Innovative ideas were bouncing about in Brigg last week (Thursday 28^th February) as the Innovation Programme for Greater Lincolnshire held its fourth Doing it Differently Conference.

Over 100 representatives from a range of businesses across Greater Lincolnshire gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Hotel to hear from the event’s keynote speakers –Georgie Barrat, a TV presenter and tech journalist, and Lars Sudmann, a business strategy speaker and advisor.

The theme of the conference was to help delegates find new ways to innovate and encourage them to do business differently.

As well as keynote presentations and a networking lunch, the Innovation Programme organised five ‘campfire sessions’.

These smaller break-away sessions were aimed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and give those attending the opportunity to learn more about digital marketing, disruption, creativity, people and leadership and robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) from a leading industry expert.

To round off the day’s event, host Georgie Barrat gave an hour-long presentation on the latest technological trends, including AI and virtual reality, and spoke at length about the impact of technology on the workplace.

“AI will help us [businesses] make more meaningful connections. It will help recruitment processes for example and allow for businesses to create more personalised experiences for their customers,” said Georgie.

Talking about the future of autonomous vehicles after she sat behind the wheel of one for Channel 5’s The Gadget Show, which she co-presents, Georgie said: “Autonomous cars will be the norm in our lifetime – they will revolutionise how we live and get to work, and will increase productivity as we will be able to work while commuting.”

During Lars’ presentation, he encouraged the audience to follow the ‘spaghetti principal’ – throw something at the wall and see if it sticks, meaning to try something new and see if it works.

Sue Cadd one of the event organisers and Enterprise Manager at Think Tank, said: “This year’s conference was focused around a campfire theme. Campfires are great platforms for discussion and sharing stories, and we wanted to replicate that environment because we can all learn so much from each other.

“It was wonderful to see so many productive and engaging chats happening throughout the day. We know that when businesses push the boundaries and do things differently, they grow and develop at a quicker pace.

“Our thanks to all of our speakers, industry experts and, of course, those who attended.”

The Innovation Programme for Greater Lincolnshire, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is still offering its support to SMEs in Greater Lincolnshire and has funding available for more internship applications.

If you would like to find out more about receiving £1,500 to fund your next graduate intern, please contact Lesley O’Donnell on lodonnell@lincoln.ac.uk