Major tech conference showcases Edinburgh’s ‘data capital’ claim

Edinburgh has been hosting ESOMAR Congress 2019 – The Global Data & Insights Summit, a four-day event that runs until 11 September at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). The congress has gathered world-leaders in data and tech together with local talent and start-ups to share and distribute the latest thinking around data and insight. With 1,200 international delegates, and 3,600 live online viewers, the conference has speakers from global brands including Google, Microsoft, Viacom, Unilever, Intel, Facebook, PepsiCo, and Diageo. The programme also features ‘incubator’ led content, encouraging cross fertilisation of ideas with these industry leaders, attendees and the local tech community. Finn Raben, Director General ESOMAR said: “Edinburgh’s bid to host the Congress stood out against other cities due to its strength in the tech sector. It’s considered the UK’s fastest growing tech hub, home to the likes of CodeBase, the UK’s largest start-up incubator, Skyscanner and Fanduel. “Edinburgh has a rich tradition of being a centre of innovation and this continues today with the University of Edinburgh’s world leading programmes in data science, robotics and AI. It’s a real asset, as it feeds our ambition to promote internationally the tech industry work happening at a local level. We’re excited to engage with the thriving start-up community in the city, helping connect those local businesses with more than 1,000 decision-makers from across the globe.” Millennial start up tech company CodeBase is presenting at the ESOMAR Black Box platform for inspiration beyond the market research industry. ‘‘CodeBase is delighted to be partnering with ESOMAR to share our thoughts on effective innovation and business transformation to such a diverse international audience’’ noted Martin Boyle, Director of Innovation and Transformation CodeBase. Amanda Ferguson, Head of Business Tourism at Marketing Edinburgh said: “One of the aims of the city’s business tourism campaign, ‘Make It Edinburgh’, is to showcase technology as a centre of excellence, so it’s rewarding to see events of this scale and credibility choosing Edinburgh. It creates a halo effect; more events, more knowledge sharing, driving innovation, in turn attracting more talent and investment. It’s a great example of creating a positive impact for the city and aligns well with Edinburgh’s ambition to be the Data Capital of Europe.”