Birmingham Tech Week 2024 is set to host the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP during the Leadership Breakfast on Monday October 21, and the West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, during the Digital Skills Symposium on Tuesday 22 October. Their participation at the event underscores the government’s ongoing commitment to supporting the UK’s tech sector, and the Labour party’s commitment to boosting digital skills within the region.
Birmingham Tech Week 2024, which is set across October 21 to 25. promises to be the largest edition of the event to date, with over 54 individual events, including both main and fringe events, and contributions from global tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. The week will feature in-depth discussions on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, financial technology (FinTech), smart cities, cybersecurity, and digital health.
The week starts with a Leadership Breakfast, with a lineup of speakers including the Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP; Nicola Hodson, CEO of IBM UK & Ireland, Sir Peter Rigby, Chairman and Founder Rigby Group plc, Carolyn Dawson OBE, CEO Founders Forum Group, Marcus Stuttard, Head of AIM & UK Primary Markets at the London Stock Exchange; and Neil Rami, CEO of West Midlands Growth Company. Alongside these appearances, OneAdvanced is set to debut the first findings of its Annual Trends Report – now in its ninth year – focusing on tech and business in the West Midlands, ahead of the full report’s release in November.
The following day, Tuesday 22, will feature a Digital Skills Symposium, which aims to bridge the skills gap of the region with the Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, in attendance. This is accompanied by the West Midlands Health Tech Showcase, celebrating the region’s world-class health and medtech advancements.
The rest of the week hosts a Women in Tech Day, which offers a vast range of fringe events, as well as the Global Growth Congress, which includes delegates from South Korea, the USA, Australia, SIngapore and more. This is then followed by the Growth Summit Breakfast Keynote from Richard Harpin, Founder and Chairman of Homeserve, and ScaleUp Summit, set to give insights to entrepreneurs at every stage of startup life. Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Engine will also be present during the week.
Closing the week is the AI Symposium and TechMids Engineering & Developer Conference, with the final event being the Black Tie Dinner & Tech Awards which will see the announcement of the One To Win pitch competition, as see one of three shortlisted West Midlands based businesses win £1 million. The three competing for the £1 million prize include Changemaker3D, Skyfarer, and Inicio AI.
The ministerial presence during this iteration of the event offers a unique opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs to engage with government leaders, explore potential partnerships, and gain insights into the support programs available for tech enterprises. The event provides an ideal platform for companies of all sizes, from startups to established enterprises, to explore the vast opportunities within the UK’s rapidly expanding tech sector.
Commenting on his appearance at Birmingham Tech Week, the Rt Hon Peter Kyle shared:
“The tech sector in the West Midlands is thriving, from quantum tech breakthroughs at the University of Birmingham that could overhaul how we diagnose cancer, to Wolverhampton’s rollout of the latest 5G technology helping GPs reach patients in care homes.
“Innovation in this sector is critical to improve people’s lives and kickstart economic growth in the UK, and I look forward to meeting business leaders from across the West Midlands to discuss how this government can help them thrive.”
Alongside the main events, the week will also host 41 fringe events from industry leading businesses and institutions such as ARUP, University of Birmingham, Intercity, OneAdvanced and Aston University. These events will include a range of activations, workshops and discussions across all branches of tech, including HealthTech, FinTech, AI and Cybersecurity.
Sharing his excitement for the week ahead, CEO of TechWM, Yiannis Maos, expressed:
“Birmingham Tech Week is more than just a tech festival; it’s a celebration of our region’s vibrant tech community and a catalyst for innovation. This year we’re excited to have the Rt Hon Peter Kyle as a speaker at our Leadership Breakfast to kick off the week and really solidify the region’s key role in the nation’s tech sector. With Mayor Richard Parker gracing us with his presence and using his voice to highlight the importance of closing the digital skills gap within the West Midlands.
From cutting-edge workshops and inspiring talks to networking opportunities and exciting showcases, Birmingham Tech Week offers something for everyone. Our goal is to inspire, educate, and connect the tech community, fostering a culture of innovation and growth in Birmingham, and pushing it to become a Global Tech Superpower for 2030.”