NEWPORT-born billionaire entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews opened the second day of the Welsh Government's digital conference by praising the number of opportunities for young people in the technology industry.

Digital 2014, the flagship technology event held at the Celtic Manor Resort, saw Sir Terry tell delegates how Wales is teeming with ideas and innovation and that young people are at the heart of the digital charge.

The Welsh businessman also launched Tech Tuesday where the Celtic Manor will give free space to start-ups and businesses from the area to meet-up on the first Tuesday of every month to share ideas.

Experts from technology firms including Microsoft, Logicalis, Telefonica, and IBM gathered with more than 2,200 delegates to share their knowledge and local businesses including Torfaen Twitter sentiment analysis firm Blurrt, Swansea big data firm We Predict and Cardiff cyber security firm ITSUS were showcased on stage.

Led by the Welsh Government’s Department for Economy, Science and Transport, the first day of Digital 2014 focused on education and digital skills and was hosted by Tomorrow’s World and Bang Goes The Theory presenter Maggie Philbin.

More than 550 business and educators pledged to support a 10 point young people’s manifesto, which was delivered to deputy minister for Technology and Skills Ken Skates on stage.

Sir Terry said: “I've never seen so many opportunities in my life as there are today. Every industry sector is going through a transformation and technology refresh and this creates a huge opportunity for young people to prosper.

“I know what it’s like to be a technology entrepreneur when the opportunity to step away from your work and talk with like-minded people can spark the next big idea.

"Digital 2014 provides a platform from which key industry players could share their expertise on how these can be harnessed to drive economic growth."