Talent Talks: Lottie Westerling
Introducing Talent Talks, the podcast where we dive into all things talent in the real estate, construction, and infrastructure world. From the boardroom to the building site, we uncover the stories, insights, and people shaping our industry today. We shine a spotlight on data centres, one of real estate's fastest-growing and most in-demand sectors.
In this episode, we speak to Lottie Westerling, Head of Content for Datacloud Global Congress. With Datacloud Global Congress approaching its 21st year and expanding rapidly, from 4,000 attendees last year to an anticipated 6,000 this year, Lottie shares what delegates can expect from the June event in Cannes. She covers the packed content programme, new features including a Nuclear Summit and Investment Summit, the Talent and Digital Infrastructure Programme for emerging professionals, and the awards ceremony kicking off proceedings on day zero. Lottie also reflects on the power of genuine preparation and community in making the most of one of the digital infrastructure industry's most important annual gatherings.
Watch this episode on YouTube:
Listen to this episode on:
You can read the transcript of the discussion below:
Sarah Davenport
Lottie, welcome. Thank you for joining us on Capstone Talent Talks.
Lottie Westerling
Thank you for having me.
Sarah Davenport
So, Lottie, you are Head of Content for Datacloud Global Congress. Talk to us about what we should be expecting this year. It's obviously in Cannes, and it's obviously in the beginning of June, the 1st to the 4th.
Lottie Westerling
That's right. So, it's in Cannes in June, which, if that isn't a selling point already, I don't know what is. We're blessed by the location. We're in the incredible Palais, which is obviously an iconic location. Datacloud Global Congress itself has been running for coming up to 21 years now, we celebrated our 20th anniversary last year.
Sarah Davenport
Really? Gosh.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, it's been going a long time. I think with that, and obviously where the industry has been scaling, it's really become the leading meeting place for the digital infrastructure industry. So, it's super exciting to be a part of that and to be leading the content for it this year.
Sarah Davenport
I bet. What a job that is. I expect you've got a busy few weeks ahead of you as we build up to that. So, tell us a bit about what we can expect this year, because it's grown. Obviously, you've been going for longer than I realised, actually, in terms of the event, but I know that it's grown exponentially over the last few years.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, so last year we had around 4,000 attendees and this year we're expecting 6,000. So definitely scaling, definitely reflecting the growth that we're seeing in the industry. I think what makes the event really special is that 70% of the level of seniority is at C-level, VP, or director. It really is where the decision makers come.
So, you can expect a lot of meetings taking place across the three days of the event alongside a jam-packed content programme. This year we've got around 200 speakers on the programme, and then three exhibition floors with over 200 sponsors, exhibitors, and meeting room holders. So, it's going to be a busy one, but definitely a super important and relevant meeting place for the industry.
Oli Coote
And for those, potentially 2,000, people who haven't visited before, what are your thoughts in terms of how they could approach the event and try to get the most out of it? Because I always think with these sorts of events, there's so much going on, which is brilliant. There are so many people there that you feel you want to have five minutes with, to learn from, understand more about their day-to-day, and understand their business. But for those who are new to the event, have you got any advice for them?
Lottie Westerling
Yes, definitely. I think my biggest piece of advice would be to prepare in advance. Our networking app is actually launching next week. So, once you're registered for the event, you have access to that, which has the full attendee list of everyone who's registered at that point in time, and you can begin setting up meetings. I'd also definitely recommend fully viewing the content programme. For those 2,000 new delegates who haven't attended before, we've actually got a first timers meet-up happening in our newly launched meet-up zone. There are lots of smaller networking events happening both within and alongside the event, which I would definitely urge people to familiarise themselves with before getting on site in Cannes and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of people there.
Sarah Davenport
That sounds brilliant. What's the app called?
Lottie Westerling
It's called the Takoriko Events app, and as soon as you're registered, once it launches on Monday, there'll be a trigger email sent so you can log in.
Sarah Davenport
Great. So hopefully by the time this goes out, most people will have had a notification of that. But if not, they can download the Takoriko app and get started.
Lottie Westerling
For sure, yes.
Sarah Davenport
So, for those who have been before, what changes can they expect this year? I get the impression that it's bigger and better with a lot more going on, that you've really ramped up the experience for delegates.
Lottie Westerling
Yes. We know that panel conversations are really important, but the feedback we've had from attendees who have been coming for a long time, and who've witnessed the event scaling, is that they still want more intimate content opportunities where they can have more candid conversations.
So, we've launched a few new features to help with that. We've got nine workshops taking place alongside the event, covering power innovations, talent shortages, basically anything and everything across the ecosystem. We've also got numerous meetups. I mentioned the first timers meet-up, but we've also got a power meet-up, because that's the most important issue on everyone's agenda at the moment. We've got a veterans meet-up, and numerous other smaller networking events happening within the event, all available to view on the programme.
This year we've also got two new features happening alongside the event. One of them is our Investment Summit, which is a closed-door session of around 200 people from across the digital infrastructure investment ecosystem — I'm super excited about that one. And also, our Nuclear Summit, which we're really fortunate to have launched in partnership with Idaho National Lab and the Digital Infrastructure Alliance. That's a smaller-scale session of around 50 to 100 people, really focused on solving the issues of what nuclear means for data centres and how the two different industries can come together to mutually address each other's challenges.
