News

On Tuesday 20 March we welcomed some of the digital industry's biggest names to the Think Digital Scotland 2012 event.

Held in the comfortable surroundings of the Lighthouse Gallery, the event was a tremendous success, attended by a near sell-out crowd of delegates from Scotland's business community.

The day kicked off with a presentation by Alex Neil, Cabinet SecretaryforInfrastructure and Capital Investment, who announced Holyrood's intention to invest £864,000 in the Highlands and Islands ICT business engagement programme.

Mr Neil said: "Businesses can reap substantial benefits from getting online. They can reach new markets and customers, increase productivity and, ultimately, grow their company. 

"As part of the Digital Infrastructure Action Plan, we are keen to improve business skills and digital participation rates across Scotland. To do this we need to support our SMEs to build an online presence and drive business through the internet."

Before the first recess talks were given by Gilli Goodman, Agency Product Specialist of Google and James Akrigg, Head of Technology for Partners, Microsoft Ltd who spoke of the various IT solutions the company can offer businesses.

Following the break, the audience was treated to an insightful presentation on the importance of IT security by Edward J Chance, EMEA Director for Sales, Operations and Channels at Dell as well as a demonstration of the range of communication options which Vodafone and partners Onesteam can provide for SMEs.

Off the back of the high level of interest received from the earlier part of the day, the various breakout sessions held after lunch received even more positive feedback from many of the organisations in attendance.

Social media was a major theme due to its relevance for both commerce and communication. Tim Wright, Director and Co-founder of twintangibles and Gregor Lawson, Co-Owner and Marketing Director of Morphsuits, were on hand to direct businesses on the practical workings of social media and how to use their Facebook page for commercial advantage.

Also on hand to share their knowledge of the digital industry was Linda Steedman, Managing Director of eCom, Lennert de Jong, Director of Citizen M Hotels, Markus Lampinen, COO of GrowVC and Attacat's Managing Director, Tim Barlow.

Overall, your Chamber was extremely pleased with the outcome of the event, seeing the wealth of information on offer from some of the digital industry's biggest names. Events like these are not only great networking opportunities; they also offer so much more for every business which attends.

Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "Scotland's digital economy is an integral component of the country's economic makeup, helping to attract investment and facilitate job creation.

"Welcoming so many high level representatives from Scotland's digital industries is a great privilege for Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and further illustrates our commitment to encourage growth in the sector."

To celebrate the Think Digital Scotland 2012 conference, taking place on 20 March, our media partner, The Scotsman, will be publishing a 'Digital Scotland' supplement on the day of the event.

The Scotsman has a readership of 131,000, while scotsman.com has 1.8 million unique users per month and is generally accepted as Scotland's leading news website. The supplement will be posted as an eMag on the scotsman.com website and will be shared across social media.

Your Chamber, in association with The Scotsman, has been able to agree a highly discounted advertisement rate for any member who would like to be involved in the supplement.

The discounted rate includes:

FULL PAGE OPPORTUNITY

Editorial keynotes extending to roughly 750 words (can be made up from a number of articles) –  AND – Strip ad measuring 60mm high x 265mm wide / Quarter-page ad measuring 170mm high x 131mm wide –  £892.50 + VAT

To find out more, please contact Lindsay Bunney on 0131 620 8374 / 07411 670375 or lindsay.bunney@scotsman.com

As you can appreciate with the supplement being produced for 20 March, this offer is time-critical. Please contact Lindsay at your earliest convenience.

Deadlines are as follows:

DIGITAL SCOTLAND

Publication: 20 March 2012
Copy Deadline: 17 March 2012

Additional copies are to be distributed at the event on the day. The Scotsman will also provide each participant with a voucher copy.

Costume suppliers Morphsuits are the latest company to confirm their attendance as speakers at Think Digital Scotland 2012 on 20 March.

The Edinburgh-based company has taken the fancy dress supply market by storm with their novelty spandex costumes.

Formed in 2009 from a £3,000 investment, the business now reports a £4.1 million turnover, conducting around 40% of their business online.

Social networking plays an important role in the business’s marketing strategy. With over a million friends on Facebook, the site has helped Morphsuits to both build its brand and conquer international markets, driving their popularity around the world.

Organised by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Think Digital Scotland 2012 will welcome keynote presentations from Gilli Goodman, Agency Product Specialist at Google and Alex Neil MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure & Capital Investment.

Talks and workshops will be delivered throughout the day by representatives from a selection of businesses including Dell, Microsoft, Vodafone and OneStream.

Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “Morphsuits are one of the Scottish business community’s whirlwind success stories and we are pleased to welcome them to Think Digital Scotland 2012. They have taken advantage of the many opportunities which social media can present to companies of any size and are great ambassadors for Scotland’s vibrant digital economy.”

Morphsuits, which now host 17 different eCommerce platforms, will be presenting on how businesses can make money out of social media.

Gregor Lawson, Co-Owner and Marketing Director at Morphsuits, said: “Facebook is the lifeblood of our business and has greatly contributed to our success as a company. The Morphsuit brand has grown immensely since we first started out and social networking sites have sped up this process much faster than traditional forms of media.”

