DigiON Canary Islands
DigiON Canarias 2024 held its second edition at Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria. It is an exhibition of technology, digitalization and cybersecurity companies that bring all the news to the general public. In addition to having a program of presentations on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and other topics, where the people who attended have perceived the messages that the new social and digital life entails. This is how they shared their doubts in the hallways about whether Artificial Intelligence and whether it was going to benefit companies or they also transmitted their scares motivated by the reality of cyberattacks. People congratulated each person who spoke about the new economic, digital and global progress in the SPEAKER'S CORNER designed for the exhibitors.
At DigiON Canarias 2024, we highlight the association of companies dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of technology, the CET Canarias Technological Excellence Cluster, and we interview Ana Torrent, the manager of the cluster.
What is Canary Islands Technological Excellence? What is its purpose?
Canarias Excelencia Tecnológica is a cluster that represents the technology sector of the Canary Islands. We have a regional scope, with 110 associated companies distributed in both provinces, in addition to the two Canarian public universities (ULPGC and ULL), and other strategic entities, professional associations, etc.
Since our beginnings, 15 years ago, our mission is to strengthen and promote the technological sector of the islands as a factor of economic and social progress. From the cluster we carry out actions of different kinds to make the work of our sector visible. The activities we carry out are, for example, outreach events, training, sector projects, participation in fairs...
Have the objectives set in the 2nd DigiON Canarias 2024 for Canary Islands Technological Excellence been met?
In this second edition of DigiON we wanted to collaborate more actively from the cluster and we are very happy with the results. More than 40 exhibitors have participated, very high-level speakers, both Canarian and national, and more than a thousand tickets sold.
We fully trust that this type of event should be held in the Canary Islands to position the sector and for the rest of the business and social sectors to know us. It is important to highlight the great professionals we have on the islands, with leading companies in many technologies.
We are sure that INFECAR will continue to trust and launch a third edition of DigiON and from the Canary Islands Technological Excellence we will support them again.
What do companies value most when they join the Cluster?
From the cluster we offer different services to associates, but perhaps what is most valued is being part of an ecosystem that energizes the sector. Not only are sectoral projects developed or training offered, but companies are also provided with knowledge of what other technology companies are doing and synergies between them are encouraged.
Right now, we are the largest business association in the technology sector in the Canary Islands and we are developing digitalization projects in different sectors.
Do you think that in the Canary Islands there is a powerful technology sector, unknown by SMEs from other sectors?
Technology companies on the islands are increasingly gaining a reputation in other sectors. We are working to give visibility to everything that is developed by our companies and to ensure that they are recognized by other sectors as reference suppliers to provide them with solutions for their digitalization.
It is important to highlight that the Canary Islands are emerging as a growing technology center. With the support of different initiatives, innovative companies and the region's technology sector are gaining recognition and attracting talent and resources. SMEs in other sectors may begin to recognize and take advantage of this potential as the Canary Islands' technology ecosystem continues to develop and promote itself more actively.
Why should Canary Islands SMEs go to Canarias Excelencia Tecnológica to find talent?
From our cluster we are working to promote scientific and STEAM vocations among the young people of the islands. We have carried out projects to try to reduce the gender gap in the sector and we collaborate with universities and vocational training centers that teach the computer science branch to strengthen sector training.
In addition, on our website we promote the job offers of associated companies to help them disseminate them. By visiting our website and our networks you can see the great employment potential that the sector has at this time.
Among the speakers who were at the Digital Show, Silvia Rivela who gave the presentation Am I a technological zombie? accompanied in this photograph by Selva Orejón between corridors transforms and innovates the digital transition. While Cadena Ser in the Canary Islands with Evaristo Quintana was bringing the essence of DigiON Canary Islands 2024 to the people who were in their homes.
Among the different talks offered at DigiON Canarias 2024, I had the honor, as director of ISLAS SEM, to give the talk titled "Not everything to sell is marketing" where we reflected on digitalization, globalization and the new international economy presented Bitrix24 as a solution for business organization and management, of which ISLAS SEM is a partner. Being currently in a competitive market for low-cost products and services, we must have our services, processes and work protocols highly industrialized. Furthermore, currently 90% of Europe's personal data is hosted in the United States, which we must begin to reverse by working with European technologies.
In the second edition of DigiON Canarias 2024, we have also shared the values of ISLAS SEM through the text designed in the notebook and pen, which was received with great enthusiasm by each of the people who attended the talk and visited the stand. Emphasizing that we must "Positively influence by taking care of a business where people know what they want, know what things cost, honor hard-working people and seek healthy relationships through agreements where both parties win."
DigiON Canarias 2024 has stood out for its digital participation where its visitors explore information technologies from a very humanized maturity. The enthusiasm, curiosity and excellent presentations and talks motivated an audience eager for an event at this point that the Canary Islands already deserved and makes available. Between the halls, DigiON treated each of the people who traveled to Infecar with breakfast.
The different presentations in the Digital Hall created motivated the active listening of all the people who continuously received master classes on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Cybercrime and of course all the presentations were presented by Jota Ypunto, CEO and founder of Entrepreneurs Fight Club and Todo it's going to be fine.
Thank Infecar and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria for their efforts to make DigiON Canarias 2024 a strategic reference at the national level, giving visibility to our technology companies.
