For the third year running, Silicon Republic is the media partner for the event, which is a free, one-day conference for people who work, rest or play with the internet. Grafton Media is also on board as event sponsor.

The dot conf showcases Ireland's homegrown talent in the web and digital sphere. Keynote speaker James Whelton couldn't speak at the event last year - because he was sitting his Leaving Cert. Back then, he was a teenage coder and entrepreneur who was the first person to hack the iPod nano. He has since, with Bill Liao, co-founded CoderDojo, a movement of free coding clubs for young people that has spread across four continents.

Monty Munford, founder of content strategy agency Mob76, is also speaking at the dot conf this year. Monty writes regularly on tech, social and Africa for TechCrunch, The Huffington Post and Kernel Mag, and has a weekly column for UK broadsheet The Telegraph. He talks regularly on the BBC World Service and at global events covering mobile and digital, and he was previously a Bollywood actor in India.

Other confirmed speakers include Eamonn Carey, EMEA director of Kiip; Randall Snare, head of Content Strategy and lead UX designer at iQ Content; Dena Walker, digital strategist with Irish International; and Mark Congiusta, senior user experience manager at Cisco Systems. The Irish Times technology writer, Karlin Lillingford, will serve as MC at the event.

National College of Ireland, which specialises in business and computing, will launch a new degree-level, 26-week certificate in digital marketing at this year's dot conf. A limited number of places on this course is being offered free of charge to people who are unemployed, under the Government's Springboard Initiative.

To attend this year's dot conf, book online now!