New, collaborative ICT conference comes to Wellington

Next July a major collaborative ICT conference will take place in Wellington. Known as ITX, the event will be held at Wellington's TSB Arena and Shed 6 complex, and will bring together 12 individual tech-related conferences and bodies under one roof.

Aimed at those working in the software and IT industry, ITx 2016 will include diverse specialist conferences focusing on areas such as testing, tech education, agile, communications, innovation and the internet, IT project management, professional practice, open source, exporting and commercialisation, and more.

Paul Matthews, IITP CEO , says the ITx concept had been born as a three-conference collaboration in 2014 and the model had been hugely successful.

"ITx brings the wider tech community together while maintaining specialisations, the best of both worlds. ITx will bring together leaders in the tech sector from around New Zealand and the world," Matthews says.

ITx partners include:

• The Institute of IT Professionals NZ (IITP), the largest body of IT Professionals in NZ
• NZ Technology Industry Association (NZTech), the body representing tech companies
• NZRise, the representative body for NZ-owned digital technology companies
• IT Service Management Forum NZ, the network for IT Service Management professionals
• Computing and IT Research and Education New Zealand (CITRENZ), the body of computing schools in the Institute of Technology and Polytech sector;
• Health Informatics NZ, the leading body for individuals practicing in health IT
• TUANZ, the representative body for ICT and communications users
• Test Professionals Network, the leading forum for promoting excellence in systems and software testing
• Agile Day, where Agile professionals come together
• InternetNZ, the voice of the internet community
• Project Management Institute of NZ, representing PM professionals
• NZ Open source Society (NZOSS), the body promoting Open source Software in NZ

ITx 2016 will be the largest independent tech-related conference in New Zealand in a generation, with more than 1,200 delegates expected across three days.

While the IT industry had been criticised at times for the fragmentation of bodies, events like ITx showed that collaboration was alive and well in the sector, the organisers say.

Graeme Muller, NZTech CEO, says ITx as a great example of a united industry working together.

"While we and others have growing individual programmes of events and other activities, ITx is a great opportunity for our sector to come together as one," he says.

itSMFnz president Tristan Boot agrees. He says, "For the first time, itSMF Conference delegates will not only get the best of service management, but have the opportunity to learn and network with professionals from right across the sector.

"Being involved with other organisations in the ICT area fits nicely with our common need to collaborate as we look to raise New Zealand into a top 10 nation for business usage of ICT," says Craig Young, TUANZ CEO .

Victoria MacLennan, NZRise co-chair, also welcomed ITx 2016 and the unashamed focus on the industry.

"New Zealand's digital technology industry is a thriving sector and large employer. It makes perfect sense to bring as many smart people as possible together under one roof," MacLennan says.

CITRENZ co-chair, Alison Clear, says ITx as an opportunity for even greater collaboration across education and industry.

"The successful CITRENZ conference has been fostering that education/industry partnership since 1988, and ITx is a great opportunity to grow that massively," Clear says.

Jordan Carter, InternetNZ chief executive, also says collaboration is very important in the tech industry.

"We are pleased to be a part of ITx as an opportunity to work together with organisations and events from around the tech industry. ITx will be an exciting opportunity for collaboration in shaping the future of the Internet for the benefit of New Zealand," he says.

The Project Management Institute of New Zealand's South Island chair, James Dobson, says he is thrilled that PMINZ are a part of ITx.

"Our annual Conference (usually held in Sept/Oct) focuses on Project Management across all industries. 40% of our members are IT Project Managers, so getting the chance to rub shoulders with the key players in the industry is a great opportunity.

"One of PMINZ's key goals is to work more closely organisations where there is a crossover with project management – this will certainly allow us to do just that!" he says.

ITx 2016 will also see conferences across health IT, testing, agile, telecommunications, internet innovation, open source and IT project management.

Health Informatics NZ (HINZ) CEO Kim Mundell says ITx was a great opportunity for those involved in Health IT to get together to hear about the latest in both health informatics and the sector as a whole.

"This is the best of both worlds," she says.