Digital Manufacturing Week
Digital Manufacturing Week is the UK’s largest manufacturing show for technology providers, manufacturers and industry leaders. It returned for the fourth time as an in-person event to Exhibition Centre Liverpool and ACC Liverpool after being held virtually during the pandemic.
Digital Manufacturing Week is the UK’s largest manufacturing show for technology providers, manufacturers and industry leaders. It returned for the fourth time as an in-person event to Exhibition Centre Liverpool and ACC Liverpool after being held virtually during the pandemic.
The two-day November event gave delegates the opportunity to come together to hear from expert speakers, industry influencers and leading organisations in the manufacturing sector, giving them insight into how to effectively develop their own businesses.
It consisted of several different components including Smart Factory Expo – the industry’s largest digital manufacturing exhibition – which took place across the exhibition centre. Delegates were able to interact with a total of 141 exhibitors from a variety of organisations ranging from new start-ups to industry leading establishments and hear from 144 speakers at a series of presentation sessions and seminars.
Keynote speakers delivered case-study driven content at the Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, the biggest conference in UK manufacturing which brought together professionals to share their experience and knowledge on making the most of the challenges they face and the opportunities that exist to ensure the future growth of manufacturing. Over two days they covered key strategic, business and technical challenges plus opportunities to network and debate. Meanwhile the SME Growth Summit provided information for the leadership teams of SME manufacturers.
Our ACC Liverpool venue was transformed into high-end conference and gala dinner spaces. The Manufacturing Technology Centre’s Digitalising Manufacturing Conference was hosted as a hybrid event at the venue to coincide with Digital Manufacturing Week.
In the evening, delegates attended the Manufacturer Top 100 2021 and The Manufacturer MX Awards 2021 Ceremony which celebrated the very best of UK manufacturing excellence. Full production was provided by the ACC Liverpool in-house team including set up for the main plenary; awards ceremony and dinner in hall 2 of the convention centre; exhibition rigging and AV for seminar and exhibition spaces.
Grace Gilling, managing director of Hennik Group, organisers of Digital Manufacturing Week, said: “We held a virtual event in 2020 but having carried out a survey among previous attendees earlier in the year it was evident there was a huge appetite for delegates to return to live events (82 per cent) to enable them to discuss business opportunities, watch live demonstrations and research solutions in person.
“Despite the challenges of the past two years, Liverpool continues to lead the way in advanced manufacturing and in the digitalisation of manufacturing and engineering business. It was fantastic to be back in the home of our innovation and technology focused exhibition and conference.”
With advanced manufacturing and engineering two of the city region’s greatest sector strengths, fringe events were held across the city including a number of Directors’ Forum private networking dinners and breakfasts as well as a post awards after-party.
The Liverpool region reacted quickly in an attempt to maximise the impact of business events to the pandemic recovery and this event received financial support through the region’s business recovery programme. This financial support package has helped boost trade revival in the manufacturing sector and is available to support the wider trade exhibition industry in recovery. The event is set to receive financial support from the city region when it returns in November this year.
Liverpool Convention Bureau was part of the local organising committee ahead of and during the event. The Bureau provided a variety of services including negotiating special accommodation rates for attendees and exhibitors through an exclusive booking portal; sourcing the venues for a welcome reception and for the awards dinner after party at the Royal Albert Dock; delivering briefings to Avanti and Transpennine Express so that attendees were provided with a warm welcome during their journey and on arrival at Lime Street train station. In addition, the Bureau designed the exhibition stand promoting Liverpool City Region’s advanced manufacturing and engineering offer.
Colm Graham, The ACC Liverpool Group exhibition, partnerships and hospitality manager, said: “Digital Manufacturing Week is a comprehensive event consisting of a number of different elements which we work closely with the event organiser to develop – including event delivery; marketing and production.
“Given Liverpool’s strengths in this sector, it is also a Team Liverpool effort to deliver, with many different organisations across the city coming together to ensure it is a success. We were pleased to be able to host this in-person for the first time since 2019 and to see the positive reception the event generated for the industry.
“We look forward alongside our city partners to continue to develop and enhance the event ahead of its return on the 16 – 17 November this year.”