“Our 2018 annual conference brought together world-class opportunities for our members to collaborate around cleantech innovation. We were delighted to see so many innovative companies there on the day, from across Europe as well as the Cambridge region. We believe that the connections made at events like this are invaluable in helping our members to thrive and build a smarter, more sustainable future,” said Martin Garratt, CEO of Cambridge Cleantech.
One of the chief highlights of the day was a Meet The Buyer session, during which cleantech small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) were given the opportunity to hold one-to-one meetings with industry leaders looking to build partnerships. Representatives from Alfa Laval, Anglian Water and Shimizu Corporation joined in the event.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet people building new technologies,” said Akihiko Hiriyama, who directs the sustainable green business division of Shimizu Corporation, a major Japanese industry leader. “We are looking to energise and reactivate basic industries like farming. There are many existing technologies which have a high potential but have not been applied yet, which is why we are eager to meet new people working in this sector,” he added.
During the conference, entrepreneurs and academics discussed topics such as future-proofing cities, circular economies and sustainable growth in infrastructure projects. The afternoon session was dedicated to exploring cleantech opportunities in building smart cities in north-west Europe, China and India.
Participants felt the conference was an excellent networking opportunity and a way to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the cleantech sector, with one delegate commenting: “It is good to hear how so much innovative thinking is making a difference regionally and globally. Brilliant platform to connect people.”
Complementing the “cleantech” theme, electronic badges were presented to participants at the beginning of the conference. Participants were able to share their contact details by simply tapping on each other’s badges. According to Bill Munday of Blendology, which provided the badges, over 2,000 connections were made at the event.
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