ICT SPRING 2018

Bertrange, May 17th, 2018 – On May 15th and 16th, more than 5,000 professionals participated to a new edition of ICT Spring. The event took place at the very heart of Europe and tackled the trendy topics of digital, financial technologies and space innovation. More than 120 international experts and guest speakers gathered at the European Convention Center Luxembourg to share their knowledge, while more than 80 innovative companies and more than 40 of startups presented their solutions during the two-day conference.

The organizers had the pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who shared his views on the digital ambitions of the government. "I always look forward to this event and to seeing the country's buzzing ICT scene come together in one single place. Our small country knows how to open to others and make successful stories happen," he stated. According to him, openness is a key enabler of success and he therefore advocated more discussions and exchanges to produce even more innovation in Luxembourg but also on a European level.

Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance, also attended the event and delivered an inspiring speech: "Luxembourg is a natural choice for FinTech companies: our country is rated AAA and we have the great ability to adapt the regulation, working hand in hand with the players active in the financial industry". During his presentation he also insisted on the creation at the end of 2015 of the Luxembourg House of FinTech (LHoFT) and the launch of the Infrachain initiative. He also highlighted the excellence of research and education in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.

Digital Summit
From the development of eSkills in Luxembourg, pushed by the government, and the necessity to reinvent Customer Experience in order to answer the changing needs of clients, to the promises of Artificial Intelligence, local and international experts took the stage to share their best practices, latest findings and innovative solutions. The power of digital to enable societal progress and notably the development of smart cities was also addressed during the conference.

FinTech Summit
With finance historically being linked to the development and success of Luxembourg and digital redefining the way we consume and live, FinTech has become one of the hottest topics all over the world. It was therefore discussed by the guest speakers of ICT Spring. Partnerships and collaboration between traditional players and startups, cutting-edge financial services, innovation in payments and compliance – through GDPR, identity and RegTech – where notably addressed during the FinTech Summit.

Space Forum
In the past two years, Space mining and exploration has surfaced in Luxembourg, with the country providing a legal framework to exploit space resources from asteroids, followed by the arrival of many players active in the space industry in the country. Once again, Space Forum brought national agencies (ESA, NASA, etc), private companies and startups together to discuss new infrastructure, satellite data management, IoT, mobility, but also Earth observation and disruptive technologies used in space.

Startups all over the place
A grand total of 46 startups attended, spoke and pitched at the event. On the first day of ICT Spring, the Pitch Your Startup contest also took place. Organized by Docler Holding, with the support of BIL, EY, LHoFT and Luxinnovation, the competition was won by Japanese startup Empath Inc. Sniffy and Mu Design were also recognized during the ceremony.
During the two days, participants also had to opportunity to discover the latest innovations in the fields of FinTech, ICT and Digital, with the presence of 80 exhibitors. Robert Pires, the former soccer player and World Champion with France in 1998, also attended to event.

According to Kamel Amroune, CEO of Farvest Group and co-founder of ICT Spring, "the 2018 edition of the renowned web and tech Summit reached new records, with a growing numbers of speakers, startups and participants. Stay tuned and expect even more innovation at ICT Spring 2019". Today, the organizers are proud to announce that the next edition of ICT Spring will take place in May 2019.

About ICT Spring
ICT Spring is a Global Tech Conference hosting an array of International Professionals. This two-day yearly event is held in Luxembourg City, at the heart of Europe, and offers the participants a unique opportunity to deepen their Digital Knowledge, capture the Value of the fast-growing FinTech Industry, and explore the impact of Space Technologies on Terrestrial Businesses, through exhibitions and demonstrations of the latest Tech Trends and Innovations. ICT Spring is also the perfect place to network with peers and future business partners.
ICT Spring is organized by Farvest Group, the leading marketing & events agency in Luxembourg.

More information: www.ictspring.com