Galway is set to host a major international conference on mobile journalism again this year following confirmation that Glen Mulcahy, the former RTE reporter behind MojoCon, is bringing a new event to the city this year.
Last year saw Galway host the three-day MojoCon and, while the conference has ended its run following Mulcahy’s departure from the national broadcaster last year, he now plans to launch a new event — dubbed MojoFest — to take its place.
According to Mr Mulcahy, who lived in Galway for 15 years, last year’s event was the most popular to date. He believes that the city is the perfect size for a small conference — MojoCon last year attracted 540 delegates to the city — and offers some excellent nightlife to keep people entertained after the main event.
“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “They said it was the best one yet, bar none.”
MojoFest, which will run over three days from May 29 to 31, will include three days of talks and workshops followed by an international MoJo awards ceremony.
Day one of MojoFest will focus on photography and filmmaking, including workshops, while content marketing, including social video and native content, is the focus of day two. Day three will feature mobile journalism and VR-360, along with the international awards ceremony.
Mr Mulcahy ran the RTE-backed MojoCon for three years before taking redundancy from the national broadcaster last year. This year’s event fulfils a commitment he made at the end of last year’s event to return with a mobile-focused event this year.
However Mr Mulcahy, who now specialises in media training, also wanted to ensure his former employer was not planning a MoJo-centred event before embarking on his new venture.
“One I got word that they weren’t going ahead with it, I decided to get into action, and thought Galway was the best place to do it,” he said.
Last year’s MojoCon saw mobile journalists and a wide variety of people using mobile storytelling — from marketers and podcasters to educators, community organisations, and campaigners — spend three days in the Radisson Blu Hotel learning and exploring the world of mobile.
This year’s MojoFest will take place in NUI Galway, with the closing awards ceremony in the same venue as last year’s event, now named the Galmont Hotel.
For more information on MojoFest follow @mojofestival on Twitter.
