Thousands gather for Dublin Web Summit

Some of the world’s top entrepreneurs are among 10,000 people gathering in Dublin for a two-day festival of ideas and technology.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will ring the opening bell for New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange today as part of the Dublin Web Summit.

This is what the #WebSummit looks like from the media balcony. It'll be a lot busier later #MorningIreland pic.twitter.com/ferwlRUNph

— Morning Ireland (@morningireland) October 30, 2013

Dubbed ’Davos for Geeks’, the event has this year attracted globally-renowned innovators, inventors and investors from over 90 countries who will speak from six stages at the RDS.

Among them is Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and Space X, who was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.

Paddy Cosgrave, founder of the Web Summit, said it will be an event like no other.

“It is a melting pot where entrepreneurs can share experiences, collaborate on new ideas and have the opportunity to meet people who have blazed a trail in their respective fields as well as pitch their business ideas to some of the leading investors in the world,” he said.

Mr Kenny will ring the opening bell for the Nasdaq live from Ireland for the first time at 1.30pm.

A food summit – showcasing Irish food producers – and a night summit - featuring music and arts – will run alongside the main event.

Organisers said the Dublin Web Summit has grown since the first event in 2010 to become Europe’s largest technology conference.

State investment agency IDA Ireland said it will be using the event to sell the country as a location for international businesses.