David Newman is a Lecturer in Information Systems in the Queen's University Management School. At Queen's he has researched groupware use in co-operative learning, critical thinking in online and face-to-face discussions, and the use of the Internet by community groups. He ran a 0.5Euro million cross-border research project into electronic public consultation and then took part in the team evaluating the Irish Parliament's pilot e-consultation on the Broadcasting Bill. He is just starting a new European project which will get thousands of young people discussing Internet governance on their own Web 2.0 sites, then collect their creative ideas and feed them to national and European policy-makers. David gave a plenary talk entitled "Hub Websites for Youth Participation".

Dave Flanders is a programme manager at JISC where he works as part of the Information Environment team. Previously he has worked at the University of London and British Library in building cutting edge technologies specific to teachers, researchers, curators, librarians, administrators and learners. His experience working as developer, usability expert and manager provides a unique perspective on how innovation occurs across teams in the modern Web Environment. David will be talking on innovation and why it is essential (especially in times of recession) for institutions to take risks. Dave gave a video presentation of a plenary talk entitled "Agile Prototyping in Academia".

Mike Nolan is Head of Web Services at Edge Hill University where he is responsible for development of external Web sites and a portal service for staff and students. Michael regularly posts about HE web development topics on the Edge Hill Web Services blog and is a regular participant (and hence speaker!) at BarCamps around the country. Mike chaired the final morning session and facilitated the Developer's Lounge Show and Tell session.

Brian Kelly is UK Web Focus - a post funded by the JISC and MLA which provides advice and support to the UK Higher and Further Education communities and the museums, libraries and archives sector on Web issues. Brian is based at UKOLN. Brian's interests include Web standards, Web accessibility, quality assurance for Web services and innovative Web developments, including collaborative Web tools. Brian chaired the final day's workshop conclusions and facilitated a parallel session entitled "Using The Social Web To Maximise Access to Resources".

Ranjit Sidhu (or SiD) is founder of statistics into Decisions (or SiD). Around 1998 Ranjit fell into the internet space whilst trying to run away from a career in law. Since then he has worked at several internet based companies, but has found his niche in analysis and helping clients understand what is going on in the internet ether and how to use that information to improve what they do. Around 4 years ago he set up SiD, Statistics into Decisions in Sydney - since then the company has, happily, found a market for its basic ethos on making information relevant and something that can be used so much so that it now works with many top blue chip companies as well as governmental clients both in the UK and Australia. SiD's second office is in Perth, Scotland. Ranjit will be giving a plenary talk entitled "'So what do you do exactly?' In challenging times justifying the roles of the web teams".

Damian Steer is a senior technical researcher at the Institute for Learning and Research Technology, University of Bristol. He is part of the Web Futures group, which focuses on the use of new web technologies in Higher Education. Web Futures has been particularly concerned with the semantic web / linked data, authorisation, the social web, and more recently mobile web technologies. Recent projects include: Research Revealed, which is examining the integration and exploitation of research information; Visualising China, an exploration of a historical photograph collection; and Mobile Campus Assistant, which makes existing campus-related information available to University of Bristol students via their location-aware smart phones. Damian will be giving a plenary talk entitled "Mobile Web and Campus Assistant".

Brian Kelly is UK Web Focus - a post funded by the JISC which provides advice and support to the UK Higher and Further Education communities and the museums, libraries and archives sector on Web issues. Brian is based at UKOLN. Brian's interests include Web standards, Web accessibility, quality assurance for Web services and innovative Web developments, including collaborative Web tools. Brian is co-chair of the event and will be giving the welcome with Marieke Guy. He will also be facilitating a parallel session entitled "Engagement, Impact, Value: Measuring and Maximising Impact Using the Social Web".

Susan Farrell is a web consultant with a background in information science. Her career has spanned everything from abstracting and editing to website development and content management system implementations. Having spent the last few years as Head of Web and Portal Services at King's College London, Susan set up her own company, Susan Farrell Consulting Ltd, in January 2010. The company specialises in helping clients to maximise the effectiveness of their web presence and does this by: developing and implementing web, digital and content strategies; driving website redesign and development projects; ensuring the optimum user experience through stakeholder engagement and user research; and aiming for high levels of usability through excellent content management. Susan gained a BSc in Biology from Durham University many years ago, and an MSc in Information Science from Sheffield University almost as long ago, and certainly long before the web was even dreamed about! Susan will be giving a plenary talk entitled "Are web managers still needed when everyone is a web 'expert'?".

