— The £3.1 billion Scottish creative industries is encouraged to join the debate on the sector’s future —
Scotland’s ever-growing digital community will gather for the 360D event in the SECC, Glasgow on Thursday 3 September.
Aiming to rip up the digital rule book and put it back together with a distinctive Scottish flavour, the summit – organised by Scottish Enterprise’s Interactive Scotland – will bring together many of the sector’s finest digital talent.
Leading Scottish lights from the tech, mobile, media and gaming industries will fuel the debate, facilitating panel sessions and encouraging the audience to delve deeper into how both individually and as a whole Scotland’s digital community can truly act local and go global.
Scotland boasts impressive credentials in the digital creative sector, employing nearly 70,000 people, turning over £5.5 billion each year and contributing £3.1 billion to the economy.
Since 2008, there has been a 33 per cent increase in Scottish digital enterprises, with 1920 more companies registering in Scotland.
In 2014 alone 530 digital outfits registered, taking the total tally up to 5,725 as of January 2015.
Attendees at 360D will hear what is currently spearheading the sector’s growth and what is likely to ‘disrupt’ it in the future.
Speakers include Nigel Eccles, CEO and co-founder of FanDuel, a Scottish founded company which is the global leader in daily fantasy sports with more than 1 million users and offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, New York, Orlando and LA. FanDuel currently employs 360 people between its UK and US offices and continues to actively hire.
Six Scottish companies, including Edinburgh-based shopping app developer Mallzee, will take part in the inaugural ‘Soapbox’ event, with each one taking to the stage to tell how they will grow their business over the next 3.6 years in just 3.6 minutes.
Alisdair Gunn, Project Director at Interactive Scotland said: “Scotland’s digital and creative presence on the global stage is seriously impressive. Over the past few years we’ve witnessed so many international successes such as SkyScanner and Axis Animation, to name just two.
“360D is a valuable opportunity for the Scottish creative community to learn from each other’s experiences at home and abroad.
“We want the wider digital community to come along, influence the debate and leave inspired to go out and create, collaborate and make the most of opportunities for growth in this rapidly developing space.”
The event will also house an interactive tech pop-up zone where attendees can see first-hand some of the latest and daring developments by Scottish businesses and universities.
Nigel Eccles, CEO & co-founder, FanDuel said: “I’m delighted that FanDuel is playing a key role in 360D this year, it’s one of the highlights on the digital calendar and plays a crucial part in bringing together Scotland’s digital community to share ideas, discuss emerging trends and inspire each other.
“At FanDuel, digital technology is at the heart of what we do, ensuring that we offer customers a sophisticated product that enhances the sports viewing experience. I’m very proud of what FanDuel has achieved so far and the rate at which we have grown, especially within the last 12 months, is testament to the Scottish digital sector and the talented individuals who work within it.”
The summit, organised by Interactive Scotland, a Scottish Enterprise funded service supporting and advising companies across Scotland’s digital and creative industries, will also invite audiences to engage with digital visionaries during the ‘Future Worlds’ session, discussing future trends.
With many high-profile speakers confirmed, including Jessica Cecil, Digital Media Controller at the BBC, Caroline Gorski, Head of Development at Telefonica and Steve Perry of Visa Europe 360D is predicted to be the must-attend event in the digital community’s calendar this year.
To book a place at 360D in Glasgow on 3 September, visit http://www.360d.org.uk/