Digital Freedom Festival Programme Announced - Inspiring Talks and Practical Lessons About the Influence of Technology

  • 2019-11-04
  • TBT Staff

The official programme is announced for the influential technology, startup, policy and lifestyle conference Digital Freedom Festival, which will gather more than 1500 technology and startup entrepreneurs, experts, policymakers, investors, journalists and students on November 14 and 15 in Riga. Over two days more than 110 speakers from all over the world will share their inspiring stories and knowledge - how entrepreneurs, society and politicians can better work together to make use of the benefits of technology.

November 14 features a new addition - Digital Freedom Festival Community Day, which will include practical seminars, masterclasses, personal growth courses, startup pitch competitions and other events. These will be held in various locations around Riga in cooperation with festival partners and ecosystem members. In turn on November 15 - the main conference day - discussions around humans and their role in the age of technology, media development, future economy, green technology, lifestyle and other current issues will be held across four stages at Hanzas Perons.

Digital Freedom Festival Co-founder Dagnija Lejiņa: “This year we're once again bringing world-class experience to Riga so that attendees can get inspired, gain knowledge and establish lasting corporations and business contacts. Topics range from personal growth and productivity topics, to artificial intelligence, smart cities and mobility, corporate innovation, startup pitch competitions and high-level discussions on UN Sustainable Development Goals. Before the Staro Rīga light festival and Independence Day on November 18 Riga will become the international digital technology “nerve centre”. This year we're also focusing on sustainable development goals, and we invite everyone to evaluate their own personal responsibility in regards to how we're going to live in the future. In solidarity with personal responsibility and the philosophy of choice, we've become the first conference in Latvia to announce a commitment to zero waste. At the same time we're also striving towards gender equality and 50% representation by women on the Digital Freedom Festival stages.”

November 14 - Digital Freedom Festival Community Day

During the Digital Freedom Festival Community Day the ISSP Gallery at Bergs Bazaar will host the Leadership Academy, which will offer practical and inspiring lessons for the road to excellence. Festival VIP ticket holders will have access to innovation leader and prestigious TED Talks speaker Carl Honore's masterclass on “Life at the right speed in the digital age”, and the Corporate Innovation masterclass led by Corporate Innovation Strategy Consultant Artis Cicens.

The Swedbank coworking space DoBe will host the first rounds of the 500 Startups, Rockstart and Latvia's State Forests startup pitch competitions.

In turn the Norden Office will host the Hack-Academy, where The Laws of Brand Storytelling Co-author Jessica Gioglio will share her suggestions for creating a successful brand storytelling strategy. Talent Sourcer Ekaterina Jachemeneva and Communications Strategist Julia Belkina - FindaNode co-founders - will share their advice on navigating the ever-changing recruitment jungle. Human Resources Management Specialist Diāna Stankeviča will explain how to increase the success of your team, and Workplace Strategy Consultant Olegs Nikitins will talk about how to strategically make use of the effect of work environment on efficiency while improving employee motivation.

During the Personal Development Academy at Birojnīca our longtime festival guest Monk John will lead a masterclass on balancing a fast-paced lifestyle with the help of meditation methods. Productivity Specialist Stoyan Yankov will share the best strategies and offer advice on how to lead effective mentoring groups, where participants give each other advice and help solve problems. Leadership and Performance Advisor Satu Ahlman will lead a masterclass on sleep and stress management, but mental health “evangelist” Stuart Rogers will talk about speeding up the work process, improving concentration and using spiritual exercises to speed up every aspect of work.

November 15 - Main Conference at Hanzas Perons

During the conference on the main - Future Stage - bright international and local speakers will discuss the influence of technology on our daily lives, media, business and environment, and the role of the individual in impacting global processes. Main stage speakers will include the President of the Republic of Latvia Egīls Levits, UN Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Blockchain Architect Sajida Zouarhi, Dutch smart mobility experts and other international speakers.

The Digital Freedom Festival Content Partner Delfi Media LAB stage will analyse current media trends for reaching youth, customising content for a mobile environment, podcast content topics and other issues. The stage will include appearances by famous Slovakian Journalist, Podcast Producer Davids Tvrdon, Head of Tech and Society at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change Max Beverton-Palmer, Google Mobile User Experience Specialist Conor McGann and many others.

During Investor Day pitch competitions, investor presentations and speed-dating will be held on the Innovation Bazaar stage in cooperation with GreenTech partners Latvia's State Forests GEO and Climate KIC, smart mobility partner Embassy of the Netherlands and world-leading accelerator 500 Startups and Rockstart. During the Bank 4.0.: Banking Everywhere & Mobile First discussion Citadele banking experts and invited specialists will discuss how technology is changing banking services, making them available all the time, everywhere. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science experts and scientists will discuss the synergy between science and innovation in the context of Latvian competitiveness in the global marketplace.

In turn, the Freedom Lounge will include discussions around lifestyle in the digital age - music, sustainable development and a discussion around the importance of technology in popularising and changing lifestyles according to the zero waste movement in cooperation with the festival's “zero waste” ambassador ECO Baltia.

The Digital Freedom Festival programme is available here: https://www.digitalfreedomfestival.com/programme-19/

The Digital Freedom Festival media accreditation form is available here: http://www.digitalfreedomfestival.com/why-join/media/