The next networking event will be in November 2010. See you then.
QUIZ NIGHT 2010
18 teams, 2 hours .....
… and on the night it felt as if EVERYONE was a winner!
Eighteen teams battled it out for the “2010 Quiz Champions” crown at the annual ICT Cluster quiz event last night at Bravo Cafe. It was a great effort from all teams, but there can only be one winner! This year, the supreme champions are:
TC Techos - the incredible team from TelstraClear!
Second place went to the (amazingly svelte) guys and gals from E Norma Snockers (Ballance Agri-Nutrients) with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cucumber (Cucumber Software) storming up the ranks to take out a comfortable third. Legends of Quiz (Gen-i Bay of Plenty, 12th Ave team) picked up the bonus round with a near perfect score guessing 25 familiar and not so familiar faces.
The remainder of the results on the night were as follows:
4th Legends of Quiz
5th Avonmore Avengers
6th The Lithps (Craigs Investment Partners)
7th eziCrackers ((Panztel)
8th Just CoPing (Pingar & friends) equal with TrustPower
10th The Visitors (NZ Sofware Association)
11th Double Vision (obviously missing their fearless leader, Mike, this year!)
12th Gen-i-us
13th Larry’s Rebels equal with Odds & Sods
15th The Supporters
16th TITS
17th The Winners (oops, possibly not)
18th The Radicals (who were short a couple of teamies)
True/False Round 1: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cucumber
True/False Round 2: Odds & Sods
Many thanks to everyone that took part, and special thanks to Nick Baker for devising all the tricky questions and Anne Pankhurst for fitting so perfectly into the role of Quiz Mistress!
Thanks also to the sponsors on the night: Priority One (for the nibbles and prizes) and IBM (for the bar tab) and the Jaffas (just to remind us of where they come from.)
Regards,
Annie
Events from 2009
Around 50 ICT professionals attended a seminar on 16 December to learn how businesses can take advantage of the world-class research capability at the University of Waikato, including the development of internationally competitive new products. The university has New Zealand’s top ranked Computer Science Department and it is in the top five in the world for search engine optimisation research. Attendees were lucky enough to see demonstrations of leading-edge new developments across areas such as machine learning, digital library, human computer interface, network performance and software engineering.
Hosted by the university in partnership with the Western Bay of Plenty ICT Cluster, attendees heard from Professor of Computer Science, Ian Witten. The idea for ‘Google’ was originally inspired by a paper written by Ian. In addition, Google’s Director of Engineering in New York is Craig Nevill-Manning – a previous student of Ian’s who obtained his PhD at Waikato. Ian continues to lead the world in text mining and machine learning research, where a computer program automatically analyses a large body of data to decide what information is most relevant. Representatives from WaikatoLink, the university’s commercialisation arm, also took part to look at the link between research and getting products to market.
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On 29 October, over 30 people gathered in Coyote Bar for some drinks and nibbles.
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July 31 - It was discovered last night that the way to an IT professional’s heart is most definitely through their palate!
Over 60 ICT and related professionals attended a wine tasting event at Bravo Cafe last night, sponsored by the ICT Cluster and Steve Bird of Steve Bird Winery and Vineyards. A delicious range of wines were sampled and Steve was a wealth of information on winemaking and food matches. I can particularly recommend the 2007 Marlborough Riesling and 2008 Marlborough Pinot Gris! If you weren’t able to make the event but would like further information on Steve and his wines, visit www.birdwines.com.
It was great to see so many new faces – and of course the regular contributors who continue to be so supportive of the cluster. If you've come along to events before, you will know the value you get from networking with others in the ICT sector. If you haven't tried them out yet, we encourage you to stop in at the next one, which is being planned for September.
Annie Hill | Projects Manager
Priority One | P O Box 13 057 | Tauranga | New Zealand
ph 64 7 571 1401 | fax 64 7 571 1402 | web www.priorityone.co.nz
Informal networking events are infrequently held at 5:30pm on the second Thursday of every month and we are looking for a regular venue. Every three months the cluster holds a formal event and engages a speaker of national or international repute to address members
The informal events aim to provide cluster members with practical information such as technology updates, troubleshooting tips, legal information and issues around IP, the latest hot topics in information technology and opportunities for growth (including funding).
Events in the past have included:
- Lunch with Helen Robinson, CEO of Microsoft NZ. Helen gave a presentation on the need for investment in technology and its link to global success.
- An evening with global entrepreneur, Rod Drury. Named NZ Hi-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, Rod is an early stage investor who is passionate about software development and building value. He recently took his latest venture, Xero, global. It’s an innovative online accounting solution designed specifically for SMEs.
- Mike Dennehy, CEO of local company Vision Software. Vision was recently named by Unlimited magazine as one of the 10 coolest companies in NZ. Mike shared his experiences of setting up an office in Australia and also gave practical advice on making funding applications to Tech NZ and NZ Trade Enterprise.
- Hans Frauenlob, the Manager of NZ Trade & Enterprise’s ICT sector team. Hans spoke about challenges NZ ICT companies face in global markets, the pitfalls faced when entering international markets, major drivers influencing technology purchases globally and how technology has created new channels to the consumer and to business.
- We have an annual Quiz Night. This year saw a fiercely fought competition between 18 teams.