MediaCityUK rose to fame as a content-production complex when the BBC moved staff and programmes up North in order to diversify back in 2011. But now, as a cornerstone for the tech-focused Salford region, it’s emerging as the country’s exemplar smart city.
Outside of the broadcasting media context, there’s a whole lot more happening in MediaCityUK, and Salford more widely, in terms of digital innovation, nurturing entrepreneurship and really pushing the limits of new technologies.
Powered by cutting-edge infrastructure, the area is “an organic catalyst that’s growing and developing,” according to Jon Corner, Chief Digital Officer of the City of Salford. “It’s not a business park. It’s actually a living breathing city with a future-facing tech-orientated population.”
There are currently over 250 businesses working at MediaCityUK, a number that Jon says it set to double over the next five years. One company that has witnessed the evolution of digital in the area is The Landing, a business home for “innovation, incubation and inspiration”, which Jon founded and launched in 2013.
Jon is on the steering panel for this year’s Digital City Festival, taking place from March 9th to 13th. The festival will bring together innovative digital operators from the media, marketing, tech and eCommerce sectors, as well as businesses looking to adopt new technologies. Find out more here.
Jon said: “The Digital City Festival represents an opportunity to showcase further what Manchester has to offer and become a signifier of the region’s international ambitions as a world innovation city. It will be that convener, bringing together innovation talent, entrepreneurs, growth companies, thought leaders and disrupters.”
