Focused AI Conference and Expo For Business, Investors & Entrepreneurs
Now in its second year the AI Expo Africa 2019, has become the largest B2B focused AI & Data Science community and trade event in the region, that builds upon the phenomenal success of the inaugural 2018 event that was supported by 732 delegates, 275 companies, 69 speakers and 43 sponsors.
AI Media Africa Co-founder Dr Nick Bradshaw explains, that the launch of the SA Governments own 4IRSA initiative is great news for our region. It’s heartening to hear that President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, sees the Fourth industrial revolution as a catalyst for growth. This is exactly why we created AI Expo Africa. This year’s event is happening on 3rd-5th September at the Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town. We will be welcoming new vendors, start-ups and community members who see the value of a trade focused event that brings buyers and suppliers together under one roof. It’s all part of our wider vision to create an AI Powered Future for Africa and more locally to make the Western Cape a technology hub for AI innovation and entrepreneurism in South Africa”.
Bradshaw concluded, “We have had over 150 speaking submissions this year, up from the 115 of last year, which shows interest in this event format is growing.
Our own community membership sits at 2700+ members and has doubled in size in just 6 months. In response, we have enhanced the programme with a range of new features for sponsors and delegates alike, to make this the biggest and most immersive learning experience for CxOs, Enterprises, investors and start-ups. We have speakers and support from large organisations such as IBM, SAP, PWC, Microsoft, Deloitte, Hitachi Vantara, Persistent Systems, Telkom and CHPC, through to SMBs such Lightblue, Future Fragment, Ocular Technologies, OLSPS, Ecosystem AI, Exacaster, Genii AI, Cortex Logic, Granadilla Insurance, Offerzen, Conversica and Instadeep. We also welcome new International community members such as the ITU, French Embassy and Business France as well as African community thought leaders from Data Science Nigeria and South Africa’s Fliptin – it’s going to be a great event”.
AI Expo Africa Co-founder Roy Bannister concluded, “Our event is one of the highlights of South African Innovation Month and we have stuck to the winning formula of our 2018 format but added a couple of new features that showcase the best of African AI innovation and creativity in the field of AI and Data Science. Feedback from our 2018 show indicated delegates wanted a more hands on experience to better understand the new and emerging technologies that are evolving at a rate that is hard to comprehend. The 4IR is characterised by phenomenal rates of innovation, one being that use cases not possible even 12 months ago, are possible today. This means that new concepts are often hard to communicate as they are so new. Our new demo zone, AI art & music challenge, executive workshops and innovation wall are all about making the learning experience more rewarding, tangible and stimulating for delegates, we hope you can join us”.
Notes to editors:
AI Expo Africa 2019 includes the following key elements aimed at showcasing the real-world business opportunities of AI in Africa;
• VIP Opening & Awards Event with regional product launches & announcements
• 36x vendor Expo Hall showcasing African AI innovation plus Demo Zone
• Main show September 4th – 5th September 2019 with evening networking reception
• Dedicated AI Innovation Cafe showcasing 17 AI start-ups
• 4x Track speaking programme with 67 talks, keynotes & panels
• 4x Executive workshops aimed at CxO decision makers & business analysts
• 4x Skills workshops aimed at young engineers, students & entrepreneurs
• AI Art Challenge – Africa’s first AI generated music & art competition hosted by Zindi
• Innovation Wall – Showcasing 10 African academic R&D posters applicable to industry
• AI.TV Media Hub with dedicated interview suite streaming live from the show
• The show edition of Synapse Magazine – Africa’s first AI & Data Science Magazine
• Plus we have expert panel discussions covering ethics, privacy, AI4Good, education, women in AI, adoption models and investment
• Our chosen charity is again Starting Chance South Africa – Teaching kids and women from disadvantaged communities about ICT in a safe learning environment