Tech Severn 2019 conference hailed a great success

The Tech Severn conference has this year again been hailed a great success, with over 600 attendees joining the two-day event earlier this week.

Now in its third successful year, Shropshire’s annual Tech Severn conference, led by Shropshire Council, took place on Tuesday 24 September and Wednesday 25 September 2019 at Shropshire Council’s Theatre Severn and venues across Shrewsbury.

A buzz at Tech Severn 2019

Over 40 organisations and businesses from across Shropshire and the UK took over Theatre Severn in what is fast becoming a high-profile annual gathering of some of the UK’s and world’s leading tech companies, executives and creative thinkers.

Headlining Tech Severn was former host of “The Gadget Show”, and six-time Guinness World Record holder, Jason Bradbury, who along with compere of the day BBC Radio Shropshire’s Ryan Kennedy, kicked off the event with style, with a grand entrance from Jason arriving on stage on his hover board.

Jason Bradbury on his hover board

In his presentation Jason offered a glimpse of technology of the future, talking with passion and energy about all things AI, VR, AGI and the exponential curve, and where technology could be in just 10 years.

The event showcased some of the best digital and technical solutions to help support people, businesses and the environment. Attendees included representatives from local government, health, business, education and housing sectors, who got to hear about the latest innovations in housing, technology-enabled care, education, modern methods of construction, Digi-health, eco and green technology.

Tech Severn 2019

The conference heard about flying drones, assistive technology, new building design, care data, health and wellbeing, and use of social media to promote businesses and stories.  Visitors also had the opportunity to try out a host of activities, from electric cars, walking through the Serengeti through VR headsets, to experiencing the world from the perspective of those suffering from dementia, through a simulator.

Speaking at Tech Severn, Jason said:-

“I am hugely enthusiastic about this event. I think there’s a model here that a lot of counties could really do well to observe. The model in question here is about short, punchy, engaging talks with really good talent up on the stage, with some really interesting stories and personal journeys.

“We also got to play with lots of cool technology. The dementia simulator was really interesting in terms of using immersive technology to give you an experience that helps you to empathise around some of the challenges that face those unfortunate enough to suffer from dementia. It was a real eye opener.”

Inspirational and motivational speakers talked about their stories, and offered thought- provoking insights into the world of technology, where it’s going, its challenges and how it can have a positive impact on people’s lives, and in delivering high quality social care, education, health and housing.

Tech Severn 2019

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, public health and climate change said:

“I was absolutely taken aback by the top quality organisations, speakers and presentations at Tech Severn. The event offered representatives from all industries the opportunity to understand what technological possibilities and solutions are out there, and provided a fantastic arena for people to network, exchange ideas and start to think outside the box.

“What was important to me is that the event highlighted the importance of ensuring that technology enhances, rather than replaces, human interaction in social care. I loved hearing all the inspiring and motivational stories from our speakers, and left feeling really excited and inspired by what’s out there to help improve the lives of Shropshire residents and our environment.”

Day two provided another fun-packed agenda, with EdTech and Tech Safari workshops and surgeries at the Theatre and throughout the town helping people with various tech-related issues. The EdTech education zone saw security and education specialists on hand to offer advice on keeping families safe online, advice on popular education software, and an opportunity to experience the latest virtual reality first-hand.

Tech Severn 2019 logo

Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s director of adult social care and housing, said:-

“Tech Severn is a great opportunity to bring technology, innovation and creativity together.

“This was a fantastic event, which saw an amazing amount of knowledge and expertise generated and shared. The innovation and technology on show gave us some fascinating insights and an opportunity to look at how potential solutions can improve our homes and lives.

“There was a real buzz; I was so impressed with the informative, inventive and entertaining talks, immersive experiences, and topical debates from our thought-provoking guest speakers. I must admit it was, at times, pretty mindblowing.

“I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made Tech Severn 2019 such a resounding success.”

To find out more about Tech Severn visit www.techsevern.com

Further information

People attending the event said:

“Brilliant. It wasn’t just the extraordinary tech that got me hooked, it was the different ways of thinking about how we can use technology to support people and give them new experiences that really inspired me.

“The work that Greener Games Limited are doing with VR is stunning. I tried it and I could feel my heart rate reduce as relaxation and (I think) wonder took over.  I believe they are working with Severn Hospice and the potential of that work excites me.”

“It was good to see and network with other colleagues and agencies. We particularly enjoyed the autism and dementia training bus, as we experienced what dementia and autism could be like and how this can impact upon people’s emotional, physical health and behaviour.  Despite working with people over a number of years with these conditions it raised our awareness and we think it has questioned how we work with people in the future.  We think this training would be an excellent package.”

“Inspiring day at Tech Severn with great speakers’ fantastic tech and a real glimpse into the future with Jason Bradbury.”

“It’s been a great day here at Tech Severn. Fantastic to meet and chat to Jason Bradbury. We’ve really enjoyed it!”

“Had a great day! Loved doing my social media workshop too.”

“Fantastic work by the Tech Severn 2019 team on such a successful and well-attended event! Roll on TS20. Great talk by Jason Bradbury on the future of tech.”

“Looking forward to seeing how we can embrace the future!”

“Really impressed with the Tech Severn event here in Shrewsbury.  Plenty of out of the box thinking.”