David Sloan is Project lead of the University of Dundee's Digital Media Access Group, a research and consultancy unit specialising in accessibility of ICT to disabled and older people. He also runs the University's Web Accessibility Support Service, and has carried out several accessibility reviews of web authoring tools, including a content management system, VLE and e-assessment software. David facilitated a workshop on "The 'other' Accessibility Guidelines - the Importance of Authoring Tool Accessibility Evaluation in a Web 2.0 World".

Andy Ramsden has recently started as the Head of e-Learning at the University of Bath. In this capacity he is charged with contributing to both the strategic and operational aspects of elearning development at the Institution. In terms of his own research, his interests are in the effective uses of emergent technologies for teaching and learning. In particular, the use of Web 2.0 and mobile technologies on the learning and teaching landscape. He regularly presents and facilitates workshops on this and other topics with the UK. He also sits on the Steering Group of the nationally funded Podcasting for Pedagogical Purposes SIG. Many of his findings and reflections on the use of emergent technologies within Higher Education can be found on his mobile-learning blog. Andy facilitated a workshop on "Embracing Web 2.0 Technologies to Grease the Wheels of Team Cohesion" with Marieke Guy.

Mike Nolan is is Web Applications Project Manager at Edge Hill University where he leads the development team. Recent projects include a revamped corporate Web site and the university portal. Michael regularly posts about HE Web development topics on the Edge Hill Web Services blog. Mike facilitated a workshop on "Stuff what We're doing at Edge Hill University".

Kwansuree Jiamton is the ICT Manager at the Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre; part of the HE Academy. Working at King's College London since 2000, she has an active role in Web site development and interoperability, e-learning projects and strategic planning. Kwansuree facilitated a workshop on "The Real Information Environment" with Martin Poulter.

Dan Jackson is the Web Team Leader at City University London. He is part of a small team responsible for the maintenance and development of the University Web site, CMS and related systems and applications. During his time at the University Dan has overseen a site redesign and an accessibility audit. He has over 7 years experience in Web development, and his interests include Web standards, usability, accessibility, client-side coding and PHP. Dan facilitated a workshop on "Coping with Forms: Implementing a Web Form Management Application".

Prior to becoming the University of St Andrews Web Manager, Stephen Evans was an IT manager and research scientist at Cambridge University, where he developed intranet and Web database applications for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) laboratory. During his research career he imaged the inside of a wide variety of objects including melons, strawberries and knees! While MRI was a fascinating technique, he gained more satisfaction from developing Web-based solutions to help others with their research. Steve is now responsible for the management and development of the University of St Andrews Web site. This includes managing the University's content management system. In addition, his role includes supporting and assisting all service Units and Schools with any Web related matters. His main interests are information architecture and developing solutions to enhance the ways the Web is used to organise and disseminate information. Stephen facilitated a workshop on "Mind Mapping for Effective Content Management" with Gareth Saunders.

Dr Miranda Stephenson was heavily involved in establishing the National Science Learning Centre which is based on the University of York campus. Miranda welcomed delegates to the University of York at the start of the Institutional Web Management Workshop 2007 event.

Drew McLellan has been hacking on the Web since around 1996 following an unfortunate incident with a margarine tub. Since then he's spread himself between both front- and back-end development projects, and now works as a Web Developer for Yahoo! Europe in London, UK. Drew gave a plenary talk on "Can Your Web Site Be Your API?".

Brian Kelly is UK Web Focus - a post funded by the JISC and MLA which provides advice and support to the UK Higher and Further Education communities and the museums, libraries and archives sector on Web issues. Brian is based at UKOLN.

Brian will be be participating in the panel session on "Dealing with the Commercial World: Saviour or Satan?" and facilitating a workshop session on "Building The Web Management Community" with Steven Warburton.

James Currall will be giving a Plenary Talk on The Tangled Web is but a Fleeting Dream ... but then again... "Just a quick phone call to ask you if you could set up something to archive the University Web site, it should be pretty straight-forward for someone with your technical know-how." It is only a matter of time before someone in "Corporate Communications", the " Freedom of Information Office" or some similar department comes to you with this sort of request. How would you (have you) react(ed) to it? Many acres of virtual text have been penned on the subject of Web archiving (a fair proportion of them no longer available because the sites no longer exist:-) One of the major problems, which is well illustrated by the Wikipedia article on the subject, is that most authors have concentrated almost entirely on "How?" to do it and the (technical) difficulties that arise. The speaker will argue that "How?" is the least of your problems. What is your institutional web site for and what purpose is archiving it supposed to serve. To put it another way, the questions: "What?", "Why?", "When?" and "Where?" come well before deciding if the "Who?" is you, or trying to determine "How?". As usual Currall asks awkward questions and never seems to provide any useful answers, just turning seemingly simple problems in complex, issue-strewn minefields. He hasn't written the talk yet, but you can be sure that it will raise some very fundamental issues and give you something serious to think about and discuss and aside from manufacturing Shakespearean quotes, will probably quote from the most read book in the English Language, although you might feel the need to check that he isn't just making it up!

