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Conferences

  • This new conference wants to find an African way of doing marketing

    By on 15 February, 2016

    Africa should be at the forefront of creating its own stories, inspiring Afro-centric activities, tools and analytics. That's the thinking behind Africa Marketing Week, a new conference set to bring together thought leaders, captains of industry and influential minds for a three-day event set to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in February 2017. Launched by Living Your Brand (best known for the production of the Integrated Marketing Communication Conference), the conference will include: 60 Speakers from across Africa 4 International keynote presentations 6 Themed tracks 80 Exhibitors and activations 500 Delegates 1500 Visitors “For...

  • UXSA conference promises ‘ all round view of user experiences’

    By on 3 November, 2015

    Attendees of the UXSA conference, set to take place between 24 and 26 November at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, will get an "all round view of User Experiences, from finding out who your customers are and what they need to creating a unique and valuable end user experience for them". That's according to press release issued by the organisers, who say they hope to help shed new light on a conversation that dates back to the building of aeroplane dashboards during World War II. As Theo Sauls, founder of Evenir Pty Ltd (the company hosting the event) notes, UX...

  • #Wired2015: Hollywood makes technologies happen

    By on 15 October, 2015

    Wired 2015 kicked off in usual style with some considerable heartstring pulling and "what's your excuse?" style nudges from speakers like Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to scale Everest, and Avi Yaron -- who created the a 3D medical camera because no-one else had what was needed to look at the tumour in his brain. Attendees were given glimpses into the real lives of slum-dwellers, the real Brazil under a demi-president drug lord, and a thought-providing look at what it really takes to get Guerrillas to change their minds deep in the jungles of Columbia. If you want to...

  • 5 tech conferences you have to attend before 2015 ends

    By on 21 September, 2015

    If your work involves technology at all, you know that knowing what's happening and what's about to happen is tantamount to your success. From origami batteries that stretch to power smart clothing to 3-D printed drones, the world of tech and its horizon is literally new every day. One way to stay abreast of tech's rapid and expansive evolution is to attend tech conferences throughout the year. While they can run the gamut when it comes to theme, location, relevance, and quality, the best ones offer thoughtful and penetrating insight that can keep you on your toes and in...

  • Innovation Summit 2015: Pete Smith on using LEGO as a team building tool

    By on 1 September, 2015

    If you're reading this site, chances are you already know that LEGO is far more than just a toy you used to play with as a kid. But did you know it can help foster a culture of innovation withing companies? Speaking at this year's SA Innovation Summit in Cape Town, Pete Smith shared how he uses LEGO as a tool in bringing out innovation, creativity and facilitating companies. A graduate of Rhodes University, Smith is a professional facilitator and management consultant for LEGO Serious Play and Serious Fun. He lives in Johannesburg and has been involved with the LEGO...

  • 3D printers, cardboard and a giant robot: Omar-Pierre Soubra on the magic of Maker Faire

    By on 31 August, 2015

    Cape Town recently hosted its very first Maker Faire Cape Town. Calling those involved makers, the event saw some 4 000 attendants and over 40 different exhibitors over the weekend, which is a good number for Cape Town. It took place at the Lookout in the V&A Waterfront. The makers showcased a variety of 3D printers, electronics, artwork, and all manner of things created by the exhibitionists. Some of the exhibitions included Arduino Cape Town, the Cardboard Challenge, and a gigantic robot. Besides food stalls outside, nothing at the stands was for sale. This allows the event to be an experience and not...

  • Why South Africa really needs to embrace the Maker Movement

    By on 24 August, 2015

    "More so than any other time, we are able to make things that can actually make a difference," Steve Sherman, the CEO of Living Maths and self-proclaimed maker said at the recent Cape Town Maker Conference. Thanks to the internet, people today have access to more information than ever before. And thanks to things like micro computers, 3D printers, and accessible programming languages people can make more, experiment more and become more self-sufficient. Concepts like crowdfunding, for instance, enable people to finance and share their passions more easily. More than 200 000 people recently pledged nearly US$9-million to bring a...

  • Extra tickets available for Digital Edge Live

    By on 18 August, 2015

    The organisers of digital marketing event Digital Edge Live, now in its seventh year, have put up an extra 500 tickets for sale to the public. The event, which is sponsored by Nedbank and NATIVE VML in collaboration with 360 Degrees, will see the likes of US filmmaker Spike Lee take to the stage at the Sandton Convention Centre on 9 September. “Due to the incredible demand we’ve expanded our capacity in the Sandton Convention Centre Pavilion to allow more delegates the opportunity to see our headline speaker Spike Lee along with a powerful line-up of SA’s leading digital...

