Manchester, UK: 3 May 2019: Ahead of the inaugural Tech Show North in Manchester next week, an event that is anticipated to be the UK’s biggest UK gathering of technology companies ever to be held outside of London, five leaders involved in the technology sector in the North of England have offered their thoughts on how the region can further its cause as a hotbed of technology and innovation.
1. Create connections to drive success on the global stage
Martyn Collins, Exhibition Director for Tech Show North, comments: “It has been said that we are living in the fourth industrial revolution. The North of England provided the source code for the first industrial revolution and will play a major role in defining the one we are experiencing now. Across the North there are amazing companies innovating around everything from the cloud, cybersecurity and data analytics, to animation, gaming and virtual reality. We need to showcase these amazing companies and help them create connections to succeed on a global scale.”
2. Solve real world problems to create value
Paul Billington, Commercial Director of The Landing at MediaCityUK, comments: “At The Landing, we have a strong focus on driving innovation through problem solving. The North of England is a hotbed for tech talent whether that be residing in our thriving start-up economy or the university spin out entrepreneurs. Solving real world problems creates value; value that will ultimately attract investment and win contracts. It’s my view that hubs, innovation centres and accelerators across the Northern Powerhouse should seek partnerships with international brands. Through these partnerships strong links can be created to solve global problems by speeding up innovation in corporates whilst creating value in and growing tech companies at the same time.”
3. Harness technology and talent to drive growth
Steve Mills, PwC data and analytics director for the North, said: “Technology is not only providing opportunities for today, it is also creating the opportunities of tomorrow too – the key for business is to capitalise on this by harnessing the talent and the technology in a way that will help their business develop and grow. The region has a history of playing vital roles within industrial revolutions and the next should be no different. At PwC we’re using business understanding, technology innovation and human insight to help solve important problems, inform important decision making, meet human needs and make a difference to society – all of which will help create the foundation for the region to continue to lead the way.”
4. Collaborate nationally and internationally
Anna Sutton, CEO, The Data Shed, comments: “Graft, grit and teamwork is woven into the fabric of the business landscape in the North; you can see that in every company we work with and all of the team we employ. But it’s not really up to us to ‘own’ industry 4.0 – It’s all about collaboration, nationally and internationally to bring tech to new heights that benefit everyone in every sector. At The Data Shed we take a collaborative approach to everything we do, helping clients drive value, both from the data they hold and the tech that’s available. As long as we focus on that, the 4th Industrial revolution will come to us and sweep us along with it.”
5. Celebrate the Northern tech sector
Jordan Appleson, CEO, Hark, comments: “There is a lot going on in the tech sector in the North, particularly in IoT and Industry 4.0 and we should be flying the banner as much as possible and band together to celebrate that and foster an environment of collaboration. Making more noise about what we have in the North is crucial to inspiring pride and encouraging the next generation of tech companies to rise up and be part of the cohort culture we’re cultivating.”
Tech Show North will take place at EventCity Manchester 8 – 9 May 2019. Entry to the show is free and tickets can be obtained from its website.
