Helping Innovators to Manufacture at Innovation Alley

As part of our activities during 2019, KTN worked alongside Innovate UK who sponsored 54 start up and scale up technology companies to showcase their innovations on Innovation Alley at Smart Factory Expo.  The core driver behind this event was to bring together a group of innovators developing a range of solutions for the manufacturing sector and introduce them to buyers, investors, partners and industry networks.   Feedback from some of exhibitors on the Alley indicated just that!

We spoke to some of the exhibitors who had secured business in the Alley during SmartFactory Expo 2020 and asked them how valuable it was for them to be part of this excellent opportunity.

Joe Handsaker at Elements Technology commented, “We found Innovation Alley very valuable for a number of reasons. First of all we gained another customer, but we also had an opportunity to have a good catch-up with other companies within the eco-system including IoT Horizon, ChAI, Smartia and Starling solutions, amongst many others.

As an early-stage startup we try to find free and inexpensive ways to attend, exhibit and present at all sorts of manufacturing events. We’ve been really grateful to be awarded a place on Innovation Alley for the past two years, and have really enjoyed the experience, and really valued the ability to present our product to manufacturers without the worry that we’re getting a good return on investment for exhibition space.

It’s also been a great opportunity to speak with a range of manufacturers and ultimately capture market feedback to better hone our offering.”

Deyrick Allen from IOT Horizon also secured business in the Alley. Deyrick said, “Innovation Alley was a great opportunity to help us build our brand and showcase our RFID wireless technologies. A well-known aviation company came back 3 times to talk to us as they were excited by the technologies we were showcasing. We cemented new clients at the show and created some long standing supplier relationships.

Having been to IOT Solutions in Barcelona twice we were really surprised as to how much more effective we could be closer to home in Liverpool. A big thank you goes to KTN for the opportunity to exhibit and the support they have provided.”

KTN focuses on helping companies connect for positive change.  Our aim is to stimulate innovation across the UK and events such as Innovation Alley and Smart Factory Expo provide opportunities for businesses to meet, make new connections, undertake research and share ideas.  We aim to be there again in 2020, assuming #socialdistancing allows, and we look forward to welcoming a new cohort of digital technology innovators who want to help manufacturers become more productive  If you want to find out more about Innovation Alley 2020, contact Nicole Ballantyne here.