Think Digital Scotland 2012 will take place on 20 March in Glasgow’s Lighthouse Gallery.

A new era for Scotland’s national newspaper is beginning with the launch of The Scotsman app, available on the App Store from Tuesday 24 January. 

John McLellan, Scotsman Publications’ Editor-in-Chief, said: “This is a major development which keeps The Scotsman up to speed with the latest media technology. Devices such as the iPad will play an increasingly dominant part in the way people access information and this is one of the most important steps forward in The Scotsman’s 200-year history. It is a very different experience to reading online and having been at the forefront of that newspaper revolution over ten years ago, it is fitting that we are in the midst of this one.”

The Scotsman app will feature the best, up-to-date content from The Scotsman. Alternatively, users can download the daily edition of the newspaper.

Content channels include:

• Scottish, UK and international news and business, updated throughout the day
• Exclusive opinion from Scotland’s leading news, politics and business commentators including Bill Jamieson, Alf Young, George Kerevan, Lesley Riddoch and Allan Massie
• The best in Scottish sports coverage and analysis, including Scottish sports feature writer of the year Tom English, football from Alan Pattullo and Stephen Halliday, and rugby from David Ferguson
• Arts & Culture, Lifestyle and Scottish Heritage channels
• The Capital’s news and sport from the Edinburgh Evening News

eCom Scotland were among the eLearning industry leaders winning a Gold Award at the eLearning Awards, held at the Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in London.

The eLearning Awards is the industry standard for all those involved in eLearning, which this year attracted over 200 entries from 20 countries. Almost 500 people gathered to celebrate the strength and depth of successful eLearning that is taking place across the globe. 16 award categories produced a record 39 winners and showcased the astonishing range and quality of eLearning.

Celebrating in style, eCom scooped Gold for the category Excellence in the Production of Learning Content – Private Sector. In partnership with engineering company Howden, eCom produced 39 modules to create the eLearning aspect of Howden Academy. The project enabled eCom to demonstrate their flair in the eLearning arena in creating a suite of interactive, engaging modules. Adding in video to the content helped explain such phenomena as vibration, with a clip of the notorious Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse. Animation is deployed extensively to illustrate many engineering principles. Learners can see graphs moving and items flexing and control the animations to explore the theories being imparted. Based around Howden’s traditional course learning plans, eCom turned these into online learning modules for their “Developing Engineering Excellence Programme”.

Linda Steedman, eCom’s Managing Director, commented: “This is the first year that eCom has entered the Awards and to be shortlisted was an honour and a significant achievement for the company as a whole. To win is a testament of our commitment to our clients and employees alike.”

As the eLearning industry as a whole continues to gain momentum, eCom will maintain their stronghold in the industry using technology to deliver outstanding results. eCom’s expertise and experience will continue to flourish and go from strength to strength.

Cloud computing pioneer IA Cubed, based in Glasgow and working across the UK, is Microsoft's Cloud Champion Partner during Think Digital Scotland 2012.

IA Cubed has emerged as a trusted IT partner especially for small and medium-sized companies and is the answer to providing on-demand dynamic IT services in what is a new age of digital media. The outfit specialises in cloud computing along with software-as-a-service (SaaS) such as Microsoft's Office 365 and Windows InTune, comprehensive web-based solutions that enable organisations to manage their PCs centrally, in a secure manner, and avoiding costly, often leased-line IT hardware upgrades.

Microsoft Office 365, as a prime example, enables companies to create, collaborate and communicate from virtually anywhere using a PC, smartphone or web browser for a monthly fee and with 99.9% uptime. IA Cubed is seeing Office 365 "flying out the door", introducing it to businesses ranging from a few employees up to more than 1000 staff selling across all sectors.

As further recognition of its groundbreaking work, this particular outfit has been awarded "Activated Microsoft Cloud Partner" status by Microsoft – the first technology company in Scotland to receive such an accolade and joining other UK-wide partners such as BT.

Operations Director Daniel Baird says the award is timely given the intense market interest in cloud services, borne out by currently recruiting to match recent growth and bucking the trend in a still uncertain marketplace.

IA Cubed remains focused not only on selling the products, but also on design and implementation along with vital after-sales support. Such a flexible approach embraces a client with, or without, its own IT department. The client purchases a licence directly from Microsoft and IA Cubed then adds value through services on tap, providing the key to a good customer experience.

IA Cubed has become engaged in Microsoft's "Britain Works" programme, where companies are encouraged to take on an IT apprentice. IA3 took on three as it continues to take a market leader role. Microsoft Office 365 is also highly relevant to charities due to attractive pricing available to the third sector. To this end, IA Cubed is engaged in a strategic partnership with social enterprise leader, the Wise Group, whose Development Executive, the Hon Chris Seely said: "We are delighted to be closely involved with IA3 to take us onto the next level by embracing Cloudwise technology."

While established outfits such as IA Cubed exist, offering innovative and refreshing approaches towards delivering strategic IT solutions to hard-pressed businesses, a fully connected Scotland is in safe hands.

IA Cubed also works with other partners including Cisco, HP, Dell, Symantec, Ingram Micro and Nokia. For further details please contact Vivien Mckee, Marketing Communications Director.