Helen Aspell, Head of Digital Marketing, University of Southampton and James Souttar, Precedent give a plenary talk on Web 2.0 and Brand: Theory and Practice. There are thousands of Web 2.0 technologies available online right now, from Twitter to Second Life, all with tangible marketing benefits but not necessarily to every organisation or audience. In the current climate of Web 2.0, marketers are being expected to prove their understanding of new technologies and demonstrate how their brand is using and responding to the changing environment by incorporating social media into their digital strategies. This challenge is particularly acute in large, devolved organisations such as universities where technology decisions are often made at arms' length from the marketing function by IT teams or individual departments, neither of whom may consider the implications that building an online presence in Web 2.0 may have on an audience's perception of the organisation's brand. During the talk, Aspell and Souttar will outline how the changing landscape of digital technologies will shape the agenda of brand development in the future. This will include the principles of branding in the modern age with its application and embracing of Web 2.0 technologies. Moving from theory into practice, the reference will be the re-brand of University of Southampton with isoton used to demonstrate how Web 2.0 technologies can reflect and enhance an institution's brand.

US-based global investment management firm, T Rowe Price (TRP), has opened a new office in Melbourne. Head of Australian business for TRP, Murray Brewer, said TRP in Australia is going from strength to strength.

Chobani Australia is exporting yoghurt to Singapore less than 18 months after the American company set up in Victoria. Within 18 months, Chobani has grown production at its A$30 million yoghurt factory in Victoria from 25,000 cases a week to 25,000 cases a day, and become one of the biggest yoghurt manufacturers in Australia.

A new Victorian Government medical technology strategy will position Victoria as an internationally competitive developer of medical technology. Victoria’s Medical Technology Industry Strategy will create more high value jobs and attract investment for the state’s advanced manufacturing sector.

President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States and artist / activist Sir Bob Geldof will be among the high-level speakers who will join thousands of the world's top AIDS researchers, scientific and community leaders, people living with HIV and policy-makers at the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) taking place on 20-25 July in Melbourne. Their presence is set to further enhance the very strong program that has been put in place for AIDS 2014. President Clinton has a very strong track record in advocating for HIV/AIDS treatment in disadvantaged communities around the world. Sir Bob Geldof has the ability to motivate millions of people as we have seen over decades of activism. His music and such events as Live Aid and Band Aid have raised global awareness of famine and poverty.

International consumer management company, Gigya, has opened an office in Melbourne as part of its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. The move comes after strong growth in 2013 for the US-based company, during which it processed more than 800 million logins for clients in 46 countries, including Tommy Hilfiger, the Independent, the Globe and Mail, KLM, L'Occitane, Next Media, Japan Airlines and Canon.

Fonterra has opened a new A$6 million ricotta manufacturing plant in north central Victoria that will deliver global opportunities for the Victorian dairy industry. Built with $250,000 grant from the Victorian Government, the Perfect Italiano Ricotta project demonstrates Fonterra’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a presence in northern Victoria and boosts the company’s Stanhope workforce to 126.

Australia’s world ranking for biotechnology innovation jumped from seventh to fourth on Scientific American’s latest ‘Worldview’ scorecard. The publication’s scorecard provides a balanced assessment of biotechnology innovation around the world and indicated that Australia’s biotech market is undergoing a resurgence.

The new Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), signed on 8 July 2014, will strengthen economic ties between the two nations. Japan is Australia’s third largest direct foreign investor with A$130 million worth of investment stock in Australia in 2013.

Wilcox Industries’ manufacturing and assembly facility in Victoria will be a joint venture with its Melbourne-based distributor and partner, Aquaterro – a leading supplier of law enforcement and defence equipment in Victoria.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has reaffirmed Australia's triple-A credit rating and stable economic outlook, stating that the sovereign credit ratings on Australia benefit from the country's strong institutional settings, its wealthy and resilient economy, and a high degree of monetary and fiscal policy flexibility. “These factors provide Australia with a strong ability to absorb large economic and financial shocks, as was demonstrated during the global recession in 2009,” S&P said.

San Francisco-based IT company, Zendesk, is expanding its operations in Melbourne to take advantage of Victoria’s strong information technology skills base. “Our head of product and engineering says Melbourne is the best place for us to hire right now because of the combination of expectations, talent and production,” said Mikkel Svane, co-founder and chief executive of US-based Zendesk.

