Major Name for Digital Conference

News release

14th February 2013

A man whose digital expertise saw him become one of the youngest Chief Technology Officer (CTO) ever to appear in the FTSE 100 will offer his advice at the free onlincolnshire Digital Conference in March.

Entrepreneur and investor Rob Wilmot, who helped found Internet service provider Freeserve in the 1990s before the firm was sold to Wanadoo for £1.6 billion, is in international demand as a speaker and has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the 13th March conference at DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln.

Rob, who is non-executive director of the Cabinet Office’s Government Procurement Service with responsibility for digital services and also founded cloud computing service Crowdicity which is used by John Lewis Partnership, LEGO, NHS and Ofsted, said: “Since the 90s technology has advanced at an often bewildering pace.

“I was to be born at a time where, in my mid-twenties the CD-ROM and the PC became the norm, and the Internet was emerging. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of the development of how people use the Internet by introducing new products and services. I understand first-hand what kind of things businesses need to be on the look out for.

“It’s vital that businesses have a thorough understanding of what services – like cloud computing, online voice and video communications and other online tools and services – so that they can keep up with emerging competition and maintain their competitive edge.

“I’ll be giving advice on how you can incorporate cloud-based services to improve efficiency, leverage social media as a business generation tool and also taking a peek at what’s on the horizon.”

Lincolnshire County Councillor Kelly Smith, Executive Member for Finance and HR, said: “The county council will soon be rolling out first-class broadband across Lincolnshire. This conference will be a chance for businesses to find out more about the opportunities this will bring for them.

“Many businesses aren’t aware yet of how to take advantage of the digital services that come with better broadband, and the many commercial opportunities through improved efficiency, connection with customers and exposure to an expanding global market. Our aim with the conference is to change that. And with a major keynote speaker like Rob Wilmot in the line-up this is one event local businesses can’t afford to miss.”

Also speaking is Stephen Parry from Lloyd Parry, Trefor Davies, from Timico Technology Group, Jonathan Fitzgerald from Lincolnshire County Council’s communications and Richard Duxbury from Lincolnshire Media, which publishes the Lincolnshire Echo. Delegates will get a chance to take part in a question and answer session with all the speakers.

Stuart McFarlane from CDI Alliance, which is organising the event on behalf of onlincolnshire, said: “All our speakers will offer a unique take on how to use the Internet and digital technology to improve business, and our keynote speaker is a particular draw.

“Rob is a truly great presenter with an inspiring business story to tell about seeing an opportunity, changing the way the company did business, improving customer service and making technology work for him and his customers.”

The idea behind the event is to inform, engage and connect Lincolnshire businesses so they don’t get left behind the rest of the UK when superfast broadband arrives. The conference is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and organised by digital specialists CDI Alliance on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council.

Keep up to date by visiting www.onlincolnshire.org, following @onlincolnshire and #godigital2013 on Twitter or by joining the onlincolnshire Business Support group on Linkedin. You can also follow Rob Wilmot on Twitter at @robwilmot.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About the conference

• The conference will take place between 8.30am and 12.30pm at DounleTree by Hilton Lincoln on Wednesday 13th March.
• At the event selected suppliers and Digital Business Cluster members will also showcase and demonstrate their online and digital products and services to the delegates, highlighting the local knowledge, skill and expertise available within the county.
• Stephen Parry from Lloyd Parry, will explain how companies can encourage their employees to be more creative and innovative; Trefor Davies, from Timico Technology Group will look at the technologies available and offer examples of how some Lincoln-based businesses have benefited from new digital services; Jonathan Fitzgerald from Lincolnshire County Council’s communications team will demonstrate the power of social media; Richard Duxbury from Lincolnshire Mediamwill explain how the media industry has adapted to the digital age to continue provide news to the local community.      

About onlincolnshire

• onlincolnshire is a £57 million project run by Lincolnshire County Council which aims to provide broadband speeds of at least 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) for 90% of homes and businesses in the county, and a guaranteed 2Mbps for the remaining premises by 2015.
• onlincolnshire is part-funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013
• Some Internet users in rural Lincolnshire experience speeds of less than 1 Mbps. The UK’s average broadband speed is 7.6 Mbps, according to Ofcom.
• The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

Cerri Delaney
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
07985 143990
cerri@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @CerriDelaney

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