Sarah Davenport
Great. For those who aren't aware, is that invite only, or is there a way for some of our listeners to get in touch and secure a seat at the table, as it were?
Lottie Westerling
Yes, definitely. We have an 'apply to attend' tag on both events on the website, so there's definitely still room to get involved.
Oli Coote
I think there are definitely people who are going to want to get involved with both of those, given how much power comes up in every conversation I have at the moment. It's so crucial, I'd imagine both events are likely to be oversubscribed.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, it's definitely a big challenge, and an opportunity. I think from conversations we're having around our US event, the power dynamic is slightly different there compared to Europe. We just came back from our Datacloud Energy Europe event in Brussels, which is a smaller-scale event focused on the policy makers and regulators involved in data centre power. There were some really interesting and candid discussions there with the grid operators, who I think are also the missing link in existing conversations about how data centre developers can procure power. So yes, there's definitely a need for that kind of event at Congress this year.
Oli Coote
Yes, that'll be great. You mentioned that 70% of attendees are at C-level and above, which is brilliant. But equally, I know you're involved in the Talent and Digital Infrastructure Programme as well. Do you want to tell us a little bit about that?
Lottie Westerling
Yes, definitely. It's something that's really important to us at Datacloud, and it's an initiative we launched around four years ago. It's only growing in importance as we see the ageing workforce across the data centre industry. The initiative essentially allows those with less than two years of experience to attend the conference free of charge, as well as university and technical college students.
We have a really solid and impressive advisory council helping to lead this, including the likes of Susanna Cass and Buddy Riser. We put together a bespoke programme for this young talent cohort across the three days of the event, where they can have one-to-one face time with senior executives, ask all their burning questions, and ultimately make the connections they need to advance a career in the data centre industry.
It's really important to us, especially now, as data centres are coming into the mainstream media and people are becoming more aware of what a data centre actually is. It's obviously important that those thinking about their career path consider it as an option and understand all the different routes available within the industry.
Sarah Davenport
If you look at so many of the barriers for those who are earlier in their careers when it comes to attending events, a lot of it comes down to the financial investment required from their companies. So, it's incredible that there's that opportunity to open up that world to people, because that's exactly what we need when it comes to retention and attraction.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, for sure. And I think it can also feel quite daunting, even when individuals do get the sign-off to attend these events. If they were part of the young talent programme from the start, at least they have the foundations, the connections, and they know the lay of the land when it comes to how these massive conferences work. We do have an application process where attendees submit their SMART goals for what they want to get out of the event, but if anyone listening is interested, please feel free to reach out directly and we can help with the application.
Oli Coote
That's brilliant. And as you say, it's less daunting if you've got people like Susanna who can take them under their wing, and equally, there are the first-timer meet-ups and various other networking events that probably feel a bit more accessible for people who are maybe a little earlier in their career or newer to the event. It's great that those opportunities are there.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, for sure. And it's something we're always looking to build on. It's onwards and upwards across all of our events at Takoriko.
Sarah Davenport
So, if you look at the diverse range of delegates who'll be there in June, tell us a bit about some of the fringe activities going on that might appeal to different seniority levels and types of attendees.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, definitely. We have numerous associations that we partner with at the event, and many of our delegates come in with those associations. For example, we work very closely with the EUDCA, who are holding numerous meetings at the event. We also partner with iMasons, who are hosting our women's networking breakfast on day one of the event and their members' summit.
I think it's always important for people who are attending as part of those associations to know those things are happening. But for those who are more function-driven, we've got our veterans meet-up, which is obviously a hugely important part of the ecosystem, we know that a large proportion of the data centre workforce are veterans.
Something we're also launching this year as part of our meet-up zone is a data centre fibre meet-up. The feedback from our research across all our events is that the need for fibre at data centre conferences is really important. We often separate the two communities, and while a lot of data centre developers have taken more of a power-first strategy when selecting their sites, fibre is equally important for connectivity. The data centre fibre meet-up is designed to unite those two communities and facilitate conversations around what's needed to achieve data centre connectivity, with power being an important part of the overall site development.
I would definitely recommend looking at the agenda, checking all the meetups on offer, and making sure they're built into what's going to be a very busy schedule. It's going to be a really interactive zone, we'll have a few hosts running informal roundtable discussions, with plenty of time for networking and dialogue away from the main content stages.
Oli Coote
It's going to be busy, very busy. I think we're all going to have to pace ourselves. I'm looking forward to the run clubs in the morning, there's a swim, and all sorts of things going on outside of the more structured events. There's just a lot of community activity happening as well, which I think will be great for people to take advantage of.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, for sure. I think we essentially take over Cannes for the week. There's so much going on, loads of our clients host really exciting drinks in really lovely locations. There's definitely a lot happening, but making sure there's enough coffee going around is equally important to be able to keep up with everything.
