As the fastest-growing digital economy in the UK, it is no surprise that the Leeds tech sector is home to a thriving ecosystem of the most innovative companies defining the future of technology. When considering Leeds’ commitment to becoming net zero by 2030, our region’s expertise, ideas, and sustainable innovation will set the pace for West Yorkshire’s progression towards carbon neutrality.
To kick start our journey to a brighter, greener region, GreenTech Gathering is a great opportunity for individuals and organisations to connect in person and expand their network within the GreenTech community.
What started as a small idea has now evolved into a vibrant and diverse community of like-minded professionals from across the region. The mission of GreenTech Gathering is simple: to give our GreenTech community space to connect, share knowledge and collaborate.
According to Hubspot, 95% of professionals agree that in-person networking is vital for long-term business relationships, yet 49% of individuals don’t maintain professional relationships. Like many of us this year, getting fit is a New Year’s resolution we’ve made more times than we’d like to admit. Networking is like the gym. Everyone knows they should do it, but it’s hard to find the time or place.
While online platforms like LinkedIn offer opportunities to ‘connect’ with others in the industry, most fail to make it offline, let alone translate into any meaningful relationship. And let’s face it, nothing beats a room full of like-minded people, but who wants another conventional networking event and a pocket full of business cards? GreenTech Gathering prioritises meaningful connections.
Alongside a loose ‘No Sales, No Cards’ guideline, hosting regular quarterly events makes it easy for community members to come together and build genuine, long-term relationships. Kris Quigley, Managing Director at Affinity Digital and GreenTech Gathering attendee said, “It was a place I felt I could actually network with”.
With over 100 sign-ups for our upcoming event on Thursday 1st February, the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received since the beginning of the event series underscores the need for meaningful interaction within the GreenTech community.
Knowledge sharing is fundamental in addressing the pressing challenges posed by climate change. Creating a community facilitating knowledge transfer encourages new perspectives, skills and experiences to enrich conversations. By sharing insights and best practices, our community has equitable access to the tools needed to grow and contribute to impactful solutions that lower emissions and improve our environment.
At each event, we invite a guest speaker to lead the conversation and share their insight on some of our biggest questions about the industry. For example, Georgia Halston, CEO of Halston Group and Sustainability Partnerships, will deliver a talk at our next event about technology enabling industries to seek greener alternatives without the dreaded ‘Green Premium’. Having industry experts and thought leaders like Georgia share their knowledge, helps our community to learn something new and spark conversations later on in the evening.
We also aim to ensure that these important conversations don’t just start and end with each event. Our community newsletter bridges the gap between gatherings, encouraging members to continue sharing news, insights and ideas with each other.
In order to deliver impactful action, collaboration is at the heart of GreenTech Gathering. The scale, scope and complexity required to bring environmental transformation cannot be done by one sector alone. The environmental challenges we face are multifaceted and interconnected, so GreenTech Gathering welcomes all sectors – government, business, civil society and academia – to be part of our community.
We have developed an opportunity to feature some of the most forward-thinking members of GreenTech Gathering and shine a light on their work towards a more sustainable future, increasing its reach and impact. At previous events, we had Make It Wild, a re-wilding organisation that delivers nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration. At our upcoming event, we’re proud to support SymbioTex, a talented group of young entrepreneurs and biotechnologists using sustainably cultivated seaweed to produce home-compostable medical devices such as inhalers.
Our launch last November was just the beginning. This year, we’re doubling down on our commitment to building a more sustainable future. Community will be at the heart of this movement, and we look forward to watching GreenTech Gathering grow and evolve, one connection at a time.