The Tech World Gathers in London

This Just In

London Tech Week 2018 is taking place this week, showcasing the best of the UK capital’s tech sector to an international audience.

London Tech Week 2018 – sponsored by Microsoft – has begun. Some of the biggest names from the global technology and business community have joined more than 50,000 delegates in the UK capital to speak at tech-focussed events across the city throughout this week. The festival is showcasing the latest transformational technologies and innovations, including robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and autonomous vehicles.

It’s Europe’s largest festival of technology and innovation, where major tech brands such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook are joined on stage by some of London’s leading entrepreneurs, policy makers, start-ups, and international talent.

“This years’ London Tech Week is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever,” said Zoe Osmond, London Tech Week Festival director. “With over 200 events across the week, our events programme has something for everyone and will showcase the depth and breadth of London’s tech offering. Over the course of the week, we will convene global leaders from technology and business, as well as policy makers, entrepreneurs and creative talent to shine a spotlight on the companies and change makers having a transformational impact on business, lives, and society.”

This year’s headline speakers include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia; Baroness Martha-Lane Fox, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Lastminute.com; Nicola Mendelson, VP EMEA Facebook; Sir Martin Sorrell; Rt Hon Matt Hancock Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who formally opened the festival on Monday, said: “London is Europe’s largest technology hub and this year’s London Tech Week will again showcase the very best of the city’s vibrant, diverse tech ecosystem. From Kings Cross to Croydon, London is home to some of the best entrepreneurs and tech companies developing the latest cutting-edge technologies. We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors from all over the world to experience the creative energy across the city and show them that London remains open to tech talent, innovation, and investment.”

A number of events across the week are focussing on the important role of women in technology. It’s all part of the Mayors’ #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, which celebrates the role London played in the women’s suffrage campaign (a movement that fought for women’s right to vote in the UK). The suffrage campaign is observing its centenary in 2018 and the campaign seeks to mark the progress that’s been made on women’s equality over the past 100 years and drive gender equality across the capital.

This year’s programme will include a range of events, including headline conferences, networking opportunities, innovation showcases, social events, musical performances, and much more.
Some events to look out for during London Tech Week 2018 include:

• TechXLR8 – Brings together eight leading technology events under one roof at ExCel London. With 15,000-plus attendees and more than 8,000 companies, it’s one of Europe’s largest three-day tech exhibitions.
• Wonder Women in Tech conference and careers fair – Wonder Women Tech is back in London during London Tech Week to highlight, celebrate, and educate women and the underrepresented in STEAM. A one-day conference and careers fair, which is open to the public, is taking place on 15th June at PLEXAL Technology Innovation Centre London.
• AI events – Including: CogX 2018 Summit, bringing together 4,000 attendees and 300 speakers across 5 main stages at Tabacco Dock and The AI Summit at ExCel London, will bring together all the leading AI innovators from the giants of Microsoft, IBM Watson, Amazon, Facebook, and Google through to the most inspiring start-ups, consultancies and thought-leaders.
• Createch 2018 – Leaders from the creative industries collaborate for this annual thought leadership event. It features discussions on the challenges and opportunities posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the crossover between technology and creative industries. Headline speakers this year include: Nicola Mendelsohn, VP, EMEA Facebook; Tim Davie, CEO, BBC Worldwide; Russ Shaw, founder, Tech London Advocates
• LeadersIn Tech – The LeadersIn Tech Summit is a thought leadership forum of leading technology executives, policy makers, and entrepreneurs. Discussions on the real challenges, threats, and opportunities presented by an increasingly digital world are on the agenda. Headline speakers this year include: Sir Martin Sorrell; Claire Valoti, VP international sales, SNAP inc; Steve Hatch, VP Northern Europe, Facebook; Colin Rhys, Virgin One Hyperloop; and Margot James, Minster for Digital and Creative Industries, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
• Future of Work Summit – Hosted at Facebook’s new workplace office space, the summit’s discussions will focus on how technology has the potential to transform the workplace environment and culture, and what businesses must do to adapt. Leading speakers include: Rt Hon Matt Hancock Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; Sarah Wood, co-founder Unruly; Jacqueline De Rojas MBE, president techUK; Bruce Daisley, VP EMEA Twitter.

More information on London Tech Week 2018 visit londontechweek.com.