Australia has achieved its highest ever ranking in the 2014 Global Innovation Index (GII). The GII 2014 surveyed 143 economies around the world, using 81 indicators to gauge both their innovation capabilities and measurable results.

New Zealand-based hydraulic equipment specialist, Transport Hydraulic Solutions (THS), has opened a large manufacturing facility in the Melbourne northern suburb of Campbellfield (26.5 km north of the city centre). “A growing number of Melbourne clients are located around this area, and for those who are based further away, our office is right near the freeway where the Western Ring Road and Hume Highway intersect,” said Managing Director of THS, Brenden Lyons.

Fleet management service provider, TR Fleet, recently launched TR Fleet Australia – the parent company’s first venture outside the UK. The Melbourne-based manufacturing business will offer a range of services in Australia and New Zealand, including a risk management tool to help employers comply with 2015 changes to workplace health and safety regulations.

Indian learning solutions company, Dexler, has opened its Australian headquarters in Melbourne. Dexler Education (Australia) is expected to create 25 new skilled jobs in Melbourne following its 2014 acquisition of Online Learning Australia which had clients including AMP, ANZ, BHP Billiton, Bluescope Steel, Coles, Myer, NAB, Target, Telstra and Westpac.

Australia’s fastest-growing city, Melbourne, has again been recognised as the best city in the world to live, topping the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) 2014 Global Liveability Index for the fourth year in a row.

Victoria will host an unprecedented number of international sporting, arts, cultural and trade events between 9 January and 29 March 2015 as part of the 80 Days of Melbourne initiative. A business-hosting component of the initiative is designed to attract high profile, senior international business leaders to Melbourne to secure international investment and jobs for Victoria.

Leading global consulting, technology and professional services company, Capgemini, has opened its new Melbourne Global Delivery Centre and Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud services Lab. The French multinational operates in 44 countries around the world and offers a range of integrated services in the business sector.

US-based data visualisation software storage company, DataCore Software, has expanded its operations in Melbourne. The new marketing function located in Melbourne delivers demand-generation programs and better serves the DataCore Australia-New Zealand partnership.

La Trobe University in Melbourne will bring its world-class scientific expertise to the newly launched Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI).

Melbourne’s dynamic environment for business has been reaffirmed by the Global Financial Centres Index 16 (report) which highlights Melbourne’s position amidst the Global Financial Centres. Melbourne is ranked sixth in the Asia-Pacific, with Sydney fifth - the top six centres all dropped in rating. Melbourne ranked 24th, which is one rating point difference between Melbourne and Sydney - an improvement of 11 points and a rank improvement of 13. Sydney, ranked 23rd, dropped eight rating points, but maintained its rank.

Australia’s largest biotechnology company, Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL), will invest A$210 million to expand albumin production at its Broadmeadows manufacturing site (25 minutes from Melbourne’s city centre) to meet increasing demand for its global ‘ablumin’ critical care therapy. The planned manufacturing facility for the Broadmeadows site is expected to create up to 200 jobs during construction, with a further 190 manufacturing jobs once the plant is operational.

Aegis Services Australia has announced it will expand its business processing outsourcing operations in Victoria, creating 550 new jobs over the next two years. Aegis is a global outsourcing and technology company. The expansion will mean a doubling of the company’s existing local workforce and a substantial investment in training and up-skilling of employees. The company’s announcement underscores Victoria's strong reputation as a destination for global investment and business services centre.

The Victorian Government has launched Australia's first web tool specifically designed to help Victorian communities locate mining and exploration activities in their regions quickly and easily. The Mining Licences Near Me web tool ensures greater transparency for communities regarding industry activity in their region, both onshore and offshore, including minerals, gas and quarries.

The Australian Government has advised that it will expand and improve the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program to leverage and better direct foreign investment. The program will be reformed to encourage more high net worth individuals to make Australia home and will contribute to a strong and competitive economic environment.

Applications are now open for the second round of the prestigious A$1.8 million Victorian Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Program, being delivered by veski. The fellowships aim to strengthening Victoria’s innovation capabilities by enabling talented young researchers to work at world leading research centres before returning to Victoria. The Victorian Government offered six fellowships in 2013 and is again offering up to six fellowships to begin in 2015.

Australia’s manufacturing sector has been given a boost with the opening of Australia’s largest additive manufacturing hub and a new world-class research facility in Melbourne. The new 3D printing additive manufacturing plant produces parts and devices for the mining, defence, bio-medical, construction, aerospace and automotive industries, in a more cost-effective way than traditional methods.