Web Summit quits Dublin

Jimoslimos

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Jeez, if I was a potential investor in Ireland and I read this thread, I'd go elsewhere based purely on the sneering at success that's going on here

Stop being silly now. If you were a potential investor (which you most patently are not) you'd look at several aspects.

Quality of graduates
Cost of employees
Tax breaks/agreements
Transport infrastructure
Broadband
Existing competition

"Sneering" at success on a discussion board doesn't make the list. You'd want to be fierce thin-skinned to threaten to pack up your bags and leave, based on a tiny bit of criticism.

Atomic Pineapple

grundie wrote: »

I was made to go to it last year and I didn't enjoy it. It was just hard sell the whole time, and people trying to thrust the business cards on me. The keynote speeches contained nothing new or amazing.

They'll be back in Dublin soon enough. A few of the foreign attendees told me that they wouldn't have come just for the summit, but that having a chance to visit Dublin swayed them. Nice as Lisbon is, I don't think it has the same draw as Dublin.

Went to it last year myself and enjoyed it but I mostly stayed away from the start up sections and went to see engineering speeches in areas of interest to me and I felt it was worthwhile, I wouldn't have paid to go to it myself though.

My experience talking to many people there would be similar to yours, anyone I spoke to who was attending from abroad mentioned the chance to visit Dublin as being a huge part of the draw to the event. Personally I wouldn't be excited to visit Lisbon so that could have an impact.

It's a shame to see that the old Irish begrudgary and negativity still exists so much in this day and age where some people think an event that brought in money to the economy and showcased Ireland in a positive light moving to another country is somehow a positive thing.

techdiver

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Went to it last year myself and enjoyed it but I mostly stayed away from the start up sections and went to see engineering speeches in areas of interest to me and I felt it was worthwhile, I wouldn't have paid myself to go to it though.

My experience talking to many people there would be similar to yours, anyone I spoke to who was attending from abroad mentioned the chance to visit Dublin as being a huge part of the draw to the event. Personally I wouldn't be excited to visit Lisbon so that could have an impact.

It's a shame to see that the old Irish begrudgary and negativity still exists so much in this day and age where some people think an event that brought in money to the economy and showcased Ireland in a positive light moving to another country is somehow a positive thing.

I'm not saying that, this was not true, but I often find those comments to be disingenuous, especially coming from Americans.

The same people will say the same thing to Portuguese people they talk to in Lisbon.

Also, even if it is true, as soon as the realities of Dublin's terrible infrastructure and price gouging becomes apparent, they might not be in a rush to come back.

Atomic Pineapple

techdiver wrote: »

I'm not saying that, this was not true, but I often find those comments to be disingenuous, especially coming from Americans.

The same people will say the same thing to Portuguese people they talk to in Lisbon.

Also, even if it is true, as soon as the realities of Dublin's terrible infrastructure and price gouging becomes apparent, they might not be in a rush to come back.

There is that aspect of course that they would say it about anywhere, I actually didn't talk to any Americans at the event

There was a large positive "buzz" about it being in Dublin though that was evident at the event and then in the city afterwards but again they may be able to replicate this in Lisbon.

arayess

callaway92 wrote: »

It's not really the fact that it was only 22,000 people that attended. It's more down to how powerful the people in attendance at it were.

yup adrian grenier and the guy from man v food (who I love btw) really brought in those billions in foreign direct investment.

The web summit had it's uses but people see through the over blown razzmataz that it was.
Big companies come for the educated workforce and the corporation tax and IDA sweetheart deals , most probably in reverse order to as I listed them.
This summit was a feel good festival of smug **** using social media to smugly declare themselves "with it".
and while doing so stick two fingers up at the "i'm the gym" crowd who clog social media normally.

gandalf

arayess wrote: »

yup adrian grenier and the guy from man v food (who I love btw) really brought in those billions in foreign direct investment.

Actually Adam Richman and Neil Jordan were the highlights for me. Given they had almost nothing to do with the web and the reason I was there it indicates to me that it has lost the focus of what is was about. I was at the original one which was relevant to the start up scene. It's almost like they are just using startups as clothes to dress up a mess of an jolly event.

dutopia

Makes sense.

