Leeds announced as host of inaugural Northern tech event

Leeds has been chosen to the country’s first ‘Innovation & Disruption’ event on 19th October.

The four-hour showcase will put the spotlight on some of the most cutting edge innovations which will be seen in the technology sector over the next 12 months.

The premier events venue Aspire has been chosen to accommodate the inaugural gathering.

Innovation & Disruption is the brainchild of Tim Mercer, who is the CEO of Yorkshire-headquartered cloud tech firm Vapour.

Whilst Tim himself is set to take to the stage for the 19th October event, special guest and lead speaker for the day will be Ant Middleton. The former Special Forces hero now features on British television, most notably as Chief Instructor on Channel 4’s ‘SAS Who Dares Wins’.

Tim explained: “This is a man with real gravitas and an unrivalled insight into the importance of leadership, specifically during incredibly hostile circumstances.

“He knows about the gruelling physical and psychological pressures that the human body can be placed under, so what better person to inspire some of the commercial environment’s most aspirational business and tech professionals?”

Aside from Tim’s keynote speech, IT directors and decision makers will also have the chance to try out a number of industry-firsts when it comes to voice and video communications, virtual reality and cloud security.

Numerous sponsors are already on board in support of the event, including IT solutions providers Pure Technology and Alphadigital, investment banking enterprise Seneca Capital, and national law firm Freeths Solicitors.

Tim continued: “Our quarterly tech events at Leeds’ White Cloth Gallery are always a sell-out. Doing something bigger and better was therefore the next logical step, but we have been careful to develop a format that doesn’t yet exist in the UK.

“The focus is to showcase both emerging and proven technologies, under one roof, in what we believe is the most stand-out example of innovation and disruption for British businesses.”