BarCamp Belfast Tech 'Un'conference' Announced

BarCamp Belfast has cemented its plans to bring an unconventional open-environment conference for collaborative business development and casual networking to Northern Ireland's capital in two weeks.

The event on October 4 will move away from traditional conferences to bring an eclectic day-long feat that is uniquely different from what attendees will have experienced before.

Part of Belfast Tech Week, running from September 28 - October 4 this year, the user-generated unconference is open to individuals from all sectors, including founders, designers, developers, creatives, supporters and more.

Not a wholly new concept, unconferences feature a lack of overt structure, with the non hierarchical arrangement enabling attendees to deliver volunteered talks on a subject of their choosing, rather than specific speakers being selected.

Building on Andy McMillan's 2009 success, organisers Marty Neill (of AirPOS Pay) and Martin Gilchrist (Gilchrist & Co Chartered Accountants) have brought the captivating day to fruition alongside the event's headline sponsors Options Technologies, AirPOS Pay and media partner Excalibur Press.

Speaking on the need for events such as the one scheduled for October, Marty Neill stressed the importance of nurturing in-person learning and social communication. Marty said: "With tech and entrepreneurial culture now very much shifting towards working from home we felt it was more important than ever to get the community together and Belfast Tech Week looked like the perfect time to do it.

"BarCamps and Biz Camps thrived back in the day as places to meet, spaces to learn and as environments where the sparks of starting something were lit.

"We're hoping that we'll see some of the older heads from the original events rubbing shoulders with the new generation of makers and builders, transferring knowledge, making contacts and hopefully sharing some collective wisdom over a pint or two.

"We'll also be helping the Oh Yeah Music Centre in their campaign to buy their building with all proceeds on the day being donated to Oh Yeah."

Featuring two stages, there will be a series of talks on everything from automation, menopause, networking, payments and private AI to net zero, social media, neurodiversity and a very exciting Metaverse launch.

Anyone registered for the event is granted the opportunity to freely discuss topics in front of an audience, granting exposure to otherwise unspoken subjects.

Registration is open and free of charge to individuals hoping to attend the October 4th spectacle.

For more information about #BelfastBarCamp2024 and to register interest for the October 4 event go to barcampbelfast.com