Lisbon:

- Better public transport
- Cheaper & better venue
- More hotels
- Good access from airport
- Cheaper & skilled IT workers

jimgoose

Bunch a propeller-headed, Segway-riding Californian twits. The only business impacted by this will be Starbucks. Fcuk 'em.

Ben D Bus

Bambi wrote: »

Hows that list of companies who've set up in dublin coming along there chief?

The Summit itself is the success. The Web Summit company employs 130 people. Why do you want to sneer at this?

Ben D Bus

Jimoslimos wrote: »

Stop being silly now. If you were a potential investor (which you most patently are not) you'd look at several aspects.

Quality of graduates
Cost of employees
Tax breaks/agreements
Transport infrastructure
Broadband
Existing competition

"Sneering" at success on a discussion board doesn't make the list. You'd want to be fierce thin-skinned to threaten to pack up your bags and leave, based on a tiny bit of criticism.

Oh, come on. Of course I was exaggerating that point.

But the glee expressed at the loss of a hugely successful indigenous event really saddens me.

murpho999

road_high wrote: »

Woeful infrastructure (No underground) likely compounded by eye watering hotel prices. Not one bit surprised.

Have you ever travelled, I find Dublin Hotel prices quite reasonable compared to European cities.

Also, the RDS is not exactly a hard venue to get to.

People writing here as if millions of people were coming, It was 22,000, less than an average game at Lansdowne Road.

Ignatius in bloom

murpho999 wrote: »

Have you ever travelled, I find Dublin Hotel prices quite reasonable compared to European cities.

Also, the RDS is not exactly a hard venue to get to.

People writing here as if millions of people were coming, It was 22,000, less than an average game at Lansdowne Road.

Right so we have enough events and we shouldn't encourage anymore, got you.

awec

murpho999 wrote: »

Have you ever travelled, I find Dublin Hotel prices quite reasonable compared to European cities.

Also, the RDS is not exactly a hard venue to get to.

People writing here as if millions of people were coming, It was 22,000, less than an average game at Lansdowne Road.

It's not just about the money people spend on hotels.

And 22,000 is pretty big by conference standards.

This event is a loss to Ireland unfortunately.

FionnK86

awec wrote: »

It's not just about the money people spend on hotels.

And 22,000 is pretty big by conference standards.

This event is a loss to Ireland unfortunately.

Not a loss to the bus company I worked for. Last year we were asked to provide transport to the event, in return for advertisement without any offer of financial payment to the company. It was turned down of course.

awec

FionnK86 wrote: »

Not a loss to the bus company I worked for. Last year we were asked to provide transport to the event, in return for advertisement without any offer of financial payment to the company. It was turned down of course.

Yea that's cheeky, but hardly indicative of whether or not the event was a positive thing for Ireland.

murpho999

Ignatius in bloom wrote: »

Right so we have enough events and we shouldn't encourage anymore, got you.

awec wrote: »

It's not just about the money people spend on hotels.

And 22,000 is pretty big by conference standards.

This event is a loss to Ireland unfortunately.

I never said it wasn't a loss just pointing out that the reasons people here are giving are wrong.

Hotel prices are not as expensive as people make out and nor is transport to RDS, with DARTs and buses as well as taxis which most corporate people use anyway.

It could just be a business decision by the organisers which is their right, no need for people to come on here and use it as an opportunity to bash Dublin./Ireland.

vkid

Dublin hotels are not reasonable, even by European standards. Comparing against London and Amsterdam maybe but other cities..no. And that is becoming increasingly obvious this year. They are overpriced.

micosoft

asherbassad wrote: »

Portugal's tax system is being restructured as well. Corporation tax will be dropping so it would appear that they are probably trying to attract scumbags like Google and Apple by playing fast and loose with the rules just like Ireland does.

TBH the only scumbags are the people who think they are entitled to the hard earned cash of innovative organisations such as Apple and Google.

Tiddlypeeps

I've been to GDC and Gamescom a few times in Cologne, which has a bloody huge convention centre. Hotel prices in Cologne around that time are crazy compared to the price of hotels in Dublin around the time of the Web Summit. Hotel prices alone aren't really a big disincentive. Not being able to find space in a hotel near the venue at all is a pretty big one tho.

stmol32

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

It's a shame to see that the old Irish begrudgary and negativity still exists so much in this day and age where some people think an event that brought in money to the economy and showcased Ireland in a positive light moving to another country is somehow a positive thing.

