This month saw key figures in tech converge on the magnificent Hotel Voco for Manchester Tech Festival. The event is a highlight in Manchester’s tech calendar, bringing together a diverse array of tech enthusiasts, professionals and companies. 

A city with a reputation for innovation, Manchester is the perfect hub for tech leaders to get inspired and make plans, and Equal Experts was delighted to be at the centre of it all as sponsor for the festival’s leadership day. The event aims to equip senior leaders in the tech industry to drive cutting edge results through opportunities for professional development and networking, so we were excited for the learning and connecting we knew would take place.

Learning from the best

At Equal Experts, learning together as a community of senior tech consultants is one of our main drivers, so it was a privilege to be instrumental in supporting some fantastic talks and panel discussions, including our very own Global Head of Product, David Cox. 

David’s diverse tech industry experience put him in the perfect place to share his thoughts on why going for quick wins may be counter productive, challenging influential leaders to rethink how they prioritise technology in their organisations. The question he posed: “Is that low hanging fruit really as delicious as it looks?” really got people thinking about how to build value over the long term for sustainable growth and scale. 

Describing herself as a “Product Rebel, we knew Holly Donohue’s talk would be interesting, but we weren’t prepared for how much we resonated with her topic – “WTF is a Product Strategy Anyway?” Holly showcased the power of storytelling, reminding the audience that an effective product strategy is as much about what you say “no” to as the opportunities you choose to pursue. It was inspiring to hear about how great brands like Apple succeeded by intentionally differentiating themselves in the market to focus on business value. 

Keeping the conversation going

As well as being treated to inspiring talks and connections, we were honoured to continue the leadership day discussions at our Equal Experts leadership dinner that evening, bringing together tech leaders from top brands such as ebay, booking.com, Krankenflex, Disney, ao.com and The Very group. 

Andy McGilvery, Group Director of Engineering at our client Awaze said “it was a great day, with interesting and varied sessions. David Cox brings a fresh perspective to product management talks and makes seemingly unrelated fields relevant!”

This was an opportunity for us to deepen the connections we have with our community of customers and support tech leaders to grow their organisations by collaborating and learning together.