I say it every year. Isn’t it an awful shame we lost Web Summit. Last week, it was announced that we’ve also lost MoneyConf, cancelled at relatively short notice, now to become part of the Lisbon Web Summit. Thanks be to jaysus we have Dublin Tech Summit again this April. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be taking a look at what’s on to look forward to, but today I’m going to start with space, space and more space.
A New Space: Moving Into the RDS
It’s partially a symbolic move but mostly a practical move. Dublin Tech Summit has received mixed reviews to date when it took place in the Dublin Convention Center and that’s simply because it outgrew the building. The first event wasn’t too bad, but last year proved to be too much for the event. With one floor closed off, Casey Neistat and a lot of students the whole event ground to a halt.
This year, Dublin Tech Summit moves to the RDS. Formerly the home of Web Summit, the RDS had it’s own problems, namly the WiFi which infamously proved to be a major pain point for CEO Paddy Cosgrave. Still, as a venue, the sheer size of the RDS was incredible for Web Summit. While you can expect to see only a part of the RDS being used for Dublin Tech Summit this year, the potential for expansion is what really excites here. That and there’s a lovely pub across the road.
Chris Hadfield: Extreme Leadership in Space
Up until a few years ago, if you were asked to name an astronaut, there’s a fair chance people could have only named Neil Armstrong. Nowaways there’s a very good chance that Chris Hadfield would also be the name on the tip of people’s tongues.
The former commander of the International Space Station will be at Dublin Tech Summit to discuss extreme leadership and to be fair, he’s well placed.
Hadfield is one of those really cool personalities too, so you can expect his talk to be jammers. To celebrate his appearance, here’s him singing in space:
Alyssa Carson: Bid to Become a Martian
Alyssa Carson is in one of the most unique positions on the planet. Just 17 years of age, Carson is training to be among the first humans to journey to Mars. It’s really not something to be taken lightly. Her eventual journey will be across nearly 65 million kilometers of space. It’s a lonely journey, but not neccessarily a one-way ticket.
Carson’s journey will be long and lonely, fraught with danger and lots plenty of personal sacrifice, but it’s her passion. Her talk on the Wednesday will be surely be riveting and not one to be missed. I’m intrigued to hear about the sacrifice and the mental state of someone preparing for such a harrowing journey.
Dublin Tech Summit takes place on 10 and 11 April this year in the RDS, Dublin. Be sure to throw us a follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to keep up to date with the latest news from the event.
