I attend plenty of conferences to provide news & reviews on the latest technology. Seeking devices, apps and smart luggage that will enhance your travels and keep you connected!
With that said, last week I was invited to MojoFest, and it could just be the most important one I will attend this year!
What is #MojoFest
Billed as a ‘celebration’ of the ever-expanding smart phone content creator community. Mojo, short for Mobile Journalism, is a growing market in users, and devices, to transform any smart phone in to a one stop shop for digital content.
Held in the picturesque city of Galway on the west Coast of Ireland, the 3 day event was a series of keynote speakers, educational breakout sessions, photowalks, exhibitors and a Gala awards dinner.
The event was staged at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway with the keynotes held in an auditorium and the breakout sessions around the campus and city. This made the whole conference run seamlessly, and the University really was the perfect setting for such a gathering.
#MojoFest 2018
I’ve always been a champion for the use of smart phones as a main camera, but #MojoFest steps it up a notch!! With support from various BBC & RTÉ journalists/producers to highlight but a few, MojoFest managed to attract all of the leading names in Smart phone content creation under the one roof! A full list of the speakers can be found here.
Each of the 3 days began with a couple of keynote talks before the breakout sessions. The keynote talks addressed different areas such as influencer marketing, Smartphone Photography and Mobile Journalism.
The stand out keynote for me, was given by Katie McMahon on Day 2. Katie is General Manager at SoundHound Inc and gave a demonstration of Hound and the Houndify platform. This is by far the most impressive and responsive voice assistant I have seen so far!
“This should be the first “must do” event of 2019 for any content creator, blogger/vlogger or media marketing person. The value you’ll gain is immeasurable!”
Another reason to attend is the high calibre of sponsors and exhibitors at the event. This year saw stands/representatives from multiple brands, including:
The big benefit from the exhibitors was that the stands were not hosted by salespeople but by the creators and owners. They all knew their products and all engaged in great conversation about smart phone content building. A big discovery for me was Alight Creative and their motion graphics app Alight Motion.
The creator/founder of #MojoFest is Glen Mulcahy.
The former head of innovation with RTÉ, Ireland’s national public broadcaster, he has inspired and driven the growth of mobile journalism within RTÉ’s newsroom and across other European broadcasters. Glen initiated RTÉ’s mobile journalism project (“mojo”) and RTÉ is still successfully using mobile devices and apps to create finished news stories for broadcast and online which reach the highest possible quality standards. He also founded of Mojocon- the 1st international mobile journalism conference which was held on an annual basis from 2015-2017, Mojofest is his own independent version of this event.
What Glen and his team have achieved with #MojoFest is phenomenal. The calibre of speakers, exhibitors, and most importantly – attendees, not only confirms the rise of mobile journalism, but just how powerful that device you use for Candy Crush can actually be!
Who Should Attend #MojoFest?
Do not let the word journalism mislead you in the title of this conference. Such was the quality of speakers and educational sessions on offer here, anyone with an interest in mobile videography & photography should consider attending.
If you are a blogger, from any medium, then #MojoFest should be the first event on your calendar next year! I cannot stress how much value any type of content creator can get from three days spent here. And the beauty of it is you already own the most expensive piece of equipment, your smart phone!
Connect with MojoFest
