London Tech Week 2018 to showcase best of capital’s tech sector to the rest of the world

London Tech Week 2018 will see some of the biggest names from the global technology and business community feature as part of an impressive line-up of speakers and events to be hosted across the city from 11th to 17th June. Throughout the week, the festival will also showcase the latest transformational technologies and innovations including robotics, Artificial Intelligence and autonomous vehicles.

London will open its doors to the international tech community, welcoming over 50,000 delegates from all over the world. Visitors to Europe’s largest festival of technology and innovation will be able to see major tech brands such as Google, Twitter and Facebook, joined on the stage by some of London’s leading entrepreneurs, policy makers, start-ups and international talent.

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 will formally open the festival on 11^th June.

London Tech Week will showcase London’s leading position as a global technology hub and will host international business delegations from over 20 different countries from Europe, South America, Asia and North America.

A number of events across the week will also shine a spotlight on the important role of women in technology as part of the Mayor’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign to celebrate the role London played in the women’s suffrage campaign, to mark the progress that’s been made on women’s equality over the past 100 years and to drive gender equality across the capital. London Tech Week will also host discussions on how to make London an even smarter city through new partnerships with the tech sector.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is Europe’s largest technology hub and this year’s London Tech Week will again showcase they 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."

Zoe Osmond, London Tech Week Festival Director added: “This year’s London Tech Week is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. 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. ”

2018’s events programme will include a range of events including: headline conferences, networking opportunities, innovation showcases, social events, musical performances and many more.

Some events to look out for during London Tech Week 2018 include:

• TechXLR8 – Bringing together eight leading technology events under one roof at ExCel London, join over 15,000 attendees and more than 8,000 companies at one of Europe’s largest three-day tech exhibitions. This year’s headline keynote speakers on the main stage include Jimmy Wales, Co-Founder, Wikipedia; Martha Lane Fox Co-Founder, lastminute.com; William Ruh, CEO, GE Digital; Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT.
• 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. Join us for a one-day conference and careers fair open to the public, taking place on 15^th June at PLEXAL Technology Innovation Centre London.
• Sofar Sounds gigs series – The organisers of intimate music gigs, Sofar Sounds, will be running a series of events during London Tech Week to showcase London’s musical talent and stories of innovation. The seven gigs held across the week will feature a number of leading artists that incorporate technology into their performance and tech-related venues across the city.
• AI events – Artificial Intelligence is a popular topic at this year’s London Tech Week, with a range of events to look out for 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, convening all of 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 – Bringing together leaders from the creative industries, this annual thought leadership event will feature 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
• Getahead festival – Coming to London Tech Week for the first time, the Getahead festival is the world’s first 24-hour event focussing on stress related mental health issues. The all day and night event will feature a pre-work rave, talks, yoga sessions, panel discussions, comedy, live music and an all-night disco dance, 6am–6am.
• LeadersInTech – More than a technology event, the LeadersIn Tech Summit is a thought leadership forum bringing together leader technology executives, policy makers and entrepreneurs to discuss the real challenges, threats and opportunities presented by an increasingly digital world. 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, this thought leadership event will focus on discussions around 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.
• Tech Night: London Tech Week’s Official Party - Let your hair down at Tech Week’s official party, offering a high energy, fun atmosphere including drinks, great music and our very own Unicorn Rodeo with scale up riders including Jess Butcher, Co-founder, Blippar; Michael Acton Smith, Co-founder, Calm; Mike Butcher, Techcrunch – with more to be announced shortly. The party will take place at Shoreditch Town Hall in the centre of London’s tech hub.

ENDS