Belfast will be the host city for a major European conference on cyber security next year, Visit Belfast has revealed.

Facing stiff competition to host the 2017 Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) conference from Cork, Israel and Stockholm, Belfast finally secured the event earlier this year. The 2017 conference will be officially handed over to Belfast on Friday (1 July) in Rome, at the closing of this year’s conference.

Lasting five days, the main conference venues will be the Belfast Waterfront and Hilton Belfast, with social events taking place across the city including Titanic Belfast. With over 600 delegates expected to attend, the conference is estimated to benefit the city’s hospitality, transport and conference sectors to a tune of £1 million.

Bringing the event to Belfast was the result of a joint bid by Invest NI, Visit Belfast and local conference ambassadors Gary Robinson and Michelle Simpson who are founders of the local OWASP Chapter.
Belfast is Europe’s leading city for new software development projects, and is home to CSIT – the UK’s largest cyber-security research centre.
Peter Harbinson from Invest NI has welcomed the opportunity to host the conference in Belfast:
“With vibrant clusters and expertise in cyber security, financial software, mobile telecoms, network management, data analytics, payments technology and health IT, Northern Ireland is an ideal base to develop products, and to grow and support a European customer base. This conference represents a fantastic opportunity to showcase all that Belfast and Northern Ireland have to offer to the European cyber security industry.”
Laurie Scott from Visit Belfast added:

“We are pleased to have been able to work with Invest NI and our local ambassador Gary Robinson in attracting this conference to the city. Our ambassador programme plays a key role in bringing conference business to the city, and Gary and Michelle have been key advocates in the Belfast bid to host OWASP AppSec EU 2017.

“This conference represents a great opportunity not only to highlight cyber industries here, but also to showcase Belfast as a vibrant destination to visitors from all over Europe and beyond. Conference delegates will experience a warm Belfast welcome from the moment they arrive, and with an economic impact of £1 million, it is a great win for the whole city.”

Quote from OWASP Belfast Chapter:

“OWASP is a global, open source community dedicated to improving application security and we are very happy to have secured the AppSecEU Conference in 2017 is a testament to the industry and hard work of our team and partners; Invest NI, Visit Belfast and the other OWASP Ireland chapters. This is an opportunity for us to show Europe and beyond what Belfast has to offer. There will be opportunities for local companies to provide speakers and sponsorship, along with networking events for local businesses to connect with European delegates and companies.”

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS
•    Event Details
What: 2017 Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
Where: Belfast (Northern Ireland): Belfast Waterfront and Hilton Belfast.
When:  8th – 12th May 2017

•    About Visit Belfast
Visit Belfast is a public/private sector partnership funded and supported by Belfast City Council, Tourism NI, strategic partners Diageo NI, Translink and Value Cabs, corporate partners Hastings Hotels, Titanic Belfast and Victoria Square, as well as the private sector. It is the official tourism marketing agency for the Belfast City Region, dedicated to promoting Belfast as a city break, conference and cruise ship destination. It is also responsible for the operation of three gateway tourist information centres.

Visit Belfast represents around 500 tourism businesses and services across the industry including accommodation providers, attractions, conference venues and services, tour operators, transport providers, event organisers, entertainment venues, restaurants and cafes, and pubs and clubs.

It provides an extensive range of marketing platforms for tourism businesses to promote their products and services to travel trade and consumers.

For more information about Visit Belfast, go to www.visitbelfast.com

•    About OWASP / local chapter
OWASP Belfast is just one of over 100 OWASP Chapters around the world, including 4 in Ireland and 12 in the UK, where people meet to learn about and discuss software security topics. The worldwide OWASP Foundation is a non-profit, professional association of global members and is open to anyone interested in learning more about software security.  The OWASP Belfast Chapter was started in 2014 and has grown to over 600 members.
provides an extensive range of marketing platforms for tourism businesses to promote their products and services to travel trade and consumers.

For more information about Visit Belfast, go to www.visitbelfast.com

•    About OWASP / local chapter
OWASP Belfast is just one of over 100 OWASP Chapters around the world, including 4 in Ireland and 12 in the UK, where people meet to learn about and discuss software security topics. The worldwide OWASP Foundation is a non-profit, professional association of global members and is open to anyone interested in learning more about software security.  The OWASP Belfast Chapter was started in 2014 and has grown to over 600 members.