We had a fantastic day on Wednesday at the Innovation Day and it was great to see so many Bedfordshire businesses there. The aim of the day was to encourage people to look at innovation in a whole new way. Delegates were told to look at opening up innovation and collaborating with others as a way to turn research and ideas into business.The day was really interactive with workshops, speakers, networking – all rounded off with canapés and local Bedfordshire wine! Throughout the day local business leaders and professors showed the latest thinking on growing businesses, developing products using the latest technology, promoting a healthy office environment, and even how to create human muscle in the lab!
It was a gr
eat chance for businesses to network and find out how other businesses are innovating as well as seeing what the University has to offer in terms of training, research, and support. I did pick up on a couple of conversations that were very promising – two local businesses were talking during the networking lunch and found out that one had a problem that the other had a solution to! This is why these events are so great – you never know who you’ll bump into!
eat chance for businesses to network and find out how other businesses are innovating as well as seeing what the University has to offer in terms of training, research, and support. I did pick up on a couple of conversations that were very promising – two local businesses were talking during the networking lunch and found out that one had a problem that the other had a solution to! This is why these events are so great – you never know who you’ll bump into!Jon Block a keynote speaker from ITV.com said he was really impressed that an event of this scale was put on in Bedfordshire, which was good to hear. He also stated that this was brilliant timing, as when budgets are tight, innovation can help to lift businesses, industries and the country as a whole out of a recession.
My personal highlight of the day was the end keynote speech by Steve Head who is a high performance specialist. Steve’s talk was centred on ‘getting more from less’ and really made you think about the changes you can make for free, which can have a massive impact on your workforce and the results they produce.
We organised this event with our partners Luton Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire & Luton Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Business Link, Basepoint Business Centres, and East of England Development Agency.
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A great day all round. Look forward to next year
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