Sarah Davenport
Absolutely, it's a test of stamina! And, Lottie, tell us about the awards, which we are very excited about ourselves. We've been shortlisted for Commitment to Talent Diversity and Talent Development, which we're really, really proud of. So, we will be there, but tell us a bit about those awards, why they're happening, and the range of categories being recognised.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, for sure. The awards have been running for quite a long time and are always really, really well regarded by all of our attendees. This year we've moved the awards to take place on the pre-event day, what we'd call day zero, which I think is the right call. When we previously held them on the final day, there was a lot of audience fatigue by that point. Moving it to day zero means that all the award winners can celebrate across the next few days in Cannes. We're Casino Royale-themed this year, which is super exciting. We always dress to impress, but there's no strict dress code, whatever anyone feels comfortable in. The venue itself is amazing; we come back out onto the terrace and there are always really fun drinks beforehand, followed by a lovely three-course meal alongside the ceremony. There'll be live music and interactive games. It's going to be a great evening.
Oli Coote
It's a good way to kick things off.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, for sure, starting on a high.
Sarah Davenport
And you've got a really diverse range of categories being recognised, which in turn means a genuinely diverse mix of people in the room.
Lottie Westerling
Yes, absolutely. We work really closely with our judging panel, around 20 judges, so it's a really meticulous process, which speaks to the quality of this year's shortlisted entries. The awards cover everything from Best AI Innovation to Cloud and Content Service Innovator of the Year, so we're spanning a lot of different categories. It's going to be a really interesting mix of data centre operators, equipment vendors, consultants, energy providers, and the telco community all in the room together. It also always ends up being a wonderful way to meet new people and for teams to celebrate their successes before the main event gets underway.
Oli Coote
And in terms of Datacloud Global Congress, what does it look like geographically, where are people coming from?
Lottie Westerling
It really is a truly global event. I would say our largest demographic is from across Europe, but second to that is the US, we're seeing a significant increase in the number of US companies wanting to attend this year, clearly reflecting the growth happening there. We've also seen a lot of interest from Asian data centre operators and from the Middle East as well. From a content perspective, we're making sure we have relevant sessions for each of those different regions, highlighting the growth and the unique challenges and opportunities they're facing.
One of our keynote panels is actually focusing on the view from global colocation operators, so we've got a great mix of companies on that. We're also holding a Middle Eastern Digital Infrastructure Leadership Summit, aimed at uniting leaders from data centre operators in the Middle East, investors, construction firms, everyone building in that region, in a closed-door summit of around 50 people held under Chatham House Rules. So, there's a lot of diversity in our audience, and the content reflects that. It's covering a lot.
Sarah Davenport
That's going to be great. I think there's so much to look forward to. Are there any parting messages you'd like to get out there, in terms of who you'd most like to attend, or why people should come?
Lottie Westerling
Yes. I know I'm biased because I'm part of the organising team, but it's commonly fed back to us that this is really the most important data centre event to attend. If there's one you can put in your calendar, it should be this one. And for those who are already registered or confirmed to attend, just make sure you prepare everything in advance, and get your sleep in beforehand.
Sarah Davenport
Bank it all in!
Oli Coote
Is there one particular thing you're most looking forward to? Something you're hoping you won't miss?
Lottie Westerling
Yes. The thing I'm most excited for is our opening keynote panel. For the past few years, we've had an all-female opening keynote, and this year we've got representatives from Meta, Microsoft, and Compass Data Centres taking the stage for an all-female keynote. I'm definitely going to be in the room for that one, and I'd urge everyone else to be there too.
And then to close the entire event on the Thursday, we've also got a female closing keynote. So, we've got a lot happening across the agenda, but if I had to pinpoint two panels, it would be those two, they're going to be super exciting.
Sarah Davenport
That's awesome. Do you know who the panellists are yet?
Lottie Westerling
Yes, we've got Noël Walsh and Rachel Peterson for the opening session, with Nancy Novak moderating.
Sarah Davenport
Amazing.
Oli Coote
And the closing one, is that being kept under wraps for now?
Lottie Westerling
It is being kept under wraps. We've got more to come on that shortly, the final touches are just being done, but it will be announced in due course.
Sarah Davenport
What a tease! As co-hosts of a speaker series ourselves, where we train, support, and give active feedback to women on their presentation and panel speaking skills, so that these events are genuinely diverse in the voices we're hearing, it's great to know we've got a couple of all-female panels that are also discussing really relevant technical topics. That's going to be exciting. We will definitely see you there, Lottie.
Thank you so much for joining us. You've been a brilliant guest, and we can't wait for June. Start banking that sleep.
Lottie Westerling
Thank you. Thank you for having me. I look forward to seeing you both there.
Oli Coote
Thanks, Lottie. See you there.
That was an insightful conversation with Lottie Westerling, Head of Product for Datacloud Global Congress. Lottie painted a vivid picture of why this Cannes gathering has become the defining meeting place for the digital infrastructure industry. Lottie's passion for opening doors, amplifying diverse voices, and ensuring that first-time and experienced delegates alike leave with meaningful connections was evident throughout. We are extremely grateful to Lottie Westerling for joining Sarah Davenport and Oli Coote on Capstone Talent Talks.
Related Insights
\\
