Digital Shoreditch 2013 – just days to go!
Ahead of Digital Shoreditch 2013, supported by CIPR, we asked Kam Star, Founder of Digital Shoreditch, to tell us why community efforts are the secret behind Britain’s recent technology prowess.
Britain’s digital and technology scene is rapidly changing and what a difference a year can make. In just 12 months we have seen the government pour more than £600 million of funding into what it called ‘eight great technologies’ to help propel the UK to future growth. This was preceded by further announcements during the Olympics in which the UK tech start-up scene was boosted by a flurry of deals in London, Belfast, Milton Keynes and Sheffield. The news saw Vodafone and Barclays supporting start-ups; the opening of a video games studio by one of Japan's richest businessmen, and was then followed by technology giants Google, Facebook, Amazon, Intel and Skype all announcing new projects in the UK. Even our very best home grown technology success story, dubbed Britain’s Bill Gates, Dr.Mike Lynch, who sold British software company Autonomy last year, is now reinvesting in British technology companies through a US$1 billion fund called Invoke Capital.
Next week, London will host Digital Shoreditch 2013. The non-for-profit event brings the UK’s technology, digital and creative communites together. The event, showcases and debates the latest advances in digital and technological innovation. In its third year, interest in the festival is unprecedented with the latest digital trends such ‘trendjacking’ being covered. This is looking at how and when something starts to trend online, you have a few hours to ride the trend and be relevant. A good example of this is when Lynx made a Prince Harry ad immediately after his Vegas Scandal. Digital Shoreditch will be uncovering what companies and brands can do to ride the Zeitgeist. Other key trends being explored this year also include the use of behavioural sciences in digital, and working with the largest brands in the UK including the BBC to challenge the public to interject digital within broadcast.
Industry, the government and multinationals have realised that technology is of substantial economic national importance, as 8.3% of Britain’s GDP comes from the infoconomy. Furthermore, the UK’s creative industries are a real success story and today they are worth more than £36 billion a year, generating £70,000 every minute for the UK economy and employing 1.5 million people in the UK. Unsurprisingly, the growth of Digital Shoreditch 2013 is testimony to how bringing communities together can help power ideas, entrepeneurship and create businesses in the technology field.
London Digital Shoreditch 2013 runs from May 20 to May 31, 2013. To book, visit the Digital Shoreditch website.
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).