Leeds Digital Festival promises a packed 2024 event schedule following the launch of this year’s programme. Organisers behind this year’s Leeds Digital Festival are promising an immersive festival programme with over 200 diverse events registered.
Now in its ninth successive year, one of the themes of the 2024 Festival will focus on how the event drives the upskilling and recruitment of workers across Leeds City Region’s booming tech scene. The event also aims to inspire and encourage collaboration, highlighting the strength of the tech economy in the city to a global audience.
Delegates can attend the Festival in person or virtually with events from the region’s leading digital organisations, including PEXA, BJSS, Leeds Building Society, Planet Sport, Audacia, Amazon Web Services and Accenture. It runs from 16 to 27 September across various venues in and around the city, including NEXUS at the University of Leeds, Platform, Avenue HQ and Howard Assembly Room.
The Festival celebrates all the tech achievements within the Leeds City Region, which includes Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield. Each year, event hosts, attendees, and speakers from other areas are welcomed. Renowned as ‘the tech event for everyone,’ it features contributions from anyone passionate about digital technology, with all events relevant to the region.
Commenting on the Festival launch, Stuart Clarke MBE, festival director, said: “As we gear up for our ninth year, Leeds Digital Festival continues to promote, celebrate and showcase the best of the tech industry in our region. Once again, we have a packed programme of events designed to inspire delegates and encourage collaborative working among the city’s thriving digital community.
“This year, we have a strong focus on exciting development in AI but will be covering everything from establishing a challenger bank from scratch using Microsoft Cloud technologies, to a women in technology breakfast event featuring some of the city’s leading and most successful female tech entrepreneurs, how tech is revolutionising healthcare, getting started with generative AI, and the creation of smart cities. We’ve got the perfect balance for entrepreneurs and start-ups seeking advice, inspiration and guidance on all aspects of digital innovation.”
The Festival will also feature the annual Leeds Digital Careers Fair on 24 September at Leeds Arena. This event will showcase over 100 employers and training providers and expect over 4,000 attendees.
Jay Patel, Head of Technology at Leeds Building Society, said: “We are proud to be a part of the vibrant and important tech and digital ecosystem in Leeds and we’re really looking forward to being involved in the Leeds Digital Festival again. We’re privileged to be the launch sponsor and will also be hosting several events over the course of the festival covering composable banking, cloud data, diversity and intersectionality, and how to make digital thrive in businesses.
“At Leeds Building Society, we’re making huge investments in technology to better support our members, and we continue to innovate to put home ownership within reach of more people generation after generation. Through the events we are hosting we hope to inspire those working in tech, or considering a role in the digital sector, by sharing our experiences and sparking some interesting debates. We look forward to seeing and celebrating the amazing digital work produced by businesses across Leeds.”
Leeds Digital Festival is the UK’s largest open platform tech event and the biggest outside London. The programme’s open and inclusive nature enables everyone, from startups to global organisations, to host events. Most events are free to attend to ensure they remain accessible to all.
The Festival is supported by premier sponsors BJSS and PEXA, executive sponsors Accenture, DWP Digital, Glean, Lloyds Bank, Nexus University of Leeds, Flutter, and a host of associate sponsors. Sponsor Leeds Building Society will host an event to launch the Festival on 12 September.
The complete programme is now available to sign up on leedsdigitalfestival.org