Previous Boardrooms
The Next Frontier: Building on Manchester’s Successes – 3 February 2011
Manchester: Knowledge Capital worked with the Manchester Innovation Investment Fund for one of our final events, celebrating the outcomes of the Fund and exploring the way forward for Manchester’s innovation journey.
Attendees explored with speakers and faciliated workshops, and met like-minded collaborators to decide what is next for our city. The space was filled with stands and exhibitors to cover some of the innovation projects that have happened in Greater Manchester over the last five years from the individual, business and city perspective. The aim was to discover how we can all be part of Manchester’s next chapter in innovation.
Thank you to all those who joined us, and Sir Richard Leese, at the definitive Innovation Manchester Boardroom.
Better Life Chances: Innovating for Success on the Ground – 15 October 2010
The Greater Manchester Life Chances Pilots have the potential to open up the door to new ways of thinking and delivering on some of the City Region’s most intractable challenges in its most deprived areas. This comes at a crucial time when efficiency and reform matters more than ever. The pilots are all at the stage of developing ideas for new ways of working and this process requires stimulus, challenge and new perspectives.
Over 120 people from across the Greater Manchester authorities joined us for a day of inspirational talks, practical advice and case studies alongside collaborative workshop exercises to build their individual manuals for success.
The Boardroom brought fresh thinking to build on existing work on the pilots, helped develop a support structure throughout the region and gave attendees the tools and inspiration to take back to their authorities.
Speakers included Matthew Horne (Managing Partner of the Innovation Unit and author of Nesta paper Radical Efficiency), Geoff Thompson MBE, and Derek Long (Head of North at the National Housing Federation).
Join the Community of Practice to support neighbourhood pilots’ project leads, stay connected across the region and share good practice and ideas across the pilots.
The Formula for Cooperation – 30 June 2010
Co-operation and the co-operative model are firmly back on the agenda in every part of the UK economy and even at the heart of the country’s coalition government. 800 million people across the world are members of a co-operative business, a globally admired business model pioneered here in Greater Manchester over 160 years ago.
As part of the first Co-operative Fortnight the Innovation Manchester Boardroom saw Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, challenging business leaders across the city to be more co-operative. The task for the Innovation Manchester network was ‘How can we use the formula for co-operation to give Manchester a competitive edge?’
Some fantastic ideas for co-operative businesses were developed over the course of the Boardroom including a public services co-operative and a co-operative herb garden. A selection of the ideas will be taken forward into real projects. Co-operatives UK will be advising the project leads on setting up a successful co-operative business.
Energising Manchester’s Future – 18 May 2010
The postponed Innovation Manchester Boardroom – Energising Manchester’s Future took place on Tuesday 18th May. Questions we focused on included: What are Manchester’s specific energy challenges for the future? And how will that impact on how we live and work? What are the true energy supply and CO2 emissions in everything we do? How will we heat and light our buildings for the future? What attitudes do we need to change? With every solution comes an issue – we explored ways to tackle them.
Attendees could make new connections from all sectors and join others in tackling the city region’s big challenges, as well as generate great ideas and help drive them forward. BDP Architects kindly offered to be our hosts for the evening at their fabulous Manchester studio – the first naturally ventilated office building in Manchester to achieve an Excellent BREEAM rating.
Speakers included Mike Reardon (Strategic Director of GM Environment Commission), Peter Crossley (Director of the Joule Centre) and Julian Dobson (Director of New Start +). They helped attendees be part of Innovation Manchester – a growing movement that defines Manchester’s future and makes it happen.
“What we need to do is really improve energy efficiency standards, develop in full scale renewable and alternative energy and use the one resource we have in abundance, our creativity”. Lois Capps
Manchester Futures – 4 March 2010
Back in March we launched Innovation Manchester’s inaugural “Boardroom” workshop where writer, DJ and social commentator Dave Haslam was among a number of people who set out to challenge our thinking.
Manchester has transformed in the past 20 years – and in that time the world had changed radically as we entered the internet age. What radical changes will take place in the next 20 years? What can Manchester do now to be ready for future challenges, emerging markets, and social change? Are we going to dictate change – or have it dictated to us? These are some questions which we tackled together.
The event took place at the then newly-launched NOISE Lab, an innovative venue in its own right: a temporary creative pop-up space in an empty high street store.
Be part of Innovation Manchester – a growing movement that defines Manchester’s future and makes it happen.
