Silicon Yorkshire has invested £50k in its digital interface to make it easier for the tech, digital and IT community throughout Yorkshire to connect with each other.
Working alongside Abstract Tech, the cloud-first digital solutions provider, the team has developed a digital platform that has greater functionality, making it quicker and simpler for the community to find what they are looking for, whether that be contacts, event information or sponsorship opportunities.
The new, cloud-based platform will also provide access to a more robust CRM system that can be used to facilitate communications with the growing number of members that are joining the group.
CEO of Silicon Yorkshire, Geoff Shepherd, said: “A lot of work goes on behind the scenes here at Silicon Yorkshire. We want to provide every opportunity possible for the community to come together and to share in the benefits of those interactions.
“The investment we have made into the new platform is just one example of that. We have thought long and hard about how we can improve the user experience and make it simpler for visitors to find what they are looking for.”
In addition to the launch of the new platform, Silicon Yorkshire has changed the way that it engages with sponsors, creating a more agile and flexible way of working for businesses of all sizes to get more involved with the group.
Rather than provide packages that are only relevant to one specific event, the group will now offer ‘tokens’ that can be credited against multiple opportunities such as a drinks evening, a business lunch, an Expo or the Awards in 2024.
The organisation believes that this approach will be more inclusive, and provide smaller businesses with the chance to leverage the community. Providing tokens also means that the organisations that choose to sponsor can align the outputs against their own preferences and business objectives.
Director of Silicon Yorkshire, Gareth Huxall, said: “The change to a token system that allows people to purchase credits to use against the sponsorship of events will simply open up the opportunities that are available for businesses of all sizes. The assumption that companies want to purchase a package that they had no influence over is old fashioned and doesn’t deliver the right return.
“We are constantly looking at ways that we can become more flexible to meet with the needs of the members. We think that by introducing tokens, organisations can be more specific about what they want to sponsor, so that they can get the best value from the brand association they have with the group.”
Silicon Yorkshire, which merged with Leeds Cloud last year, brings together leading executives from the tech sector along with innovative start-up and scale-up digital businesses based throughout Yorkshire. The group says it has ambitions to become “the largest and most active tech community in the UK.”
