Know Before You Go | DCD Connect London

Welcome, welcome, welcome everyone to Know Before You Go. I am your host, Jamie Skelton Kataya, CEO and founder of JSA. What is Know Before You Go? It is your show that covers everything us attendees need to know before we go into that next big conference. We're talking insider talking points all the way to conference logistics, everything in between, and from the people who are putting it on. Today, we are spotlighting none other than DCD Connect London taking place September 16th through the 17th in London, England. And joining us today is none other than Gabriella Gillette Perez, portfolio director for EMEA and awards at Data Center Dynamics. Thank you so much, Gabriella, for joining us again, being part of our show, being put in that hot seat we so appreciate, especially 4 weeks to go. >> No, thank you so much, Jamie. Always a pleasure to to join these. >> Uh, we are so, so honored. DCD Connect London continues to bring together the leaders shaping Europe's digital infrastructure landscape. What makes this year's event a must-attend for executives navigating the rapid growth we have, you know, AI, hello, rising power demand, continued data center expansion, and of course, DCD London, the place to be to talk through all of this. What's new with this year? >> Everything. >> Yeah, I mean, obviously, DCD Connect London, I think is a pretty well-established event at this point. I think most people know it, and obviously, within the European calendar, it's it's one of the must-attend events of the year. Uh, this year, we're expecting over 4,500 people, so we continue to grow, which is really great. And you know, this will be taking place again at the Business Design Centre. Um, you know, the idea behind the Connect model, and I think we say this every year, but never hurts to remind people, is to ensure that the right connections are made at the event. So, that despite its scale through a variety of formats and curated experiences, we ensure that the right buyers meet the right sellers from across the European data center ecosystem. We have a packed show floor this year showcasing the latest technologies across the data center industry. So, I'm sure there's something for everyone and you know, there's there's the opportunity to properly look at what technologies are out there these days. >> We are so excited. It seems like, you know, 4,500 people. We have the connect event hosting so many other forums within it. Can you tell us a little bit about that? >> Yeah, absolutely. So, obviously, you know, this year we are hosting our fourth investment forum. So, you know, this is a pretty well-established event alongside DCD Connect London, which brings together the leading deal makers to discuss what is happening in the digital infrastructure investment space. As well as our second accelerate compute show, which, you know, unites enterprise and hyperscale leaders driving scale up scalable AI infrastructure from silicon to software through a two-day program of content and networking designed to support them in making decisions on IT infrastructure and AI deployment. Also for this year, because if that wasn't enough, we are excited to announce some new features for the event this year. So, we have our inaugural energy summit, an afternoon dedicated to all the conversations around energy, uh which we know is a key area of discussion at the moment and we'll be looking at everything from grid reform, battery storage technology, and off-grid power generation is just some of the topics we're covering. >> Unbelievable. Okay, so, this year's agenda basically addressing everything that's most pressing for our digital infrastructure. We have AI infrastructure, energy strategy, sustainability, investment. What uh overarching themes are connecting the speaker lineup and where do you see conversations having the greatest impact on the future of our industry? >> Yeah, I mean, I think there could be no argument that the data center industry industry is going through a very interesting period. And with that in mind, obviously, we've put together a two-day agenda covering the biggest themes in the industry. And obviously, with representation on the speaker lineup across all the different areas and across the European continent as a whole because we have to remember this is a European event. Um obviously, as mentioned, energy is probably the most pressing challenge we're seeing at the moment. I think it's at the top of everyone's list. Um And so, you know, we're covering a variety of topics. I've already mentioned very briefly our half-day energy summit, which will be a proper deep dive into some of those big topics. But of course, energy is going to be across the entire event. Uh it'll be discussed in some of our one-to-one interviews, our showcases, obviously an opportunity for technology in this space, as well as our debates and panels. Um we're also doing a deep dive this year into the Nordics uh market. So, we're really keen to showcase kind of up-and-coming markets. And the Nordics have been making a lot of headlines, particularly at DCD. So, we wanted to give them the opportunity to kind of, you know, present to our audience what exactly is happening on the ground. So, we'll be doing some country insights and I'm really looking forward to that. I think it's going to be really exciting. We're also going to be looking at cooling. You know, you can't build data centers without discussing your cooling. Uh and so, we'll be showcasing a variety of this. We have a cooling innovation showcase. Um and then again, lots of conversations across different formats so that everybody's got kind of an insight into what's happening in that space. >> So much innovation, so such an exciting time. What I really truly love about DCD Connect as well is that you really also focus not just on education and uh innovation, but also connecting industry leaders, really focusing on this high-value engagement among um our industry players. How does this event create opportunities for us attendees to really move beyond discussion and make meaningful progress and on shared challenges that we're all facing? >> Yeah, I mean, I think it's in the title, It's called DCD Connect and that's kind of at the core of what we're really keen to to do at our event. So, you know, the core model and the connect model as a whole is a chance for delegates to tailor the event to see see their priorities and create their own agendas. As mentioned, we have a variety of different content um formats. So, you know, you have an opportunity to to pop in and out depending on where your interests lie. And also like hearing from different people in in different