30,000 expected to attend inaugural London Technology Week
More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the programme of events at the inaugural London Technology Week, an event designed to showcase London’s role as the digital capital of Europe, which started today (16th June).
The Mayor of London, leaders of the global technology scene and organiser UBM are behind the launch which will feature more than 200 events.
London’s digital tech sector is expected to create an additional £12 billion of economic activity and 46,000 new jobs in the capital over the next decade. The tech and information sector in London, Southeast and East England - including Oxford and Cambridge - is growing faster than that of California and London employs more workers in financial tech than New York and San Francisco-Silicon Valley, according to research by South Mountain Economics and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Events across London Technology Week will highlight London’s expertise in areas such as financial tech, creative tech, retail tech and gaming.
London mayor Boris Johnson was joined by some of the leading figures in the global tech sector including the former Mayor of NewYork City, Michael R Bloomberg. Attendees at the events will be able to hear first-hand from some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Microsoft, Samsung, Google, Eventbrite and Yammer, as well as home-grown successes, such as Mind Candy and Hassle.
Mayor Boris Johhnson commented: “Tech Week is a superb opportunity to hail the success of London’s tech sector, which despite only being in adolescence already makes a tremendous contribution to our economy and is outperforming our rivals around the globe.
“The tentacles of our digital army now spread to every corner of the capital and far beyond. We forecast that they will generate a whopping £12 billion of economic activity and 46,000 new jobs in the capital over the next decade.”
Former New York mayor Bloomberg said London has quickly risen to prominence in the digital sector: “Ten years ago, no one thought of New York or London as a competitor to Silicon Valley – but today, more and more tech companies are looking to our cities as places to launch and grow, because they offer such diversity, creative talent, and high quality of life.”
There will be free, ticketed and closed events across the week. For more information about London Technology Week and a full list of events click here.