Meet The Disruptive Tech Speakers For DSrupted

June 24, 2014 by Dave Haynes

It took a little longer than planned after protracted chats with one company eventually went nowhere, but the final of five speakers is in place for the DSrupted conference in September in Toronto.

As it turns out, my Plan B for that last speaker slot will likely turn out to be way better than the Plan A who jerked me around for weeks.

Anyhoo … there are five really interesting, really diverse speakers set for the day-long event. You are reading that right. Just five.

DSrupted was set up as a way to take a full day and really dig into some of the technology trends and developments that are already reshaping how we “do” digital signage. Each of the five speakers has 45 minutes to explore a topic, and then the audience will  have 15 minutes to ask well-considered questions and get answers that aren’t being rushed by a moderator frantically pointing at his watch.

Here’s who we have:

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Vidya Nagarajan –  Product Manager, Chrome Devices For Enterprise, Google

Based in San Francisco, Vidya has 14 years of experience in cloud computing, spanning Product Management, Operations, Technical Account Management, Customer and Partner Program Management in the Enterprise space.

She’s currently a Product Manager focusing on building Chrome devices for the Enterprise, including digital signage. She previously worked on Google Apps and in the Business Intelligence (BI) realm.

She’ll be talking about Chrome and how Google plays in our little sandbox.

 

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Paul Vincent – CEO, Neuranet

Paul Vincent is the CEO and Founder of Neuranet, which builds Flexitive, a web publishing platform that not only has the most responsive web user interface for content – but also for advertising creative. Based on hybrid HTML5 & native code, it creates the most consistent and intuitive user experience across smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and the desktop. Paul’s career includes stints running digital operations at PostMedia, and in management roles with Microsoft in Canada and in his native New Zealand.

He’ll be talking HTML5. You can read a recent 16:9 guest post by him here ...

 

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Doug Thompson – CEO, dot3

Doug writes the top blog globally on beacon technology, called Beekn, and will be talking about Beacon technology and the Internet of Things.

When Apple embraced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons last year, developers finally had a proximity-based technology that works across all the major phone platforms. It unleashed a wave of innovation – from amusement parks to museums, music events to amusement parks, retailers to your local church or library.

The simplicity of BLE technology has laid the groundwork for increasingly immersive and personalized digital engagements in place. It represents a significant wave of connected technologies that will change our perceptions of physical space. Whether combining context-aware phones with digital signage, beacons that can detect the temperature with pop-up social networks, or mesh networking with precision targeting of coupons – the future will see both new challenges and new opportunities for how we can create value and engagement with consumers.

Doug will provide insight into what Bluetooth LE beacons are and how they work, their limitations and challenges, and the lessons learned in how to deploy them effectively. He’ll outline emerging technology trends related to beacons including fleet management, cloud services, power conservation, beacon security, and integration with other technologies (including ARM processors and digital signage).

He’ll outline five major implications for retail, business and brands as he projects a future in which “there is no offline” – including implications for privacy, architecture and interior design, and storytelling.

 

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Matt Arnold – Lead Integration Engineer, Second Story

Matt is Lead Integration Engineer at Second Story in Portland, Oregon. He provides the studio with engineering leadership specific to interactive hardware, sensors, and media electronics. With a strong engineering background in robotics design and sensor integration, he offers mechanical design and software solutions to projects, enabling the studio to create unique displays and innovative interactive environments.

We’re working out the final topic, but he’s been in the thick of some of the more intriguing experiential digital stuff I have seen launched in the last 2-3 years. Here’s what I wrote about him and his company.

 

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Matthew Milan – CEO, Normative

Normative is a design firm focused helping organizations develop strategies, products and services for a networked world. Milan co-founded the company, and built a world-class design practice focusing on leading-edge interaction design and strategy, service design and mobile systems.

Milan is often asked to speak in frank, engaging terms about technology and its possibilities.

Matthew will be talking about The Programmable World.

We’ll also have an end of day moderated panel to circler back on some things and get a little debate going.


 

We have all been to conferences where there are too many speakers wedged in to really learn much. We’ve all suffered though the presentations that were not even veiled sales pitches for products and services. I hate that crap, and that’s why this is different.

If the day sounds intriguing, please go to the website and book your set. Yes, it’s still 11 weeks away but attendance is limited to less than 200 and I can’t guarantee the seats will be there for procrastinators. It’s $335 CAD for a great day of learning, from some great, smart people.

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