Making the most of the opportunities broadband technology can really offer will be the theme of a major conference in the Highlands next month.
The Powering up With Broadband conference on November 2nd and 3rd will provide a wealth of opportunities to discover how broadband is generating improvements in the way we live and work and how the capabilities of the technology can be fully exploited.
Up to 350 delegates will gather at the new Aviemore Highland Resort and Conference Centre for a two-day programme of plenary sessions and a wide variety of workshops. There will also opportunities for "hands-on" experience of cutting-edge technology in an exciting exhibition area at the conference.
The conference is being run by the Access to Broadband Campaign (ABC), with backing from the Scottish Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Scottish Enterprise, BT and a number of private sector sponsors.
Keynote speakers will include Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Jim Wallace MSP and Bob Downes, director of BT Scotland.
Among an impressive line-up of presenters will be leadership expert Rene Carayol, entrepreneur Malcolm Matson and ConceptLabs founder Professor Peter Cochrane.
Innovative scenario planning sessions will fully involve participants in imagining what can happen once broadband is really embraced across the country
Sure to stop delegates in their tracks will be the Breakout For Two exhibit, a combination of technology and sport, which enables people to enjoy a kickabout - even if they are thousands of miles apart. The game, aimed at developing a sense of community over a distance, has been developed by Dublin-based Medialab Europe, which has a strategic partnership with HIE.
Joanne Blanusa, of HIE's knowledge economy team, said: "As the issues of access to broadband are solved, we must now move on to ensuring we make the most of what the technology can really offer in every aspect of our lives.
"This conference will provide a wealth of opportunities to discover how the technology can be used in a practical, dynamic and relevant way."
Topics covered by the comprehensive range of workshops will include:
* Remote working: examining broadband's ability to enhance services.
* Next generation networks: examining what opportunities are there to deploy next generation networks today.
* State aid and regulation: examining the current state of regulation in the UK and its potential impact on innovation driven by broadband.
* Transforming your business through broadband: a "hands on" workshop for those who have broadband, or who have a strategic interest in deploying it.
ABC chief executive Brian Condon said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the potential of broadband for Scotland and the UK as a whole. We will look at covering the needs of isolated communities, the development of community media through to examining of the most advanced technologies now available."
He added: "The importance attached to the conference by UK government is underlined by the hosting of the DTI Content Workshop for all the UK regional development agencies and the devolved administrations alongside the main event and we are confident that this will provide an added level of interest to this important conference."
Full details of the conference programme and information on how to register are available at www.abcampaign.org.uk. Alternatively, places can be booked by phoning Richard Rymill on 0800 1978819.
