On Wednesday (23/10), our first ever digital innovation conference Digidol 24 was held at M-SParc. The fantastic innovation that is being created in the North Wales digital ecosystem was shown, with enough content to fill a two-day conference. M-SParc, as the venue for the event, acts as an important site that connects industry, academia, government, skills, finance and the community, with this celebration of digital innovation providing a platform for the these partners work together under the same roof, as well as handling and discussing new developments.
We had a Ministerial address from Rebecca Evans, Minister for the Economy, Energy and Planning, offering context for the day with reference to the Digital Strategy for Wales. This was followed by a presentation by Glyn Jones, Chief Digital Officer for Wales, who discussed the six areas of work in the digital strategy. He referred to the progress made, and specifically to the challenges related to AI, emphasizing the need to recognize the ethical and environmental challenges that AI presents as the Welsh Government looks at ways to adopt and take advantage of it.
We had partnered with Technology Connect for the event, and Avril Lewis MBE, their Director, emphasized the importance of events like Digidol 24 in order to develop new collaborative opportunities. It was noted that there are significant opportunities to strengthen the relationship with Technology Connected in the future.
Tom Burke, Digital Innovation Manager, M-SParc
After the opening speeches, there was a session with the Cross-Party Group on Digital in Wales, led by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who discussed the importance of open data shared between government organizations in order to share good practice between the public sector throughout Wales. Richard Scott drew attention to the importance of collaboration between Local Authorities, emphasizing that developing digital projects requires sharing information to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure continuous improvement.
One of the issues discussed in the group was the gender gap in the technology sector, with figures showing that pay gaps between men and women persist. Emily Roberts, M-SParc Engagement and Outreach Manager, promoted the importance of education, skills, and role models to encourage more women into STEM careers.
Rhun ap Iorwerth
The sessions included a workshop on marketing and social media, held by Huw Marshall and Euros Smith from Busnes Cymru, focusing on the best methods of adapting content for the right platforms. Euros emphasized the need to tailor content for the target audience to ensure maximum impact.
An interesting discussion was led on the role of IoT technology, Digital Twins and decarbonisation, with the participation of experts such as Kiki Rees-Stavros (Smart Towns, Menter Môn) and Peter Gwyn Williams from the Welsh Government. The panel shared examples of how simple interventions can lead to significant savings for the public sector, such as by installing devices to monitor noise levels which also revealed incorrect use of public resources.
Language Technology was also a popular topic at the event, with a number of projects identified which focus on the collection and analysis of language data. Projects were presented by the Language and Maritime Technology Unit, with the team emphasizing the need for greater access to data in order to carry out research and innovation in the field.
Llion Jones, known for his work on the “Transformer” paper, offered an inspiring session on AI developments. This session was one of the highlights of the day as Llion is a global explorer! He brought insights from the theory that underpins many current AI developments.
Pryderi ap Rhisiart, Managing Director, M-SParc
In addition, FSB Wales (Federation of Small Businesses) discussed the potential of the creative sector in Wales, highlighting significant opportunities to strengthen skills and secure funding for small businesses. A report was launched which offers considerations for the further development of the sector, with Klaire Tanner calling for more events similar to Digidol 24 in order to support the sector.
In the life sciences and social care sector, the discussion concluded that a collaborative approach is needed in order to progress with innovation programmes, with proposals to launch a new approach to innovation in healthcare in North Wales in the next quarter, in collaboration with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
During the day, creative activities were organized for young people, with Clwb Sparci sessions led by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The children had the opportunity to develop their own games using Scratch, showing a practical approach to introducing them to technology from a young age.
Digidol 24 ended with a networking event hosted by Technology North Wales, with people coming together to discuss new digital technologies from North Wales. A positive and inspiring atmosphere continued throughout the event, and the organizing teams were praised for their work. Looking forward to future events, Digital 24 has laid a strong foundation for celebrating and promoting technology in Wales, with the team at M-SParc, led by Tom Burke, promising to continue to support and develop the sector on for next year.
9:00 – Breakfast & Networking
10:00 – Keynote: Glyn Jones, Chief Digital Officer for Welsh Government
An update on the digital strategy for Wales.
