It was announced today that an audience of over 2,000 will gather at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre from June 30th and July 1st to hear more than 50 leading international thinkers address a range of key science, tech and arts issues facing the world today.
The event will examine issues as diverse as the potential of philosophy to improve health services, the opportunities presented by the convergence of arts and technology, the changing nature of the media landscape, the rapidly evolving world of work and how the collaborative economy is changing our lives quite dramatically.
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny will open the festival which offers Irish innovators and creators the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world’s premier thinkers, leaders, founders and investors in a relaxed atmosphere.
Inspirefest 2016 will be accompanied by a fringe event where attendees can expect live music, storytelling, international theatre premiers, art exhibitions, family coding workshops and a lot more besides. The fringe will take place in Merrion Square Park East.
The enormous impact of Airbnb and Uber on the accommodation and public transport sectors has illustrated the potential of the sharing economy to not only alter established business models, but the way people live and work.
Robin Chase is generally regarded as one of the creators of this new sharing economy having founded Zipcar, the world’s first and largest car-sharing company, and she will look at where this phenomenon can take us in future.
She will be joined for a panel discussion by Silicon Valley business guru Nilofer Merchant and Jules Coleman, the Irish founder of the Hassle.com on-demand cleaning service.
Furthermore, Tech entrepreneur and Storyteller, Zoe Philpott, will explore the intersection of the arts and technology and how it can lead to completely new creative fields. Philpott has worked with A-list clients including The White House, Ford Motor Company and the Nike Global Foundation on innovative projects which have pushed the boundaries of storytelling into entirely new areas.
Inspirefest Founder, Ann O’Dea said, "Excitement is really starting to build now with just a fortnight to go before this year’s Inspirefest. Ireland’s unique advantages in being able to combine an enormously rich and vibrant artistic and creative heritage with the very latest technological advances makes Dublin an ideal location for a festival such as this."
Shee added, "We look forward to bringing new perspectives to science and technology and how they can impact positively on society, business, and our lives as individuals in the future."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