I'm not seeing any begrudgery on this thread.
Most people are just pointing out that they've attended and found it to be disappointing.

Even your post, one of the few positive ones about the event, was luke warm at best.

murpho999

vkid wrote: »

Dublin hotels are not reasonable, even by European standards. Comparing against London and Amsterdam maybe but other cities..no. And that is becoming increasingly obvious this year. They are overpriced.

Disagree with this, go to a convention in the likes of Paris, Rome, Madrid etc you'll pay through the nose for a hotel.

micosoft

We really do need to bet bigger on Conferences. The Dart Underground is a huge loss - connecting the Dart system to Grand Canal and the airport as well as potential to grow the National Convention Centre to support really big conferences like Mobile World or Salesforce Europe. With Dublin Airport being a hub for the US, Middle East, Africa (Ethiopian Airlines) as well as the Hub for Europe (Ryanair) we have an incredible opportunity but a complete lack of ambition.
As for the appalling bitterness shown by some posters. Grow up.

arayess

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Oh, come on. Of course I was exaggerating that point.

But the glee expressed at the loss of a hugely successful indigenous event really saddens me.

It;'s not glee we are defending ourselves against web summits media buddies who are trying to lay the blame on ireland for not sucking up to the web summit and paddy cosgrove.

We been told so far that we're Sh1t, sh1tter and even more sh1t cos one company decided to hold the event elsewhere for more cash.


If ireland has one good quality is that we see through hype very well, it might be the cynical nature of people but it serves us well when force fed a shovel of sh1t from the media. A media made of of journalists on a jolly or a kick-back to hype up an event like this to the max.

Web summit was a good event but not a great event to mis-quote eamonn dunphy.

Dyr

FionnK86 wrote: »

Not a loss to the bus company I worked for. Last year we were asked to provide transport to the event, in return for advertisement without any offer of financial payment to the company. It was turned down of course.

That's their modus operandi for pretty much everything. I'm sure the portugese are more amenable to the something-for-nothing business model

Atomic Pineapple

stmol32 wrote: »

I'm not seeing any begrudgery on this thread.
Most people are just pointing out that they've attended and found it to be disappointing.

Even your post, one of the few positive ones about the event, was luke warm at best.

I guess our reading of certain comments in the thread differ then as there is clear illogical bashing of the Web Summit, it's organisers and even attendees in some posts that falls far short of the constructive criticism that others have posted in my opinion.

It was definitely over hyped, not all that great and was more of a media event than something with true purpose but it was a positive thing for Ireland and a loss none the less.

That said if the powers to be here had any ounce of creativity they would realise this actually now presents a real opportunity to replace the event with something more focused that can add real value to the start up culture in Ireland and drive real home grown growth.

S. Goodspeed

Its a pity but I definitely agree with the Government for not giving in to his demands, the company does very well out of the event and relies on Brand Ireland for such so all parties were getting something. Greed always ruins things..

I've been to quite a few tech summits in Europe and the US and (although I am biased here) the Dublin one was special. Anyone I spoke to at it seemed to have a great time being in Dublin. The organised pub crawls &Irish food tent was a nice touch but it was the city that made it rather than the organisation. The only thing that let people down (aside from the wireless which PC should have shouldered more of the blame for rather than calling the management in the RDS a bunch of old farts on stage) was the complete lack of investment in their companies which is the problem inherent in such conferences - people pay a relative fortune to set up their stall & pitch their company yet get very little out of it. One of the key speakers last year admitted as much, he said any deals that happen at the conference have been in the pipeline for months in advance.

I can't see Lisbon being anywhere as successful but only time will tell I suppose.

Ben D Bus

arayess wrote: »

It;'s not glee

Yes, it's glee. A selection of quotes below.

Lisbon is welcome to Cosgrove and his minion's.

Delighted they're gone.

schmoozefest

The web summit's all a bit of a racket anyway designed to extract cash from wealthy companies

nonetheless like other posters I was sick of the social media wankfest .

