Behind the mask: Software Heroes tell all at local Summit
One of the largest technology industry events in the country, the annual Canterbury Software Summit is set to wow audiences next week with more than 20 Software Hero speakers across four track sessions.
Four hundred delegates have already registered for the conference, which is being held at Addington Events Centre for the third straight year, and the exhibition space has sold out.
The Canterbury Software Cluster and TechDay are excited to launch a new partnership around this popular annual Canterbury Software Summit.
This event is a major highlight on the calendar of industry professionals, with a stellar line-up keynotes and speakers set to share their wisdom and experience while covering everything from US market entry strategies to mobile apps and cloud.
“This year we have seen two large Canterbury software firms list successfully on the stock market – SLI Systems and Wynyard Group,” says Ben Reid, Cluster Chair.
“These businesses are significant exporting contributors to the New Zealand economy and now we need to inspire and support the next generation of Canterbury software firms to succeed.
"The event puts entrepreneurs, investors, executives, developers, testers and managers all in a room together and creates lasting networking benefits to the local industry.”
Our Keynote speakers will set an inspirational tone for the day:
• Claudia Batten, Icehouse (via videoconference) was a founding member of two highly successful entrepreneurial ventures, Massive Incorporated and Victors & Spoils.
• Craig Richardson, Managing Director of Wynyard Group, the crime-fighting software provider that debuted on the NZX in July.
• Hon Steven Joyce, MP for Economic Development, Science and Innovation and one of the most popular and highly rated speakers of the 2012 Canterbury Software Summit.
Our Business Track speakers will discuss export strategies, particularly to the US, with renowned local technology evangelist Ben Kepes hosting a panel discussion with organisers and residents of the Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco and Hal Josephson, an international business development expert, who will talk about eight key skills to empower effective US market entry.
The Technical Track will be a ‘deep dive’ into the case studies and lessons learned of some seasoned development leaders including Ben Baldwin of AdScale, John-Daniel Trask of Mindscape, Roger Jarquin of Wynyard Group and Reuben Bijl of Smudge.
New this year is the Gaming/Animation Track – recognising the huge upsurge of opportunity, investment and talent in this area.
In it we will explore industry issues, including software updates and partnering, and showcase the depth and breadth of genres in this country.
Track speakers include Tim Nixon of Dunedin-based Runaway Play, which creates games inspired by the real world, Israel Cooper of Trigger Happy, which recently launched the much-acclaimed app Toon Hero and Carl de Visser of Grinding Gear Games, makers of Path of Exile.
The Agile Track will update delegates on the latest trends in Agile software development, with case studies from successful implementations at Rakon, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Christchurch City Council.
The Summit will close with a final panel discussion with industry leaders on nurturing the next generation of software heroes, led by Dave Tinkler of McKesson NZ. It is made possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors: SLI Systems, Assurity, Trimble, Blackbay, Sourced, Adscale, Trineo, Payglobal, Wellnomics, CDC and NZTE.
In 2012 the Canterbury Software Summit was the biggest ever with over 500 people registered and one delegate said “I believe you are running one of the best IT conferences around.”
Don’t miss your chance to be part of it in 2013.
For more information visit www.softwaresummit.co.nz
