TechNExt 2024 - Experience
Introduction
TechNExt is the tech festival for the North East with TechNExt 2024 being the second time it was held since 2023. For the first event last year I was able to make a couple of events including Hainton Agile - Influence, Power and Stakeholder Management along with HaintonDotNet - Mike Stephenson about Azure Integration Services and a bit of fun with Logic Apps and ChatGPT but realised I'd missed out on so much that when the next one would be held I would make sure I could make it to as many of the events of TechNExt 2024 as possible! So it was great to be able to see the number of sessions that would be held as part of the fringe events and the core programme of the festival too and tried to make it to as many as I possibly could in what made for an amazing, packed week of tech and, you can find out about what TechNExt is, the events there and more at technext.co.uk
Day One
TechNExt 2024 started with a trip to The Core in Newcastle upon Tyne to see event hosted by Leighton about Digital Transformation: Leveraging Tech for Business Growth which was an interesting event with a panel session about Transformation in Action: Insights from Industry Leaders with Steve Morland, Mark Joyce, James Eastham, Julia Dann where we got to hear about what digital transformation is and its future. There was also a talk by Jake Bazin about re-implementing a British Airways Lounge App and was also great to speak to them afterwards about the challenges of re-architecting a less-than-ideal solution into a more scalable and maintainable solution. There was also an interesting technical talk about building event driven systems by James Eastham that had some useful insights into even driven design and overall, the first session was interesting and a chance to chat to new people and catch up with some familiar faces too!
The other session I was able to attend from Day One of TechNExt 2024 was held at One Strawberry Place just the other side of St James' Park from The Core and was hosted by Hedgehog Lab and was about Demystifying AI: Navigating the Challenges & Unlocking Business Value with Ed Marshall speaking about the challenges of AI and unlocking the value of AI. That session was a really great way of making sense to those who don't fully understand using AI in business but also making it an interesting listen for people like me who were already familiar with the potential of AI and made for an accessible session and a good one to end the first day of TechNExt 2024. You can read more about the sessions from Day One in my Article about TechNExt 2024 - Day One.
The Core
Insights from Steve Morland, Mark Joyce, James Eastham, Julia Dann
British Airways Lounge App Case Study from Jake Bazin
So, you want to build an event driven system from James Eastham
Demystifying AI: Navigating the Challenges & Unlocking Business Value
Ed Marshall
Day Three
Day Two of TechNExt was another event filled day, however it wasn't the only event going on that day as it was the Startup Awards North East 2024, which did a great job of showcasing the skill-up ideas, start-ups and scale-up businesses in the region so it would be the following day before I would return to the events for TechNExt 2024. Day Three started in the afternoon with the Ignite North East 2024 - Pre-Accelerator Showcase hosted at The Boiler Shop with amazing pitches from fantastic business ideas which included a couple of familiar faces such as Alan Morris who I've known from when they worked with a company I used to work for and has been great to see them more often at a few events and the other was Ayo Owolabi who I've come to know quite recently and has been at a few other events I've been attending recently. It was great to hear about everyone's business idea and was another opportunity to catch up with many more familiar faces, including some that I had not seen for a while. I also had a chance to meet and speak to a few new people including Jenna Ingoe who turned out would be at the next event so was kind enough to give me a lift there!
The other event on Day Two was Don't Look, Just Listen which was showcasing the immersive audio experience The City: Revolution at Proto in Gateshead in their advanced media production facility. Although I live and work in Gateshead, I'd not had the chance to go along before then but was very impressed with the world-class facility there with a massive eight-metre-wide curved LED wall. The focus of the evening was not this screen but to turn it off from time to time for us to hear and experience parts of the amazing audio drama the first episode of which could be enjoyed next door, which I did so along with hearing the second episode having stayed until the end. It was an amazing evening and was fantastic to speak to so many new people and an opportunity to check out an amazing event in my home town of Gateshead. You can read more about the events from Day Three in my Article about TechNExt 2024 - Day Three.
Ignite North East 2024 - Pre-Accelerator Showcase
Getting Ready for Pre-Accelerator Showcase
Ayo Owolabi pitching MiniPod
Alan Morris pitching Order Things
Pre-Accelerator Showcase Thank You
Pre-Accelerator Showcase Cohort
Proto Gateshead
Advanced Media Production LED Wall
Silent Disco Headphones
Episode Four Song Preview
#Screen Off #Sound On
Leaving Proto Gateshead
Day Four
Day Four would be my last day at TechNExt 2024 but would be the fullest day of talks hosted on the Main Stage at Crown Plaza Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne with talks from Tracey Follows, Jude Pullen, David Grey, Eleanor Harry, Atif Syed & Jesse Opoku, Avril Chester and Patricia Rodrigues with the days' events hosted by Jamie Hardesty. It was an amazing and inspiring talks with difficult topics approached well and in an informative manner. Every talk was thoughtfully delivered, and each talk helping form part of the theme for that year which was tech for good.
Day Four concluded and for me also my time at TechNExt 2024 with the Festival Party held at Revolution de Cuba which was a chance to catch up with all the amazing people I met for the first time at the festival, plus many familiar faces and even some people I'd not seen for many years which was really great to have that opportunity to chat to them and everyone else I got a chance to speak to there. The Festival Party was a great way to celebrate a successful second year of TechNExt and with hopes and plans to be involved more in the future and am certainly looking forward to TechNExt 2025. You can read more about the events from Day Four in my Article about TechNExt - Day Four.
Crown Plaza Hotel - Newcastle upon Tyne
TechNExt 2024 Main Stage
Introduction with Jaime Hardesty
TechNExt Words
Tracey Follows
Jude Pullen
David Grey
Eleanor Harry
Atif Syed & Jesse Opoku with Jamie Hardesty
Avril Chester
Patricia Rodrigues
Closing with Jaime Hardesty
Conclusion
Throughout the three out of the five days of TechNExt 2024 I attended, each day was interesting to learn from with a variety of topics both challenging and informative and overall was an awesome showcase of everything that the North East has to offer and is great to see such amazing support from all those involved who help make the event want it was from organisers, volunteers to sponsors without which it just wouldn't be possible to host an event on this scale and many I spoke to understood the importance of the event and that it aimed to go beyond what was started last year as well as those wanting to contribute in their own way next time at TechNExt 2025.
It was great to be able to attend all the events I could and celebrate them too with everyone else involved with familiar faces present who are titans of the tech community to those who are interested in what is going on in the North East Tech community like myself, my aim is to highlight what is going on here and was great to be able contribute in my own way by writing articles about each and every event I attended that I have shared along with taking photographs many of which I've showcased in this article and as I look forward to the next TechNExt I'm keen to get more involved with my own event or get to more events that will be held along with catching up with more familiar faces and meeting new people at TechNExt 2025.