Most of it was ****e when I went , basically a shake down and paying for the privilege of non resident rich people telling us how we can be like them.

This summit was a feel good festival of smug **** using social media to smugly declare themselves "with it".
and while doing so stick two fingers up at the "i'm the gym" crowd who clog social media normally.

Bunch a propeller-headed, Segway-riding Californian twits. The only business impacted by this will be Starbucks. Fcuk 'em.

Glee and sneering. Sad.

It's a fricking conference people. They're like this all over the world. But we manage to build a successful one from the ground up, at home in Ireland, in only a few years, and when we lose it we get the comments above.

jimmynokia

jimgoose wrote: »

Bunch a propeller-headed, Segway-riding Californian twits. The only business impacted by this will be Starbucks. Fcuk 'em.

Comment of the day.:D:D:D

stmol32

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

I guess our reading of certain comments in the thread differ then as there is clear illogical bashing of the Web Summit, it's organisers and even attendees in some posts that falls far short of the constructive criticism that others have posted in my opinion.

It was definitely over hyped, not all that great and was more of a media event than something with true purpose but it was a positive thing for Ireland and a loss none the less.

That said if the powers to be here had any ounce of creativity they would realise this actually now presents a real opportunity to replace the event with something more focused that can add real value to the start up culture in Ireland and drive real home grown growth.

Sorry I wasn't clear, I was specifically addressing the people who had attended and weren't overly impressed.

Ignatius in bloom

murpho999 wrote: »

I never said it wasn't a loss just pointing out that the reasons people here are giving are wrong.

Hotel prices are not as expensive as people make out and nor is transport to RDS, with DARTs and buses as well as taxis which most corporate people use anyway.

It could just be a business decision by the organisers which is their right, no need for people to come on here and use it as an opportunity to bash Dublin./Ireland.

There has been a few comments about how other events attract more people but thats not the point, in real financial terms it's a huge loss for not just Dublin but the whole country as revenue is spread across the country and of course the more traffic we have coming into Ireland the better for the coffers. I know nothing about the summit in general its neither in my expertise or interest but i could see the real financial benefit of it last year.

sierraecho

Not surprised at all by this news at all. I'd imagine it was always the intention really if he was serious about growing it.

Was there last year but opted out of going this year as didn't feal it was worth the cost of the ticket. Didn't take much from it apart from Über being the big success there and lots of degrudeing of Spotify.

One for the media publications I guess.

All in all still a loss for the country. If it continues to grow ever year it would have been good for the country.

arayess

Ben D Bus wrote: »

Yes, it's glee. A selection of quotes below.

Glee and sneering. Sad.

It's a fricking conference people. They're like this all over the world. But we manage to build a successful one from the ground up, at home in Ireland, in only a few years, and when we lose it we get the comments above.

Nonetheless like other posters I was sick of the social media wankfest .

Most of it was ****e when I went , basically a shake down and paying for the privilege of non resident rich people telling us how we can be like them.

This summit was a feel good festival of smug **** using social media to smugly declare themselves "with it".
and while doing so stick two fingers up at the "i'm the gym" crowd who clog social media normally.

you quoted me (all above) in a few of those.

Calling it a social media wankfest isn't gleeful at its' exit. Its (imo) a factual statement but a dig at social media as opposed to the event itself . although the event organisers no doubt encouraged this wankfest,.

I never once was delighted it was gone . I'm not sad it is more neutral.
I object to the "we're doomed" line that is being trotted out.

Like this ****€r
http://lovindublin.com/opinion/****-wifi-and-600-hotel-price-hikes-can-you-really-blame-paddy-cosgrave-for-pulling-out-of-dublin

Fear, caution and an austerity mindset led us to scupper one of the best opportunities we've ever been given

oh FCUK OFF with the hyperbolic wailing... :rolleyes:

Sheeps

Regardless of whether people think it's a smug fest or not, it was the premier event in Ireland for IT and start up networking and there have been countless success stories that have come off the back of it. Not only at the conference itself but through out the entire week of web summit in the other social events that happen as part of the whole ordeal. The way in which CI labs have more or less re-invented the conference has put them at the forefront of event organizing and the fact that it wont be hosted in Dublin is tragic.

