Coventry business leaders invited to look to the future to explore their digital potential

Business leaders across Coventry are being called upon to gaze into the city’s future and learn from experts about the impact digital technology will have on the region and its key industries.

As part of Coventry and Warwickshire’s inaugural Business Festival, CityFibre, the firm behind Coventry’s Gigabit City transformation, has teamed up with local experts to host a special event exploring the role technology will play in Coventry’s future. At ‘Future-proofing your business in the digital age’, attendees will have a unique opportunity to hear from Dr Shaun Hides, ‘Futurologist’ and Academic Dean and Head of Media at Coventry University, who will share his insights into the city’s future and how it might not look like what we expect. More specifically, he will focus on the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, and the fact that Coventry is already positioned leaps ahead thanks to its new future-proofed connectivity. Speaking ahead of the event Shaun Hides said: “There isn’t a sector of business that won’t be touched by emerging technologies. We’re now at the stage of ‘fly or die’ - if businesses and city stakeholders don’t embrace the digital revolution we risk being left behind. “Our city’s future is promising. We could experience a renaissance of the manufacturing sector, however, it won’t be as we know it now. We’ve got to leverage our assets to compete on a global scale. Likewise, artificial intelligence will transform the way we live as well as work – this is already happening in Coventry following the recent successful trial of autonomous vehicles. “Ultimately, data will become the new oil as the digital age progresses, but at present, much of the UK does not have the infrastructure to cope. Coventry, on the other hand, already has ultrafast speeds and the potential for near unlimited bandwidth beneath its streets.” Other speakers at the event include CityFibre’s Head of Carrier and National Providers, Jatinder Sispal, who will discuss the firm’s investment in Coventry’s digital infrastructure and how the 180km full-fibre network twinkling beneath the city’s streets has played a part in boosting Coventry’s reputation as well as future-proofing the city. Jatinder Sispal said: “I’m really looking forward to hearing Shaun’s vision of the future and how connectivity will play a key role in helping the city thrive. Since 2014, we’ve worked with Coventry City Council to connect public sites across the city and we continue to work in partnership with internet service provider, Onecom to connect hundreds of businesses across the Coventry. “Connectivity will play a huge role in our futures, our full-fibre infrastructure provides the essential foundation for future digital deployments, making the delivery of smart city and IoT infrastructure, 4G and 5G mobile upgrades and full-fibre to the home rollout possible. We want to see Coventry continue to thrive as our work and lives continue to move into the digital space.” The city’s business community will also hear from Stuart Cain, Commercial Director at Wasps, Ricoh Arena. The stadium has recently connected to the network as part of their ambitious to become one of the best connected stadiums in Europe. Stuart Cain said: “I look forward to speaking at the upcoming business festival event to share our experience connecting to the city’s full-fibre infrastructure and explaining how this fits in to our wider digital strategy. Attendees are also going to have the opportunity to experience the connectivity first-hand as our connection is now live.” ‘Future-proofing your business in the digital age’ will take place on Thursday 23rd November at 8am at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. To register your attendance, visit: futureproofingyourbusiness.eventbrite.co.uk. To find out more about CityFibre’s work in Coventry visit: cityfibre.com/coventry. ENDS Issued on behalf of CityFibre by Weber Shandwick, PR Consultants for CityFibre. For more information or images, contact Sarah Ward at Weber Shandwick on + 44 (0)141 333 0557 or sward@webershandwick.com. Notes to Editors: CityFibre is the national builder of Gigabit Cities, as the UK’s largest alternative provider of wholesale fibre network infrastructure. It has major metro duct and fibre footprints in 42 cities across the UK and a national long distance network that connects these cities to major data-centres across the UK and to key peering points in London. The company has an extensive customer base spanning service integrators, enterprise and consumer service providers and mobile operators. Providing a portfolio of active and dark fibre services, CityFibre’s networks address 28,000 public sites, 7,800 mobile masts, 280,000 businesses and 4.0 million homes. CityFibre is based in London, United Kingdom, and its shares trade on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: CITY). Further information on the company can be found at www.cityfibre.com About Dr Shaun Hides, Futurologist, Academic Dean and former Head of Media at Coventry University A founder of the university’s internationally recognised Disruptive Media Learning Lab. Shaun’s near 30-year career has looked extensively into the space between new and disruptive tech, culture and innovation and how this shapes the future. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-hides-a23a9019/ About the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival has been developed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and will take place from November 20 to December 1. www.cwbusinessfestival.com