Events & Conferencing Interview South Africa

#BCXDisrupt: "No-one can safeguard themselves against the next big thing"

Nick Goldman, one of the highly anticipated speakers at this week's BCX Disrupt Summit, shares the importance of conferences like BCX Disrupt taking place later this week, as well as the crux of his talk on the importance of long-lasting digital archives.
Nick Goldman - mathematician, genome scientist and member of the management team at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).
Nick Goldman - mathematician, genome scientist and member of the management team at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).

Goldman is clearly a man of numbers, as he’s a mathematician, genome scientist and member of the management team at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).

He’s also a man of words, set to take the podium as one of the speakers for the BCX Disrupt Summit, taking place at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and International Convention Centre in Midrand on Thursday, 16 November 2017 and Friday, 17 November 2017.

On the importance of conferences like this, Goldman says:

It's pretty clear to anyone that modern technologies are having an impact on almost every industry there is.
I caught up with Goldman before things kick off to find out what he’s most looking forward to from the Summit…

BizcommunityDisruption is everywhere at the moment. How can brands safeguard themselves against being disrupted by the next big thing?
By the very nature of disruption, no-one can safeguard themselves against the next big thing. The best that any company can do is to make sure that they have taken a lead role in the technological developments in their field of operation, so that they have a good chance of being a participant in the next big thing, and not just a bystander.

Alternatively, for the more conservative types, perhaps they would just sit on large cash holdings and make sure they can buy their way into new developments, but then you're relying on something that others have control over – and if everyone took this approach, no innovation would happen.

BizcommunityTalk us through the importance of conferences like BCX Disrupt and the power of sharing the impact of technology and innovation with the youth.
There are just a few ways of getting disruption messages across to people – through public engagement events, through schools, and whatever media they like to engage with. BCX Disrupt is the kind of public engagement that scientists like, where they can meet other like-minded experts and share a stage to show their new ideas to a diverse audience.

BizcommunityWhat can attendees look forward to from your session at the BCX Disrupt summit?
Understanding a bit more about why and how we store digital information, a bit more about DNA and how living organisms pass on information to their descendants, and a bit about how we can marry these ideas to create new ways of making digital archives that can last for thousands of years.

BizcommunityInteresting. What are you personally most looking forward to from the Summit?
A new crowd, fascinating co-presenters, and a visit to South Africa!

Seems the claim is true that attendees will never think the same again! Keep an eye out for our conference coverage, and visit the BCX Disrupt website and social media feeds: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter| LinkedIn.

About Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
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