I've been out to their offices a couple of times to see their operation and the way the generate interest and the tools they've built and utilized in order to grow and make the whole thing a success is cutting edge.

gandalf

To be honest this leaves a massive opening for a more relevant, focussed start up centric event. What the Web Summit has proven is that there is an appetite for a Dublin based event of this type. From attending last year and the stories of colleagues who attended the year before its obvious the event has totally detached from its roots.

The Corinthian

The thing is that after close to 20 years in the business you tend to see things for what they are. Web Summit is no doubt a well organized event, but it really is not of much use business-wise.

I say this as someone who's gone to networking events for many years. Some, like GSM World are incredible events where you line up your meetings beforehand and are making deals nonstop for the days you're there. Others, like Wireless Wednesday are a waste of my time. The talks are rarely more than companies pitching their solution and it's just a bunch of people in the same sector largely trying to the sell the same stuff to each other.

The thing to remember is that these things are run by people who are often not actually in the business. Their business is event management, not IT, the Internet or mobile. If they can produce something useful, then cool. If not, no worries, unsubscribe and get on with your life and let them try to earn their own crust of bread.

Web Summit does not offer much to me presently. Maybe it creates an environment for startups to meet up with VC's, but TBH, there are much better ways to do this and Ireland is not the country to go to for VC anyway.

The speeches are utterly mediocre, but then again all of these speeches are (TED just makes me want to disembowel myself after two sessions) - I've not heard anything interesting at these things in ten years. In reality, they're CV padding for consultants and 'gurus' who want to use speaking at such an event to promote themselves and charge even higher rates for doing PowerPoint presentations - I've done this myself.

The network opportunities are minimal. It's only value is for large companies who want to be seen attending and executives who know it's fück all business value but they can get a junket out of it, but would never spend such money if it was their own business - again, I've done this myself.

The loss of Web Summit will result in the loss of a small to medium sized conference event and associated value to the local economy. It will make fück all difference to companies locating to Dublin or Ireland. Bottom line.

This is not to put them down - they fill a niche. If I move jobs and go work again for one of the big opco's, in the future, I'll be sure to attend it in Dublin, Lisbon or wherever. And if they got a better deal in Lisbon - good for them. But let's not exaggerate their importance to anyone either.

suicide_circus

Hope they enjoy the level of service they receive in Lisbon which is nothing less than shocking. If you want to know what it feels like to be an inconvenience try paying for something in a shop in Lisbon.

donegaLroad

I had Joe Duffy on in the car during lunch.. some callers said that the system where foreign IT contract staff have to queue through the night for a work permit is known internationally, and that this sytem hasn't changed in over 15 years.

There is only 1 office in Dublin which deals with issuing temporary work visas, and that it deals with over 100,000 people every year.

MadsL

But, but...
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/discovery/2010/09/18/digital-economy-is-the-winner-at-your-country-your-call

create as many as 45,000 digital media jobs over the next 10 years.

How's that going Neil? 100 Grand spent already? Oh. Never mind eh?

Tiddlypeeps

MadsL wrote: »

But, but...
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/discovery/2010/09/18/digital-economy-is-the-winner-at-your-country-your-call



How's that going Neil? 100 Grand spent already? Oh. Never mind eh?

2010? You've been holding on to that one...

Is that related to the Web Summit, or are you just pointing out failed tech start ups?

Dyr

MadsL wrote: »

But, but...
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/discovery/2010/09/18/digital-economy-is-the-winner-at-your-country-your-call



How's that going Neil? 100 Grand spent already? Oh. Never mind eh?

Digital republic is still going?

Weird

MadsL

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

2010? You've been holding on to that one...

Is that related to the Web Summit, or are you just pointing out failed tech start ups?

More pointing out the 100 grand thrown at grand ideas with no followup or accountability, no surprise then that Ireland becomes less attractive to tech startups.

The Digital Hub is another grand idea adrift with no accountability, basically a heavily taxpayer funded landlord operation now folded into Dublin City Council so that it doesn't have to publish an annual report on how badly it was managed this year, or last year or the year before.

Edit: They did publish the 2013 report detailing a 50k loss, down from the 150k loss in 2012.

