High-flying computer executives at an IBM conference in Las Vegas this week have been left drop-jawed at Dunedin's potential to become a gigabit city.
Animation Research Ltd managing director Ian Taylor gave a presentation to about 20,000 delegates at the conference, where he mentioned Dunedin was a prime candidate to win Chorus' Gigatown competition.
''The interesting thing for me was the reaction to Gigatown - everyone we spoke to just saw it as a total no-brainer and that this was an opportunity that was just too good to let go by.''
Dunedin is a finalist with Wanaka, Timaru, Nelson and Gisborne, and some massive social activity, led recently by Dunedin City Council chief executive Sue Bidrose, has Dunedin pulling ahead of its opposition.
Mr Taylor said he purposely wore the Gigatown T-shirt at the conference and explained what winning Gigatown would mean for the city.
People were genuinely surprised at how lucky Dunedin would be if the city won, he said.
''People would look and go: 'Dunedin? You mean you're going to have gigabit data? We don't even have it.'''
All the IBM officials, all the hotshots, all the major clients that were there - the idea that a city could win a Gigatown competition was overwhelmingly positive.''
Mr Taylor said the response from those at the conference confirmed for him how important the brand would be for Dunedin.
The city had the medical school, the University of Otago, and smart businesses, and he believed Gigatown would make the biggest difference, not just to Dunedin but to all of New Zealand.
''Everything I saw at the conference tells me that the cities of the future, the cities that will thrive in this whole new world, will be those that are wired up to deliver data fast.''
Being the smartest and fastest city in New Zealand and Australia would drive the high-value, highly paid jobs Dunedin was craving.
Mr Taylor said his keynote speech, titled ''The Internet of Things'', was well received and IBM had asked him to do another at a conference in February.
''They only have two big ones a year.
''They are also keen to try and put us together with their Smart City team, which is a huge emphasis of theirs. I think we made an impact.''
