Super heroes will reveal secrets at Software Summit

Gadzooks! Super heroes will reveal secrets at Software Summit

When: Thursday 3 October 2013
Time: 11:45am – 6:00pm, with networking 6:00 – 8:00pm
Where: Addington Events Centre, 75 Jack Hinton Drive, Addington, Christchurch
Cost: Free for Cluster Members, $95 + GST for Non-Members
Website: http://softwaresummit.co.nz/

Press release, 1 October 2013, Canterbury Software Cluster, Christchurch, New Zealand: One of the largest technology industry events in the country, the annual Canterbury Software Summit is set to wow audiences on Thursday with more than 20 Software Hero speakers across four track sessions covering everything from US market entry strategies to mobile apps and cloud. Tickets are selling out fast with over 475 delegates already registered for the conference, which is being held at Addington Events Centre for the third straight year. The new exhibition area has sold out.

“Every year the Summit evolves to reflect changes in the local industry,” says Ben Reid, Chair of the Canterbury Software Cluster Committee. “In 2013 we’ve added a fourth track session, Gaming/Animation, recognising the huge upsurge of opportunity, investment and talent in this area. These track presentations will explore industry issues including live updates and partnering, as well as showcase the depth and breadth of game genres in this country.

“The industry has also been really energised by the successful stock market listing of two large Canterbury software firms in the last 12 months: SLI Systems and Wynyard Group. Now we need to inspire and support the next generation of Canterbury software firms to succeed – and that’s why we’re wrapping up the day with a new panel discussion to tackle that topic,” says Reid. The closing panel will be moderated by Dave Tinkler of McKesson NZ and feature speakers Craig Richardson, Hal Josephson and Ben Kepes as well as NZ Technology Industry Association CEO Candace Kinser and University of Canterbury Computer Society student president Sam Jarman.

The 2013 speaker line-up is:

Keynotes
• Claudia Batten, Icehouse (via videoconference): "Navigating the #SquigglyLine: how to be anything but average"
• Craig Richardson, Wynyard Group: "Software Heroes: Building companies that matter"
• Hon. Steven Joyce, Minister of Science and Innovation

Business Track
• Ben Kepes, Diversity.Net & Cat Robinson, Kiwi Landing Pad: "Hitting the ground running - a Silicon Valley masterclass on how Kiwi companies can enter the US market"
• Ross Peat, KlickEx: "From coins to the cloud"
• Hal Josephson, MediaSense: "Super power-up for success in the US"
• James Kyd, Tait Communications: "Tait - Journey to a Global Solutions Company"

Gaming/Animation Track
• Tim Nixon, Runaway Play: "Creating a world worth caring about"
• Israel Cooper, Trigger Happy: "Developing a commercial business model: A lesson in strategic partnerships"
• Carl de Visser, Grinding Gear Games: "Updating a live game: Production for Path of Exile"
• James Tan, Digital Confectioners: "Build 1.x instead of 1.0"

Technical Track
• Roger Jarquin, Wynyard Group: "Connecting the dots - applications of computational intelligence - Building Wynyard intelligence"
• John-Daniel Trask, Mindscape: "Architectural challenges of building Raygun.io"
• Ben Baldwin, AdScale: "Real world experience with Amazon AWS cloud infrastructure"
• Reuben Bijl, Smudge: "Smartphone OS wars. A brief history and why Google doesn't care who wins."

Agile Track
• Edwin Dando, Assurity: "Agile: Beyond software"
• Steve White, Rakon: " Empowerment in Agile software development "
• Leonie Rae, Christchurch City Council: "The Agile experience at CCC...a case study”
• Ben Casse, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare: "Beyond the backlog"

The Canterbury Software Summit 2013 is made possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors: SLI Systems, Assurity, Trimble, Blackbay, Adscale, Trineo, Sourced, PayGlobal, Wellnomics, CDC and NZTE, and our media partner Techday. The event opens on Thursday 3 October at 11:45am, with the main conference programme running all afternoon from 12:15pm to 6:00pm. The networking event follows from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Registration is free for Canterbury Software Cluster members and $95 plus GST for non-members. Non-members can save $10 by becoming an individual member for just $85 plus GST. Cluster membership provides free access to all monthly networking events, as well as one free registration for the Summit.

A light lunch, refreshments, drinks and canapés are included with registration, and Wi-Fi will be available. To register visit softwaresummit.eventbrite.co.nz. The Twitter hashtag for the Summit is #CSSummit.

About the Canterbury Software Cluster
The Canterbury Software Cluster (Canterbury Software Inc.) is Canterbury’s leading professional association dedicated to advancing software innovation, commercialisation and export. It aims to develop globally successful technology companies through collaboration and education for businesses small and large. The non-profit organisation is run by a voluntary committee and has over 200 members. For more information, or to join the Cluster, go to www.canterburysoftware.org.nz

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