Tiddlypeeps

MadsL wrote: »

More pointing out the 100 grand thrown at grand ideas with no followup or accountability, no surprise then that Ireland becomes less attractive to tech startups.

The Digital Hub is another grand idea adrift with no accountability, basically a heavily taxpayer funded landlord operation now folded into Dublin City Council so that it doesn't have to publish an annual report on how badly it was managed this year, or last year or the year before.

Edit: They did publish the 2013 report detailing a 50k loss, down from the 150k loss in 2012.

Are you suggesting the government shouldn't put money into trying to create jobs? Or that IT was a bad place to put it?

Also I hate to break it to you, 100k is a drop in the bucket. You should take a look at what EI hands out and most of those companies fail too. They probably rarely make a profit too, but their objective isn't to make money, it's to create jobs. I could be wrong but I think that's the digital hubs goal too.

MadsL

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

Are you suggesting the government shouldn't put money into trying to create jobs? Or that IT was a bad place to put it?

Also I hate to break it to you, 100k is a drop in the bucket. You should take a look at what EI hands out and most of those companies fail too. They probably rarely make a profit too, but their objective isn't to make money, it's to create jobs. I could be wrong but I think that's the digital hubs goal too.

The Digital Hub doesn't create jobs beyond the overpaid management. Payroll in 2013 was over €1 million.

The Digital Hub is a landlord for office space. I'd ask you why taxpayers should subsidise poor management of office space?

As to a drop in the bucket, DHDA got a €250 million starting grant, took an major hit of a €39m property investment hit in 2011, a loss of €2.7m in 2009 and a loss of almost €42m in 2010. and the only result of a Govt review of its activities was to dump it into DCC control where there is now no transparency on its finances.

Last year a further €40 million of Govt money was thrown at DHDA to create amongst other things a student housing property investment.
Edit: This was a private investment not Govt investment, so basically the DHDA selling off assets. The DHDA is frankly nothing more than a heavily disguised boom-era property speculator.

There is nothing especially attractive to start-ups in the rents they charge which are actually often ahead of commercial rents.

Whilst there is some merit in the redevelopment of historical buildings at the site, they have strayed often down the path of foolish overambition resulting in some heavy expenditure on vanity building projects that had little to offer in the way of job creation sustainability or assistance to start-ups. in addition, many of the buildings on Thomas Street and environs owned by DHDA are in a criminal state of neglect and disrepair, almost all of them Protected Structures.

Tiddlypeeps

MadsL wrote: »

The Digital Hub doesn't create jobs beyond the overpaid management. Payroll in 2013 was over €1 million.

The Digital Hub is a landlord for office space. I'd ask you why taxpayers should subsidise poor management of office space?

As to a drop in the bucket, DHDA got a €250 million starting grant, took an major hit of a €39m property investment hit in 2011, a loss of €2.7m in 2009 and a loss of almost €42m in 2010. and the only result of a Govt review of its activities was to dump it into DCC control where there is now no transparency on its finances.

Last year a further €40 million of Govt money was thrown at DHDA to create amongst other things a student housing property investment. The DHDA is frankly nothing more than a heavily disguised boom-era property speculator. There is nothing especially attractive to start-ups in the rents they charge which are actually often ahead of commercial rents.

Whilst there is some merit in the redevelopment of historical buildings at the site, they have strayed often down the path of foolish overambition resulting in some heavy expenditure on vanity building projects that had little to offer in the way of job creation sustainability or assistance to start-ups. in addition, many of the buildings on Thomas Street and environs owned by DHDA are in a criminal state of neglect and disrepair, almost all of them Protected Structures.

I haven't been following the scene for a while now, but the Digital Hub's goals used to be to create an affordable space for start ups to grow in order to create jobs. And it worked for a long time. I know one company, (who are sadly gone now) that wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the Digital Hub that went on to employ about 100 people, the operated for about 6/7 years before they shut down. Back of the envelope calculations say that during that time those employees alone went on to pay at least 10m in PAYE probably closer to 20m, plus all the other taxes the company would have paid with regards to actual sales and profits. That one company well paid back the tax payer for the subsidised rent it received in it's first year and cover that of many others. And that's just one example of a company that ultimately failed. You can't track the success of these things in just how much money the Digital Hub themselves are taking in, you need to look at the tax revenue raised from the companies that ultimately go on to be successful.

