Press Release

Games Conference a Major Coup for Derry – Mayor

Thursday, 14 October 2004

The Mayor Councillor Gearoid O’hEara has described the Awakenings 04 Digital Games Conference, to be held on Friday at the NWIFHE, as a “major coup” for the city.

The conference is the first of its kind in Ireland and is organised by the Irish Chapter of International Games Developers Association and will feature presentations from a number of extremely high profile and reputable international speakers from the games industry.

The Mayor paid tribute to everyone involved in securing the high profile event to the city and said he anticipated it to be a tremendous success.

He commented: “This event is huge and extremely important and I am delighted it is being hosted in our city. I would like to pay tribute to Torc Interactive for the positive impact they have had in helping to secure this event in the North West. Over the past number of years this company have worked to produce the Instinct Engine – the latest gaming technology – and we feel the company are in a strong position to sell their produce to major games developers across the world.

“I am very impressed with the number of highly acclaimed speakers who will be at the event including Jason Della Rocca, IGDA program director in Canada, and Marcus Maki, Remedy Entertainment in Finland. I feel the North West region will greatly benefit from this event and that we have the skills base and the support services to further develop this creative games industry. I wish the organisers every success and hope the delegates have an enjoyable stay in the city and North West region,” he added.

The event is supported by Derry City Council, NORIBIC, Invest NI, Enterprise Ireland, ITquarter and Momentum.

Kevin Helferty, Manager of Invest NI’s North West Local Office in Derry, said: “The global games industry is one of the fastest growing technology sectors. Our support for the conference reflects the commitment in the Invest NI North Action Plan to help accelerate the growth of emerging technologies here that will create wealth and new employment opportunities.”

Ends

Further press information can be obtained by contacting the City Marketing Department at Derry City Council. Tel 028 71 37 6504.

Notes to Editor: The Mayor, Councillor Gearoid O’hEara will host a reception for conference delegates at the Mayors Parlour, Guildhall, on Thursday night, 14 October at 7.15 pm.

The Conference commences at 9.00 am on Friday, 15 October and continues throughout the day. Interviews with speakers and delegates can be arranged by contacting the above number. There will be workshops throughout the afternoon on Friday with companies exhibiting their produce.

For additional information contact:

Press Office

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