Over 400 people attended this year’s LEP Conference on 7th November, where AI and innovation were on the agenda.
An inspiring keynote by rebel technologist Brett StClair set the tone for the event, which took place at the EPIC Centre on the Lincolnshire Showground.
A Demonstration Arena showcasing the latest technology and innovation from Greater Lincolnshire businesses and academics proved a popular attraction with delegates, and two In Conversation discussions on innovation provided much food for thought.
On top of all that, the three past and present Chairs of the LEP – Professor Neal Juster, Pat Doody and Ursula Lidbetter – shared their reflections on the achievements of the LEP and looked forward to the future.
And James Pinchbeck, Chief Marketing Officer at Streets and Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Innovation Commission, launched the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Innovation Routemap.
Developed by the LEP and the University of Lincoln, the routemap sets out a new approach to accelerating innovation-led growth across Greater Lincolnshire.
“The LEP Conference is a chance for us to bring our supporters together, share ideas and see how technology is shaping the future of our economy,” said Professor Neal Juster, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
“One of the great things about the LEP is the collaboration that goes on between businesses. The conference is a great networking opportunity because you never know where your new business friends, supporters and collaborators are going to be.
“Today our theme is innovation for growth, and it’s clear that if businesses are going to survive in a competitive market they need to either do new things or do what they’re currently doing differently. Today is an opportunity to see how other companies are doing things and share knowledge and experiences.
“The feedback from our annual conference has always been extremely positive, and every year we’ve always had more people coming along. What they get out of it is an understanding of how others are operating in Lincolnshire, the challenges they have, the opportunities they’re grasping and how best they can capitalise on new technologies.”
Among the panel speakers on the day were Sarah Brown, Head of STEP Strategic Supplier Relationships, Fiona Strens, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security AI at the University of Lincoln, entrepreneur and consultancy leader Steph Hamill, and Tim Jackson, Operations Director at Worldwide Fruit.
Laura Capindale from Hit Your Target was visiting a LEP conference for the first time.
“There’s been an amazing atmosphere, so many people here and lots of networking,” she said. “It’s been great to hear about some of the innovation that’s happening,”
“I’m particularly interested in the culture side and it’s been interesting to find out about some of the challenges in Lincolnshire around recruitment and retention and building a growth mindset within businesses.”
Melanie Weatherley MBE is Chair of the Lincolnshire Care Association, which was one of the exhibitors at the conference.
“This is a wonderful conference where you not only hear from the speakers on the stage but also get the chance to network across all kinds of businesses, come up with ideas that you’ve not thought about, and connect with people that you didn’t even know existed, so it’s a really great place to be,” said Melanie.
“I think innovation’s going to be more and more important as life becomes more difficult for all of us.”
Benedict Heaver, Managing Director of Streets Heaver Healthcare Computing, chaired one of the In Conversation panels.
“It’s been great to see the breadth of organisations that exist in Lincolnshire and all the innovation that’s going on and how that’s being shared more widely with lots of other businesses from different sectors,” he said.
