infonews.co.nz
INDEX
PUBLIC RELATIONS

Rutherford Innovation Showcase kicks off

Wednesday 21 September 2011, 2:08PM

By NZICT

236 views

New Zealand’s ICT and hi-tech industries will be on show over the next three weeks with a wide range of events and activities.

The events that make up the Rutherford Innovation Showcase, which range from fun activities such as a Schools’ Robotics World Cup to the more serious business of trade and investment, will exemplify New Zealand’s ICT and hi-tech industries.

We have a busy schedule, with five events taking place in the next six days. We also anticipate well over 1000 attendees to attend our free events.

The Rutherford Innovation Showcase began last week with the Canterbury Software Summit in Christchurch, which attracted nearly 500 attendees.

Events will continue Thursday September 22 at Te Papa Museum in Wellington with the Square Kilometre Array Research and Industry Forum, where industry and science will come together to discuss the possibility of building the world’s most powerful radio telescope.

This will be followed by the Digital Content Forum at the same location, which has a fantastic line up of international and local speakers. Representatives from Lionsgate, Google, Weta Digital and more companies will discuss and showcase everything digital.

The following week will begin with the NZ Technology Trade and Investment Forum on Monday 26 September at the Langham Hotel in Auckland. This two-day event will cover topics such as how the ICT and hi-tech industries could become the country’s biggest export earner, the government’s role in growing the industry and a sneak preview of the Technology Investment Network 100 (TIN 100) 2011’s emerging companies.

Following this event will be a networking event for entrepreneurs in the technology space and an event that will look at how cities and communities will change through digital development – The Future Cities Forum on September 28 at the Langham Hotel.

We will then hold a rugby ball kicking competition between robot legs and humans at Victoria Park in Auckland on October 10. Andrew Mehrtens has agreed to test his mettle against these robots and a yet-to-be-named Minister is also rumoured to be polishing his boots for the big day.

The next day – October 11 – we will set up in The Cloud on Auckland’s Queens Wharf with two events: The Schools’ Robotics World Cup and the Technology Jobs Fair. Both events, which run over three days, are sure to be well attended by school children and adults alike.

The Rutherford Innovation Showcase is being organised by NZICT in association with partners New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, ATEED, Ministry of Science and Innovation and the NZ 2011 Office.

All events are open to media.

Event schedule:

SKA Research and Industry Forums - September 22/23 at Te Papa Museum, Wellington

Digital Content Forum - September 23 at Te Papa Museum, Wellington

NZ Technology Trade and Investment Forum - 26/27 September at The Langham Hotel, Auckland

South Pacific Entrepreneurs Networking event - 27 September at Telecom Place, Auckland

Future Cities Forum - 28 September at The Langham Hotel, Auckland

Robots vs human kicking competition - October 10 at Victoria Park, Auckland

Schools' Robotics World Cup - October 11 - 13 at the Cloud, Auckland

Technology Jobs Fair - October 11 - 13 at the Cloud, Auckland