10:30 – Keynote: Avril Lewis MBE, Managing Director of Technology Connected
11:00 – Exhibitions
12:00 – Preview of Glu, with Mike Hawkes
Glu is a new platform that revolutionises data management online.
12:30 – Keynote: Paul Kinlan
Lead for Web and Chrome Developer Relations @ Google.
14:00 – Exhibitions
15:00 – Keynote – Llion Jones, cofounder of Sakana AI
Llion Jones is a former Google engineer who co-authored “Attention Is All You Need,” a paper that presented the deep learning model for natural language processing called “Transformer,” which became the basis for Chat GPT. In his keynote talk, Llion will discuss his journey, and his current work in Tokyo with Sakana AI.
15:30 – Keynote: Susi Marston
Keynote from Susi Marston; BT Head of Local Government, Education & Housing, Wales & South West England.
17:00 – Close & Networking
18:00 – North Wales Tech – Games Night
Gogledd Creadigol exhibition
10:00 – Networking, Exhibitions & Pre-arranged Meetings
13:00 – Regional Skills Partnership Lunch
14:30 – Innovations in the FAW Exhibition
11:00 – Iqbal Bedi, Keynote Speaker – Smart Tech, Stronger Business: Boosting Business Productivity with Wireless Solutions
This event is delivered by BIC Innovation and Intelligens Consulting on behalf of Ambition North Wales as part of the SME Connectivity Assessments project which is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Iqbal will share early insights from the SME Connectivity Assessments project and help SMEs in North Wales understand options for improving connectivity to enhance productivity, improve efficiency and contribute to commercial sustainability.
13:00 – BT Connectivity Roadshow
16:30 – Clwb Sparci – Raspberry Pi Session
Sign up here.
11:00 – Reflecting on the Digital Strategy, Senedd Cross Party Group
11:30 – Diversity in Digital Roundtable, Senedd Cross Party Group
13:30 – CDPS roundtable – Leading Modern public services
This session will feature insights from current digital leaders on the challenges they face and how user-centred design can deliver better outcomes for organisations and their citizens.
15:00 – SMART Buildings & Decarbonisation Panel
Tom Burke will lead a panel of leading experts in SMART Technologies here in Wales. Hear about excellent use cases that are being implemented in our houses, communities and businesses – all with a view of decarbonising our nation. Panellists are Peter Williams (WG), Kiki Stavros (Smart Towns, Menter Mon), Richard Scott (Digital Twins), Geraint Jones (Adra Housing Association), Dr Debbie Jones (M-SParc) and Rob Shepherd from EvoMetric.
15:30 – FSB Creative Report
The Federation of Small Businesses will be launching a report on the creative industries in Wales, looking at how policymakers can help small businesses in this sector to grow. During the session, Ben Cottam will give an overview of the report’s findings, and we will hear from two small creative businesses about their experiences of working in the sector.
16:30 – Health Tech Panel
Join this session to learn about the plans to establish a North Wales Life Science Accelerator, discuss the barriers to innovation that the sector has and hear about the work of Microsoft in the sector.
10:30 – Business Wales Workshop 1
Social Media Platforms and Google (SEO)
This workshop will show you how to make the most of your business’s online presence! Whether it’s mastering Facebook, Instagram, or understanding how Google SEO works, we’ll give you practical tips and tricks to help you rank higher and get seen by more of the right people.
12:00 – Business Wales Workshop 2
E-commerce
Want to turn your online visitors into paying customers? This workshop is all about making sales happen online. From setting up your online store to choosing the right platform and optimizing for sales, we’ve got you covered.
14:30 – Language Tech Panel
Join this panel to learn about the great work underway in language technology in Wales. We will handle and discuss good practice in developing language technology, the need for the data to support business and financial plans to do more work in the field. AI also has a big role to play in the future and we will hear about projects in this field.
16:00 – Business Wales Workshop 3
Practical use of A.I.
From automating everyday tasks to improving customer experiences, we’ll show you practical AI tools and tricks you can easily put into action.
tom@m-sparc.com
Tom used to work at the KFC in his hometown of Colwyn Bay before it mysteriously burned down. He then spent several years “on the lam” in East Germany, where he worked as an animator in Berlin. When the wall fell, Tom came home.
He enjoys climbing and hates ice-skating.