It's quite possible the company is now rotten to the core and is no longer operating efficiently (or maybe it never was), but the concept of providing subsidised rents to start ups at it's core can a pretty effective way of generating jobs and therefore tax revenue. It only takes 1 successful company to cover the costs of many failed ones.

Do you disagree with the concept of the government spending money on encouraging start ups?

I'm not going to touch the property speculation stuff as I have no idea about it and I have no idea how government funded property speculation is even remotely relevant in a thread about the tech industry

Tarzana2

ricardo1 wrote: »

I would say that's one of the reasons but the real reason is Dublin's poor public transport infrastructure.

The RDS doesn't have the infrastructure for the attendance they're looking for and a nearby luas/metro DART station to get people back to their hotels.
People last year were complaining about having to wait in the rain to get a taxi or having to get on a bus to get into town in rush hour.

Pat on the back DCC current and previous governments for a capital city of buses and taxis as its main form of public transport.

There's a DART station really near the RDS. And Dublin bus lays on the most regular bus services in the city for the Dublin 4 area

Kermit.de.frog

Tarzana2 wrote: »

There's a DART station really near the RDS. And Dublin bus lays on the most regular bus services in the city for the Dublin 4 area

What good is the DART if you are coming from the airport? Country is run by gombeen country TD's that don't give two hoots about the capital, only their own seats and voters. Not that many of the natives do either but anyway. It really is a disgrace the way Dublin is run and managed. A national embarrassment that has us on a par with Newcastle, Hull or Sheffield instead of the capital of a modern country.

It is not even the big things Dublin does not get right - it's the simple things.

the dark phantom

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What good is the DART if you are coming from the airport? Country is run by gombeen country TD's that don't give two hoots about the capital, only their own seats and voters. Not that many of the natives do either but anyway. It really is a disgrace the way Dublin is run and managed. A national embarrassment that has us on a par with Newcastle, Hull or Sheffield instead of the capital of a modern country.

It is not even the big things Dublin does not get right - it's the simple things.

Newcastle and its surrounding area have a transport system light years ahead of Dublin. Not too familiar with the other cities.

johnnyskeleton

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

wow, major blow to Dublin as a "tech capital".


no doubt this is mostly due to the embarrassing broad band wifi service provided last year by the RDS which really riled the organisers.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0923/729704-web-summit/

Maybe im too much of a luddite but the only thing i know about that event is that every year all my single female friends find their tinders going crazy as hordes of horny tech savvy young gentlement storm into town.

Theyre like the Russian Navy coming to town!

Tarzana2

Tiddlypeeps wrote: »

I'd say that 20m in ticket sales pales in comparison to the company buying up exhibition space.

I went a few years ago, it was a bit sad. A bunch of desperate start ups chasing around a bunch of indifferent VC's. The VC's are only there so they can fight each other over the 1 or 2 start ups that actually look like they are going somewhere. The rest is just advertising from the already successful companies trying to sell their wares to the desperate start ups with the promise it will help them become successful. Unfortunately tho if you are in that space you have to be seen to be taking part in that type of thing.

HBO's Sillicon Valley does a great job of parodying the type of knob ends that surround this type of thing.

Sad to lose it all the same, it was a decent money spinner for the economy. I worry this a sign of early cracks forming in the tech sector here. It's becoming very expensive to operate here and for most companies it's only really worth it because they can make it up in the savings from the corporation tax.

Yeah, attracting companies based on a low corporation tax rate has always struck me as precarious.

Tarzana2

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What good is the DART if you are coming from the airport? Country is run by gombeen country TD's that don't give two hoots about the capital, only their own seats and voters. Not that many of the natives do either but anyway. It really is a disgrace the way Dublin is run and managed. A national embarrassment that has us on a par with Newcastle, Hull or Sheffield instead of the capital of a modern country.

It is not even the big things Dublin does not get right - it's the simple things.

Simply correcting the poster who said there was no DART station nearby.

Never understand people getting their knickers in a twist about the airport. It's not even very far away compared to other cities