  • Accenture partners with TEDxCapeTown to help foster innovation

    By on 13 August, 2015

    Renowned conference TEDxCapeTown will be taking place in the Mother City this coming weekend. Dedicated to the wider TED slogan "Ideas worth spreading", tech consulting multinational Accenture has announced that it's partnering with the event this year. The theme of this year's TEDxCapeTown is "Open Access Ctrl". This resonates with Accenture's vision of encouraging innovation around the globe. The company emphasises that these kind of forward-thinking initiatives are important to help level the global playing field: We now see that South African companies are beginning to apply innovation to their businesses more over the business-as-usual requirement for entrepreneurship, especially as they recognise that...

  • DIY geek-fest Maker Faire comes to Cape Town this August

    By on 7 August, 2015

    If you're into robotics, DIY drones, Arduino projects, space projects and 3D printers, listen up. Cape Town's first Maker Faire is coming to town. Taking place from 20 to 23 August, the world-renowned festival will bring together a motley crew of techies, tinkerers, hobbyists and makers. The event forms part of the third annual Open Design Festival in partnership with Trimble. Described as part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, the Maker Faire is a celebration of the global Maker Faire Movement -- celebrating innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft. Omar Pierre...

  • Tech4Africa Cape Town to explore ‘rise of the underdog’

    By on 3 August, 2015

    Tech4Africa has announced the speaker line-up for its Cape Town event, which takes place on 6 August. Among the speakers are local entrepreneur Nic Haralambous, who'll share his story of selling a mobile startup to building an online shopping company selling socks as well as South African hockey legend Steve Evans, who'll be talking about the “Underdog mentality” and what it takes to bring down Giants. Memeburn Publisher Matthew Buckland will meanwhile talk about rethinking media in the content marketing era. Matty Cohen, who's head of product at WooThemes, will chat about South Africa's WooCommerce journey, which sold...

  • Here’s who’ll be speaking at Digital Edge Live 2015

    By on 21 July, 2015

    Digital Edge Live, the annual digital marketing trends event, has revealed its list of speakers for 2015. Now in its seventh year, the event will be headlined by Spike Lee, who will be joined by the likes of Dr Michael Wu, the Chief Scientist at Lithium Technologies, Musa Kalenga, Client Partner at Facebook, Brent Shahim, Aqua Founder and CEO, John Gevisser, CEO Gamma Fly, Lucia Maseko Nestlé EMENA Regional Digital Champion and Jason Xenopoulos, CEO of NATIVE VML. “Themed Making Stories, the event seeks to understand how to win the hearts and minds of diverse audiences in the digital...

  • Spike Lee to headline Digital Edge Live 2015

    By on 25 June, 2015

    Renowned film director Spike Lee will be the headline speaker at this year's Digital Edge Live event, set to take place on 9 September. The theme for this year's event, which will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre, is "Making Stories" and is all about winning the hearts and minds of audiences in the digital age. Now in its seventh year, Digital Edge Live aims to bring advertisers, agencies, technologists and innovators together to look at the most important digital trends in marketing. “The digital revolution has given rise to a new age of storytelling in which marketers have...

  • Recovering from SXSW FOMO? Don’t worry, so is everyone in Austin

    By on 17 March, 2015

    It's the last day of SXSW Interactive, and finally the rain set in. Judging by the amount of cat love in Austin, rain is keeping people indoors today which is a good thing. Why? Because it gives everyone some time to relax; avoiding lines outside; not running around; not acting out their FOMO. It's coming. #SXSW is the Olympics of #FOMO and we medal every year. pic.twitter.com/DJjNCb4y6R — Dell Blue (@dellcreative) February 27, 2015 South By (short for SXSW) is the ultimate Fear Of Missing Out event. You think you've planned your schedule ahead of time (there's this crazy app sending push notifications on the hottest events...

  • Vinny Lingham to keynote Bitcoin Africa Conference

    By on 16 March, 2015

    Serial entrepreneur and investor Vinny Lingham will be the keynote speaker at Bitcoin Africa Conference which will be taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from 16 to 17 April 2015. A first of its kind for the country, the conference will focus on educating both individuals and business on what Bitcoin is as well as its different applications and associated trends. Thus, some of the speakers will include Brock Pierce: co-founder of Tether and board member of the Bitcoin Foundation, CEO and co-founder of BitPesa Elizabeth Rossiello, and many more. Read more: How bitcoin is fixing some of the web’s...