Strategies: Why did you decide to hold your newest edition of Web Summit in Qatar?

At Web Summit, our main goal is to bring people together to make meaningful connections. Over the last few years, we have sought to expand, bringing people from across the globe to Portugal, Canada, Asia and Rio de Janeiro. When we decided to establish an event in the Middle East, an area experiencing such rapid advances in technology, we knew Qatar was the right place for us. Web Summit Qatar aims to connect a new generation of founders in the Middle East to investors, journalists, customers, partners and more around the world. We believe hosting this event in Doha represents a new opportunity to develop an already fast-growing tech scene in the region.

Speaker Strategies: How do you determine which topics/themes to focus on each year?

We have an incredible team of producers who keep their ear to the ground for emerging trends and ideas, alongside evergreen topics in technology and business. But the topics are only half the battle!

Our producers also do an incredible job in gathering the most groundbreaking and innovative industry leaders and entrepreneurs as speakers, that lead to interesting and thought-provoking conversations on stage, always keeping our audience in mind. Our audience wants to hear from industry experts and leaders of today, but also to know what’s coming ahead in the next year, five years, ten years and beyond.

Speaker Strategies: What about the event excites you the most?

A first-year event has a momentum and an energy that is hard to replicate. Web Summit Qatar represents a new opportunity to develop an already fast-growing tech scene in the region. We have several new tracks, including Energy, which will explore the world’s energy dynamics, and Machine, which will look at the future of transportation and sustainability in the auto industry. I’m also really looking forward to hearing more about artificial intelligence at the event. AI is the hottest topic in the world at the moment, and we will tackle its potential to disrupt almost every industry, hearing from early-stage AI startups to the biggest software companies in the world and how they are embracing AI.

Coming Up Next Week: NEXT (29-31 August; San Francisco) is Google Cloud’s annual event for customer, partners, and employees to help increase their technical mastery of AI, developer tools, and security concerns, especially related to Google’s products. IFA celebrates 99 years of showcasing consumer electronics and home appliances when it runs 1-5 September in Berlin. Fun fact: Albert Einstein opened the show in 1930! DigiMarCon UK is held 31 August – 1 September in London, offering education and networking for the digital marketing, media, and advertising world. Financial Times continues its FT Live online series with a fresh look at Improving Healthcare Outcomes for Patients in the US on 30 August. This webinar will explore the changing operational and regulatory landscape in which healthcare organizations now function. And finally, online attendees can tune in to the Argyle CX Webinar: Turning Hype into Action: Get Real with Generative AI in Customer Service on 30 August, to find out what the future holds for AI in customer experience and how to get started.