Innovation was at the heart of the Great Exhibition of the North. It celebrated the region’s innovative heritage and sought to support innovative businesses of the future.

Urban Foresight curated and delivered a series of events on emerging technologies as part of the Exhibition.

Events were designed to influence the levels of entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration among SMEs and scale-ups.

Six workshops and six networking events were delivered. Each event focussed on a sector or theme and explored how emerging technologies were impacting on it. Themes included transport, advanced manufacturing, and the ageing population.

Aimed at representatives from across the innovation quadruple helix, the workshops shared insights on opportunities, challenges, and regional strengths in emerging technologies in different sectors.

Speakers recruited by Urban Foresight included representatives from Boeing, Lloyd’s of London, BBC, and Google. The UK Government’s Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also spoke.

The programme was part funded by ERDF so required us to ensure compliant branding, communications and record keeping to evidence outputs.

The events contributed to a renowned culture of collaboration and unity across North East England that has seen significant inward investment in recent years.