by Steven Kendrick, SICSA Executive Officer
26th April 2018
It might be the very beginning of spring, but here in the SICSA office we are already looking ahead to our main knowledge exchange event of the year “DemoFest: Bringing Research to Life”, which takes place in Edinburgh in the autumn.
We organise a wide range of events, large and small, over the course of the SICSA year (see www.sicsa.ac.uk/events for full details); but I can personally say that organising and attending DemoFest gives me the most satisfaction of them all. DemoFest is aimed at showcasing some of the leading technology and research within Scottish Universities at this moment in time; and it is aimed principally at businesses and the public sector. You can think of DemoFest as a coming-together of research talent, business, the public sector and Government for an evening of cutting-edge technology demo’s; engaging keynote talks and lots of networking. Last year we had over 300 people under the roof, with over 50 technology demonstrations and some really exciting keynote talks. The event was held under the expansive canopy of Our Dynamic Earth, next to the Scottish Parliament. It went so well, that we’re returning to the same venue this year!
Because DemoFest brings together so much variety (both in terms of our tech demo’s and our delegates), the benefits of attending are far-reaching. DemoFest can be an opportunity to sow the seeds for innovative collaboration between Universities and business; or between a University and another University. It can spark the commercialisation of a brilliant idea and begin the path to starting a successful business. It can put employers into contact with some of the brightest people working in technology in the country and vice-versa. It provides a platform to talk about your technology or tell people about your organisation and what it does. And it provides a space for catching up with existing contacts…and making new ones!
So naturally we’re very excited to be planning our 2018 event, which takes place at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on 6th November 2018. Because of the breadth of research and technology under the roof, DemoFest is aimed at businesses of any size, operating in many sectors – including but not limited to Finance, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Big Data, Robotics and AI, Space Technology, Gaming, Energy, and Health & Wellbeing. In May we’ll be opening registration for business and the public sector and it will be completely free to attend the event. Look out for updates on Twitter and www.sicsa.ac.uk/demofest and register early to avoid disappointment – the event fills up fast!
At the current time, we are accepting applications from potential exhibitors and if you are working in a Scottish institution in Informatics and Computer Science we would be very keen to hear from you. Simply complete the short exhibitor survey here and we will be in touch later in the summer.
If you are a public-sector organisation and you wish to exhibit at DemoFest as an “Event Partner”, we are more than happy to provide space in our exhibition hall, close to the research that is most relevant to your organisation. Registration for Event Partners is open at Eventbrite now and it is completely free of charge.
Finally, we’re keen to hear from businesses who are keen to get more involved in the event by becoming a DemoFest Sponsor. By sponsoring this event your business will receive great exposure across our networks and at the event itself. Sponsorship of DemoFest represents great value for your business and it also means that we can continue to deliver the event free of charge for exhibitors and delegates alike! For more information about how to get involved please download our “Opportunities for Sponsors” document or get in touch with me directly at the email address below.
You can find out more about our events, our fantastic research and our funding programmes at www.sicsa.ac.uk, or by emailing me at Steven.Kendrick@glasgow.ac.uk.
DemoFest is delivered by the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) in partnership with ScotlandIS – Scotland’s trade body for ICT.
Steven Kendrick is the Executive Officer for the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA), which represents all 14 Scottish HE Computing Schools/Departments. Steven is responsible for all aspects of the management of the Research Pool.