formats. I think the biggest thing that we're really keen to highlight this year is obviously we know that workforce continues to be one of the other biggest challenges. We've obviously discussed briefly on energy, but workforce, if you talk to people, is there are not enough people in this industry and it is one of the biggest challenges the market's facing. So, what we really keen at DCD Connect London is to ensure that we are, you know, hosting ample networking opportunities. Everything from your, you know, your 5K run to your 2.5K walk and talk. We we're hosting an emerging talent happy hour, veterans workshop, an I Masons meeting, and I am women's lunch, coffee mornings. DCD Academy's hosting a breakfast for a few select people. You know, and then we've also got our icebreaker. And all these opportunities allow people to connect and find the people that they need. And that's kind of what we were really keen to facilitate. And obviously, as mentioned beforehand as well, we have a busy show floor. So, there will be loads of opportunity for people to pop in, talk. And you never know where that next opportunity's going to lie. And I think that's key around kind of giving people as many opportunities apart from the sessions to come and listen and learn around making those connections and making the most of their time on site. >> Yeah. Yeah, that's something that you guys have always held true to and delivered upon year after year. We we so appreciate that from from you guys. And right now is such a critical time, you know, you think Europe facing distinct opportunities and challenges, particularly related to power availability, regulation, of Of all this AI-driven growth. How are these dynamics really shaping this year's agenda and what developments should us attendees be watching most closely over the next year? >> Yeah, I mean, I think as mentioned beforehand, the aim of this year's agenda is to dive deeper into those key questions facing the industry. And I think obviously as mentioned 2026, there's a particular focus on energy because we know that's what the industry's looking at and we know that we need to discuss it and it's it's a key challenge that needs to be tackled and it can't be tackled alone, hence why we need the support of, you know, our tech innovators and our people implementing these and the companies doing the interesting new things that people need to hear about. I think, you know, as mentioned as well, we we are highlighting um key data center markets such as the Nordics because I think, you know, flat D is still obviously a key market and very important and we're seeing, you know, the emergence of Southern Europe with Spain and Portugal playing a key role. But the Nordics have been sort of in the background doing some really interesting stuff and I think, you know, there's a lot that the European market can also learn from those they probably don't hear from all the time. You know, we're covering everything in the agenda from community pushback. We know that's a big challenge and kind of how we get, you know, the community on board. Um sustainability has not gone anywhere. We still need to discuss it. It's still a priority. We need to to look at it and obviously the metrics and how we're we're tracking this and ensuring that people are, you know, compliant with what we need to do. Um cooling, again, it's it's a big topic. It's always a popular topic at DCD Connect London. I think, you know, obviously we're always looking for the new technologies and as we move more into this AI space, obviously liquid cooling is dominating a lot of these discussions. And AI as a whole obviously is underlying theme across everything we're doing because we're all building for this AI future. We're all looking at AI and its implementations and how we can both build for it, but also implement it within what we're actually building. So, I think, you know, this gives us a chance to sort of approach the AI question and the where the data center industry is going from a variety of angles. >> Well, you know, and I think about your floor 4,500 really influential leaders of our digital infrastructure ecosystem all in attendance. What is your best advice for executives looking to make these again meaningful connections connect DCD connect and really leave DCD connect London with actionable insights. How can we >> Yeah, I mean I think my biggest message to anyone looking to attend or you know, or attending London this year is you don't have to wait to be on site to start making these meaningful connections. And I think that's what's key key. I think you know, we have an app that works brilliantly that people use to schedule their meetings before they're there and it launches two weeks before the event. So you know, you've got two weeks prior to the event to sort of start scheduling those meetings and putting together your personalized agenda also gives you the chance to pick and choose which sessions you want to attend to make sure you're not double booked and you can prioritize um that all sort of stuff. I I mean I would also say you know, familiarize yourself with everything that is happening at the event. As I said, we we've got a lot of stuff happening. I know it's a lot to retain in one go. So you know, use the app, use our website, look out at our LinkedIn and you know, get involved with all the different things we're doing cuz at the end of the day, you know, that's how you're going to meet the right people. >> Well, Gabriella, I I can't thank you enough. First off, we're four weeks to go. This is time for you and you're taking your precious time and spending it here with our our viewers. We so appreciate you and thank you for for our DCD connect. We really do need these precious times in our calendars places to come together, connect, make these meaningful relationships so that way we can collaborate and learn and grow together and there's no other no other place to do it in Europe besides DCD connect London. Thank you so much for what you do. >> No, thank you so much Jamie for having us and yeah, looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks. >> And as Gabriella said, now is the time to start getting ready. Over our shoulder, if you haven't yet registered, we have some great discounts. So go ahead and click over and thank you for this partnership to be able to go ahead and promote DCD London and give those great discounts for that. Be sure again to use that discount code JSA 20 for vendors to save on your registration. And in the meantime, please go ahead and follow JSA on LinkedIn or find out more on jsa.net. Thank you for tuning in to know before you go and as always everybody, happy networking. See you in London.