ScotSoft 2011 is one of the most prestigious events in the Scottish IT calendar and being a first timer at this event I felt a level of excitement in attending.
This is one of the only events in the IT calendar that brings everyone together in one location, to talk about what is going on in the community and from a recruitment perspective, a perfect networking opportunity.
ScotSoft as an event is essentially a conference on the industry, what is happening, what will be happening and includes a recognition of the fresh talent of tomorrow through the Young Software Engineer of the Year. As conferences go, it was informative and thought provoking, driven by four very prestigious speakers from all different areas in technology. This year the topics covered a debate relating to data and the importance of harnessing big data, to the importance of security and protecting data. In particular the speakers from The Aston Group and Bright Solid were very informative in terms of up coming technology and uplifting in terms of motivational speaking.
The day then moves to refreshments before the evening proceedings take place. This gives those in attendance time to talk to those in the business and stimulate conversation around the conference topics covered.
Afterwards, the evening kicks off with a lovely dinner and takes the time to award those recent Graduates who have shown outstanding achievements within their field. Looking at this from a recruitment perspective this is where you find the fresh new talent that you would like to introduce to your clients however this I think, is what everyone in the room is thinking.
The night is rounded off with an after dinner speaker and this year was no let down with comedian Kevin Bridges taking the evening to a close. In terms of his set he was a good choice in my mind as he is completely removed from the IT world however I feel this made him more amusing. He put a comedic spin on the IT world which is in my mind not an easy achievement. To be honest however for me this was the highlight of the day as I was looking forward to this and he did not disappoint.
In closing thoughts ScotSoft 2011 was an enjoyable day, from a beautiful setting of Prestonfield House to an informative conference and to round off the day with a lovely meal and fantastic evening entertainment made the day all worth while. In terms of a networking opportunity there is no better event in the technology calendar in terms of clients who attend and time spent with priceless face to face conversation. I came away from the event feeling I had learned a thing or two and had an uplifting feeling due to entrepreneurial and inspirational speaking throughout the day…….looking forward to the 2012 event already….!
