Innovators from some of the biggest global brands are heading to New Zealand to talk about the future of industry from tech, AI, digital transformation and more.
“Future State”, a keynote speaker event presented by Spark Lab and Semi Permanent, will explore the “driving forces behind the next era of technological innovation”.
Innovators from successful companies such as Adidas, Google, VICE media and more are expected to attend the event at Spark Arena on May 11.
“We are seeing the possibilities for digital technology to enable cross-sector transformation explode – and the speakers we’ve assembled will speak to the newest trends, offer practical advice and renewed approaches to innovation to drive commercial success through technological and creative development,” says Spark Marketing Director, Matt Bain.
The event has a theme of ‘New Realities’, exploring the driving forces of the new era of the internet such as the metaverse, data sovereignty, AI, VR, gamification and tokenisation and UX and UI design.
“Future State has always been a hugely popular part of every Semi Permanent festival program, one that’s provided a multitude of benefits to attendees,” says Semi Permanent Global Creative Director, Mitchell Oakley Smith.
“We’re excited to be collaborating with Spark Lab to create a standalone platform for Future State that will strongly position New Zealand business leaders for long-term success.”
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Some of the speakers include Mikaela Jade, CEO of Australia’s first Indigenous edu-tech company, Indigital. The company uses virtual, augmented and mixed realities to help preserve 80,000 years of knowledge.
Mark Adams, Vice President and Head of Innovation of Vice Media, will talk about his work in digital transformation for entertainment brands and public personalities including Lady Gaga and former President Barack Obama.
Dr Jonnie Penn, technology historian and Professor of AI Ethics and Society at Cambridge University, will talk everything technology and innovation, including the popular ChatGPT tool.
Other speakers include Sam Conniff, Founder of The Uncertainty Experts, Danielle Krettek, Founder of Google Empathy Lab and Constantine Gavyrok and Alexandra Popova, who specialise in digital experience and production for Adidas.
Future State: New Realities will take place in Auckland’s Spark Arena on May 11.
