MANSFIELD — A regional conference on how businesses could be affected by the latest Internet and mobile phone trends will be hosted Oct. 15 in Mansfield.It’s open at no charge not only to information technology professionals but anyone who wants to learn more about opportunities and challenges as more business transactions takes place online.“We have opened it up to anybody,” said Bob Leach, director of operations for Braintree Business Development Center.People who might benefit include marketers, managers wanting to learn more about online security issues, and others who “want to be able to ask the right questions” as their company deals with emerging IT technologies and trends, he said.The conference, sponsored by the North Central Ohio Regional IT Alliance, will be from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center, 890 W. Fourth St.Attendance is free and includes a light continental breakfast, lunch and parking. NCORITA is covering this year’s fee for anyone attending, conference chairman James D. Weiner said.All attendees have a chance to win an Apple Watch and other door prizes.Participants should preregister at www.ncorita.org.The keynote speech, “Digital Business is Driving Big Change, Are You Facing Digital Extinction?” will be given by Carl Deal, executive partner with Gartner Executive Programs.Businesses frequently check with Gartner for “the equivalent of the Good Houskeeping seal of approval” for products and innovations in the software security industry, Leach said.Topics covered by other speakers include: “Emerging Trends Impacting the Mobile Experience,” “The Internet of Things,” “Will Resiliency Equal Security?” and a talk specifically for IT specialists on how they can optimize their skill sets.Changes in technology “are very quickly changing the nature of industry,” he said.Mobile phones — one of the topics at the free conference — are now according to some reports “pushing close to 60 percent of all Internet traffic,” Leach noted.NCORITA, incorporated as a nonprofit entity that is fostered by but independent of Braintree, was formed around four years ago, as an outgrowth of the Northern Ohio IT Alliance, Leach said. IT specialists in the area “saw the need to have a more formal organization,” he said.The group has organized four annual conferences, and it sponsors meetings on various topics at least once a quarter, he said.About 180 people attended last year’s conference, which was more strictly focused on topics of interest to IT specialists.NCORITA’s purpose is to help north central Ohio IT specialists working in a variety of sectors, advocate for development opportunities for members, and encourage young people to train in IT and find jobs in the region.Members of the alliance frequently reach out to help other members problem-solve issues raised at their business, Leach said.“Anybody who asks a question, we can point them in the right direction,” he said.IT associations based out of larger cities with large corporations headquartered locally may have greater numbers, but with NCORITA, “we’ve got pretty good diversity” Leach said.