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IT is set to be a prosperous sector for contractors in 2016, with an ongoing skills shortage leading to many contract opportunities for IT and technology professionals. If you are looking to start your contracting career, you need to make sure your IT knowledge is up to scratch with the latest industry developments.
We bring you a list of five of the best IT and technology events and conferences this year that will be sure to inspire and educate contractors in the IT industry.
1. Collision
26 – 28 April; New Orleans, USA
Held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Collision has been dubbed as “America’s fastest growing tech conference”, and has seen over 7,500 attendees from more than 50 countries in the last two years. This year’s event is backed by top tech executives such as the Chief Technology Officer of Coca-Cola, the General Manager of IBM Design and the Chief Information Officer of Deloitte, to name just a few.
With topics ranging from code to content, data to design and more, this event is sure to be enlightening and educational for IT and tech contractors of varying levels of expertise.
For more information see: Collision Conference
2. SpiceWorld
10 – 11 May; London, UK
This event takes place much closer to home, at the Tobacco Dock in East London. SpiceWorld is a two-day conference that caters to IT professionals to bring helpful tips and best practices from industry experts.
With over 50 industry speakers to gain insight from, SpiceWorld is the go-to event for IT contractors who want to stay current in the industry. Attendees are also in for a bit of fun with an opportunity to socialise with fellow IT professionals.
3. The Next Web
26 – 27 May; Amsterdam, NL
The Next Web is a ground breaking conference that is now entering its 11th annual event; it brings together 20,000 of the world’s top technology leaders, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the iconic city of Amsterdam. Some speakers include the co-founder and CEO of Reddit, the co-founder and Chief Data Officer of Indiegogo and the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Amazon.
Attendees to The Next Web can expect a refreshing conference including some of the best entrepreneurs and thought-leaders in the technology industry. Just a stone’s throw away in Amsterdam, this event would be extremely beneficial for IT contractors from the UK to vamp up their industry knowledge.
For more information see: The Next Web Conference
4. Oracle OpenWorld
18 – 22 September; San Francisco, USA
Oracle OpenWorld is one of the most anticipated and important conventions for business decision-makers, IT management, and business end users. It is not hard to see why, as it takes place in the largest technology hub in the world: San Francisco.
With the 2016 headline “The Future of the Cloud Is Now”, this year’s convention will bring innovation and transformation to the world of enterprise and cloud technology.
For more information see: Oracle OpenWorld
5. Web Summit
7 – 10 November; Lisbon, POR
Web Summit is a unique conference that has grown from over 400 attendees to more than 42,000 in five years. Held in the beautiful Portuguese capital this year, Web Summit is the perfect event for IT and technology contractors who want to learn from the best of the best in the industry.
Attendees range from Fortune 500 companies to ground breaking start-ups, and companies that have participated in the past include Google, Apple, Airbnb, Disney, Amazon and more.
For more information see: Web Summit
Are you a contractor or considering a career in contracting? Find out more about contracting as an IT professional by clicking the ‘IT Contracting’ button below.
As industry experts providing accountancy services since 1998, we help to keep contractors up to date with the latest news and changes affecting the contracting industry. We also help reduce the stress of contracting by minimising the administrative burden of running your contractor business. As we are dedicated to supporting contractors, it makes us one of the most experienced contractor accountancy providers around.
If you would like to find out how much more you could take home as an IT contractor, use our Take Home Pay Calculator by clicking the button below to gauge your potential earnings. If you are already an IT contractor and are looking for a new accountant, we can discuss how Churchill Knight can help meet your contractor accounting needs and maximise your take home pay.
For more information, give our consultants a call on 01707 871622 or email enquiry@churchill-knight.co.uk.
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The Churchill Knight blog is regularly updated with helpful content for contractors and freelancers – especially articles that answer the most frequently asked questions about umbrella companies! Please pop back shortly to see the latest articles written by Andrew Trodden (Marketing Manager) and Clare Denison (Marketing Executive).