Leeds City Region�s Smart Tech on Display at World Congress

Leeds City Region is transforming modern life through the development and implementation of smart technologies for the 21st Century and beyond.

This is the message attendees at the 2017 Smart Cities Expo World Congress in Barcelona (14-17 November) will be receiving when the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) leads a private sector delegation to the international event in order to highlight the region�s strong technology capabilities and world leading developments within the smart cities arena.

Opportunities and talent

The digital sector contributes �6.5billion to the City Region economy and employs 102,000 people. The delegation is aiming to open the world�s eyes to the opportunities and talent in the UK�s largest City Region outside London and the South East by hosting a series of targeted investor meetings with international tech firms including Huawei and Dahua Technologies. This follows hosted visits to the region from some of the world�s largest technology firms.

Find out how Leeds City Region's digital technologies sector is already transforming global businesses (opens in new tab).

Kersten England Chief Executive of Bradford Council and the LEP�s Lead Chief Executive for Business Innovation and Growth said: �Leeds City Region has a long tradition of invention, innovation and industry and I'm delighted that at the Smart Cities Expo World Congress this year some of our game changing technology businesses such as Konnektis and Solomon will be on display.

"Our region�s ability to adapt to the changing landscape of business and industry is why we remain at forefront of the fourth industrial revolution. I hope that the international audience of technology influencers, developers and investors will see spark which exists in our region and I would invite them all to come and take closer look for themselves at our opportunities for collaboration which can deliver inclusive growth for the people who live and work here but also have a positive impact on the global landscape.�

Showcasing

Mark Howells, Founder and CEO of Bradford-based Konnektis, developer of a digital system that enhances home care said: �It�s great to be showcasing our system to an international audience as part of a City Region delegation. We are currently rolling out our system with Local Authorities in the North of England following a successful pilot in Bradford. Users have found the system an effective way of keeping care records and can communicate in real-time with other providers to provide the best levels of person-centred care.�

The delegation includes representatives from AMC Network, Complete Resourcing, Connexin, DHEZ Ltd, Digital Catapult Yorkshire, Incremental Solution, Leeds City Council, The University of Leeds, Make it York, Munroe K, Solomon and York St John University.

Leeds City Region�s attendance at the Smart Cities Expo World Congress builds upon the success of the region�s digital sector in attracting new investment. In the last 12 months alone global digital media company Perform Group have expanded in Leeds and American Owned digital marketing agency Fractl selected the city for its first international office. Burberry recently announced it was to move an additional 100 IT roles to Leeds, bringing the total number of employees based at their new site to 400.

Find out more about Leeds City Region's digital technologies sector (opens in new tab).