Buzzfeed, Unilever and Salesforce are just some of the big names set to descend on Cardiff for the return of Wales’ largest social media and new technology event, The Online Influence (Oi) Conference 2016.
More than 450 delegates from across the UK are expected to attend the conference to hear the latest insights on online and mobile marketing from some of the world’s leading experts in digital technology.
Cardiff was chosen to host the conference for the third year running, owing to the organiser’s belief in the city’s potential to become one of Europe’s leading technology powerhouses.
The one day conference, which will take place on 21 April 2016 at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, will comprise four keynote speakers and six masterclasses, focusing on digital, mobile and social media, with the use of online content, video, and messaging apps taking a particular emphasis. Other topics will include instant messaging, dark social and social data.
In addition, the conference will have an exhibition area and speakers’ corner, where delegates can talk to the experts and ‘pick their brains’ in a more intimate setting.
Event organiser and founder of Coup Media, Paul Shepherd, took over the conference after being inspired by the Dublin Web Summit, and hopes to make the Welsh equivalent as successful as its Irish counterpart.
Talking about this year’s event, Mr Shepherd said: “The Oi conference is the only event of this type in Wales, whereby the coolest, biggest names and brands come to talk about what’s working, what’s next, and how we can all get better at using platforms that promote the social and mobile landscapes right now.
“Social and mobile media is moving so relentlessly fast, which makes an event such as the Oi Conference necessary to keep pace with the changes. And after all, who better to talk about the latest innovations than the companies who are driving the agenda.
“Following feedback from last year, we’ve refined the agenda and included more female speakers as part of our line-up, which is really important. Cardiff is a phenomenal city and we’re really excited about the event, which I’m sure will, once again, prove to be a huge success for professionals both locally and throughout the UK in expanding their knowledge of the digital sector.”
The day will see Jeremy Waite, head of digital strategy at Salesforce, kick of the conference as a keynote speaker to discuss email, mobile and social business. Buzzfeed’s head of brand partnerships, Simon Low, will attend for the first time to talk about the website’s innovative use of content which has reshaped the digital landscape worldwide.
Representatives from Unilever, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and the Government Digital Service have also been confirmed as speakers.
Mr Shepherd continued: “The conference aims to shine a light on Wales as a desirable location for graduates and businesses to work and invest in, and bringing global companies, such as Buzzfeed and Unilever, to Cardiff highlights the country as a serious competitor in the technology sector and help create the momentum we need to achieve our tech ambitions.
“Don’t get me wrong, every city in every country in the western world claims to be the next important tech cluster, and we’re a long way behind many comparative cities, such as Tallinn, Tel Aviv, Dublin and London. But we’re trying to address this issue, and I hope the Oi Conference can play a key role in this.”
The Oi Conference takes place at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 21 April from 8.30am to 6pm. Tickets are available from www.onlineinfluence.net and cost £149.
About Coup Media
Coup Media was named as a Top 10 UK social and mobile agency by The Drum Magazine’s Recommended Agency Register Panel, and finalists in the UK’s Social Buzz Awards. Paul Shepherd set up the business after working on content strategy for brands like Google and Visa in the US.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Jeremy Waite, Salesforce, Head Of Digital Strategy, EMEA
Jeremy is responsible for digital strategy as part of the marketing team for Marketing Cloud – the industry leading suite of marketing tools built by Salesforce. His day to day role includes digital marketing strategy – building brand awareness, evangelism, planning customer journeys, community growth, partner relations, thought leadership, social business, campaign / media planning, data-driven research and adding value to client groups that drives sales.
• Simon Low, BuzzFeed, Director of Brand Partnerships, Europe
Simon is responsible for building relationships with the world’s leading brands and agencies to develop effective social advertising partnerships across BuzzFeed\’s cross-platform global network. Since Simon joined BuzzFeed in March 2014, BuzzFeed UK’s traffic has more than doubled year over year.
• Alice More O’Ferrall, WWF, Social Media Manager
An award-winning digital communications professional with proven social media and digital marketing experience, Alice joined WWF UK in August 2014 and she is responsible for embedding the principles of good social media engagement throughout the organisation.
• Jeremy Basset, Unilever, Head of Digital
As founder and Head of Unilever Foundry, Jeremy is responsible for helping to shape Unilever’s Marketing and innovation strategy through collaboration. Unilever Foundry is the company’s platform to engage with startups and innovative companies who can help Unilever pioneer the future.
• Matthew Timms, SAP , Global Head of Digital Commerce
Matthew has over 20 years experience building and growing multichannel retail businesses in a number of industry sectors with strong customer experience orientation with significant expertise in Multichannel, eCommerce, mobile and digital.
• Marged Cother, Head of Social Media & Engagement, Government Digital Service, Cabinet Office
Marged is an experienced senior digital and internal communications professional, with a strong track record in delivering award winning solutions, in the corporate, commercial and public sectors. A highly driven, creative and strategic leader, accomplished in developing global digital, social media and internal communication strategies; achieving buy in from senior stakeholders; establishing and leading teams and matrix teams.
• Dan Fallon, Managing Director, SearchStar
Dan is managing director at SearchStar, one of the UK’s leading independent PPC and digital media agencies. Tried, tested and trusted, they achieve outstanding results by forging strong client relationships and applying digital strategies that work hard. They started in 2005 with PPC and digital media buying and over the years the services they provide have expanded to include conversion rate optimisation, analytics and training.
• Sharon Flaherty, Founder, BrandContent
Sharon is the founding director of content marketing and communications agency, BrandContent based in Cardiff. She started her career as a journalist and worked in various business journalism roles with her last journalism post at the Financial Times before she stepped into the world of marketing. She has held senior leadership marketing roles at leading financial services dotcoms including Confused.com, MoneySuperMarket and TravelSuperMarket.com and has had her approach published in various books and publications.
