2009 iFestival iEXPO and Dinner

The 2009 iFestival kicked-off on 10th March with the iEXPO in Nottingham, saw 20,000 people involved in over 170 events and closed with a celebratory dinner in Derby on 16th April.

iEXPO

Around 250 business people convened at Nottingham’s East Midlands Conference Centre to see outgoing Channel 4 Chair and entrepreneur Luke Johnson talk and take questions on the importance of innovation in business success.

Other speakers showcased regional success stories, representatives of emda and PERA outlined their robust respective innovation support services and all chatted informally to networking delegates during breaks and over lunch.

A knock-out competition saw participants’ business idea pitches judged by expert business and innovation advisers. The Last Business Standing winning entry Piccy Products Ltd is benefiting from a bespoke support package to launch a range of children’s tableware.

Dinner

The final event saw stylish speaker Gerald Ratner reveal the secrets of his business success – and popularised misfortunes – at a celebratory dinner for those whose contributions make the iFestival possible.

Barry Stickings – Chair of East Midlands Innovation – and Mike Carr – emda’s Executive Director of Business Services – thanked everyone involved and reflected on the positive impact and visible results of innovation support in the region.

We’ve captured images of these events and hope you enjoy them. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge each image or to view them as a slideshow.