Tech Week Humber founder Antonio Tombanane has reflected on the delight of bringing a full in-person event back to the city of Hull post-pandemic.
While the subject matter leant itself to being one of the most conventional to take online or become hybrid as Covid measures played out, the entrepreneur behind what has become a week-long celebratory festival, said it was nothing like the buzz of physical interaction.
Having fully absorbed all that happened earlier this month, Mr Tombanane said: “We were delighted to bring a full in-person event back to the city for 2022. During the pandemic we hosted both online and hybrid festivals but the value of seeing visitors coming through the doors of the events, networking, listening to talks from our fantastic speakers and experiencing innovations first hand is non-comparable.
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“We’re incredibly proud of the tech community in the region and to be able to bring this to the fore is of such value to innovators, established businesses and the future workforce.”
The fourth festival saw activities span the week and the city, with the flagship exhibition showcasing tech innovation in the region and beyond held at the MKM Stadium., a dedicated educators’ conference hosted at the Doubletree by Hilton, Hull, two education days hosted with Hull College and Wilberforce College and several fringe events including Google Digital Garage, a celebration evening, Marketing Humber industry insight with GF Smith and a software developers’ meet- up.
Alongside Headline partner Hull College, the week also saw KCom, Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, VISR, Evoke Technologies, Phoenix Software, Hull City Council, Innovate UK Edge and others contribute to a “fantastic representation of tech businesses exhibiting and contributing,” Mr Tombanane said, toasting more than 1,000 attendees across the week, includig hundreds of students.
Steve Clayton, head of growth at KCom said: “KCom was proud to partner with Tech Week Humber 2022 as leading connectivity partner. The week was an opportunity to showcase the 10th anniversary of our full fibre broadband in the region and look forward to our Full Fibre Future. We had the opportunity as part of the week to engage with the local and regional business community at the flagship exhibition, take part in relaxed networking, offer our expertise as part of the dedicated educators conference and connect with pupils from Hull College and Sirius Academy to talk about career paths in KCom.
The telco also engaged with local primary school children as part of the Futures in Tech project in partnership with Tech Week and Hull & East Yorkshire Children’s University.
“As a company that’s been investing in and connecting the local community for almost 120 years, it’s great to take part in events that promote local talent and give the next generation of tech innovators an insight into how they can go on to achieve great things,” Mr Clayton added.
It provided an innovative incubator to expo marketing and networking for four start-ups, as Jon Brunton, Growth Hub manager at HEY LEP explained.
He said: “The LEP has always recognised that the digital sector as a key sector in the Hull and East Yorkshire region and one that needs continued support to further its incredible growth seen over recent years.
“We were therefore delighted to sponsor and attend this year’s Tech Expo as a gold partner, which enabled us to bring four client businesses along with us - Veribli, Devine Marketing, Red Fez and IT Recycle Hub.
“Each is a digital firm, able to have their first experience of exhibiting at a sector- focused expo. The feedback we’ve received from each of the businesses has been universally positive and they all gained something from exhibiting at the expo, be it new business won, new contacts or networks made, or prospective investment leads obtained.
“Tech Week really shines a spotlight on the region’s digital sector, and is also a great catalyst for the development of the sector in the region and we look forward to seeing what next year brings.
Plans are afoot with announcements on Tech Week Humber 2023 pencilled in for the new year, as tech training centre The Edge Hub in Hull city centre closes in on completion, having been announced in the run-up to the 2021 event. Mr Tombanane is a co-founder, alongside business partners.
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