Member Article

UK looks for leadership in Leeds

SMART, INTELLIGENT, SUPER-CONNECTED, 21st CENTURY, Cities and Communities.

Whatever your preference for positive puff, there is no doubt that the very real challenges of managing large and expanding communities are exercising the government and city leaders throughout the UK.

On so many different planes – health, education, transport, housing, environment, enterprise, policing, food, energy and utilities – the race is on to pull together ideas and actions that will make our cities and communities sustainable.

As every City becomes more complex and more challenging to manage, communities in less favoured rural areas are beginning to wonder if the benefits of technology would be better used to rebalance the economy.

And as leading technology providers size up the opportunities and the government’s department for Business Innovation & Skills prepares an eagerly awaited report, Leeds will be at the centre of attention on June 19th.

The government and industry giants – like Cisco, IBM and Microsoft – will be joined by an array of smaller specialist enterprises and some of the leading thinkers in this field to map out the opportunities and share their analysis with community and city leaders from across the UK.

This being Leeds, medical technologies and eHealth systems will feature alongside proponents of the Internet of Things, Open Data and the futurist projections of the acclaimed Rohit Talwar.

But the story is not entirely about technology. We must learn how to bridge the divisions in society, how to use information to better inform public policy, how to encourage new enterprise and employment, how to reach new markets and how best to provide the next generation with the expertise they will need.

The ‘Intelligent Cities’ event, hosted by Leeds & Partners and supported by Leeds City Council, will bring together leaders from cities across the UK. For enterprises in the region, it will be a great opportunity to measure the market; to garner ideas, shape priorities and make contact at all levels of the economy from local enterprise partnerships and start-up ventures to policy developers in London.

Venue: The Rose Bowl - Leeds Metropolitan University, Portland Crescent, Leeds, LS1 3HB

Date: 19 June from 08.30 – 17.00 Cost: £50 plus VAT

Agenda: More information about the agenda and speakers can be found here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Brunnen .