Skip to content

2008 claims to be full of events in Manchester……….

Published by Manoj Ranaweera on December 3, 2007

I am not sure whether I am crazy in announcing this, but the plan is to hold an event each month.

NW StartUp 2.0

This event will continue to focus on startup and early stage funding with the format unchanged, i.e.

  • Networking
  • 2 to 4 speeches – entrepreneurs and investors
  • Mini Break
  • Panel discussion
  • More networking

This event will continue to be held at KPMG with dates planned for:

Target is to get attendance increased to 50 from current 25 to 30.

Mashup* Manchester

Co-hosted with Mashup* Events (Simon Grice and Tony Fish), this event will focus on technology with format unchanged:

  • Networking
  • 2 to 3 speeches
  • Break
  • 2 to 3 company presentations
  • Panel discussion
  • More networking

This event will be held at new venue, eOffice Manchester with dates planned for:

  • x Feb – mobile 2.0
  • x May – security 2.0 + Visa 0.0 + Travel 2.0
  • x Aug – enterprise 2.0
  • x Nov – social networking

The discussion subjects are yet to be firmed up. Target is to increase attendance to 75 from current 30 to 35.

NW StartUp 2.0 DEMO

First mini event will be held on 6th December 07, with focus on giving an opportunity for digital companies to pitch. The proposed format for second event onwards:

  • Networking
  • Company presentations – 5 companies + Intense drilling by attendees (panel to be added as we gain experience)
  • Break
  • Company presentations – 5 companies + Intense drilling by attendees (panel to be added as we gain experience)
  • Panel discussion 2
  • More networking

This event will be held at eOffice Manchester with dates planned for:

  • x Mar
  • x Jun
  • x Sept
  • x Dec

Target is to attract over 75 people.

Rationale

None of these events are going to make me rich nor going to cover my man-day rates. Then why am I doing this? Having hosted events over the last 14 months, I am clearly filling a gap in the market. The challenge is to make them profitable whilst keeping the attendance fees low, so that everyone can attend.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is vital to the success of these events. Current deals in place are:

  • KPMG – provides venue and catering for NW StartUp 2.0 events
  • Sun Microsystems – provides catering for Mashup* Manchester events (and possibly NW StartUp 2.0 DEMO)
  • eOffice provides venue for NW StartUp 2.0 DEMO and Mashup* Manchester events
  • Ixis provides hosting for NW StartUp 2.0 web site
  • All events are brought to you by ebdexEvents, a business of ebdex Ltd
  • Mashup* Manchester is also brought to you by Mashup Events.

Now there is a need for further sponsorship, especially from following types of organisations:

  • Bank
  • Legal
  • Public Sector

I will be very grateful to anyone who might know how to get public sector funding.

Other Needs

In addition to speakers and panel members, other needs include:

  • Logos for each of these events
  • Turning NW StartUp 2.0 web site to look professional – need design input as well as setting up Drupal with various functions
  • Will track North’s leading startups
  • Blogging opportunities for those interested

Technorati Tags: , ,

Published inOther