UK’s Most Innovative Businesses Open Their Doors for OpenCo UK

OpenCo, the ‘festival of innovation’, has announced that an exciting group of UK companies will take part in the first nationwide OpenCo event to be held simultaneously across multiple cities. Building on the success of last year’s London event, this Autumn’s showcase will see some of the UK’s most exciting businesses open their doors to the public, as the event expands to the whole of the UK.

Offering a unique opportunity to see and hear from some of the country’s most dynamic and innovative start-ups, entrepreneurs and businesses, OpenCo is a ‘must’ for anyone interested in what really happens behind the curtains of the UK’s most creative companies.

This year, 52 London businesses have joined the OpenCo line-up for the event on October 2nd, whilst simultaneous events in Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol & Bath and Liverpool will take the total number of HostCo’s across the UK to over 100. Lyst, Google Campus, EON Reality, Spotify, King, Airbnb, Starship, Bompas & Parr,

ROLI, Unruly, RateSetter, YouTube Space London, Sumo Digital, Made.com, Zynstra and Level39 are amongst the companies taking part. Each will be welcoming visitors into their workspace to hear their secrets of success and learn more about their story, during a free 45 minute session.

Backed by Tech City UK, local officials and promotional organisations from across all regions, OpenCo will be hosted in the UK by media agency IPG Mediabrands, with support from the Financial Times, Jargon PR and TimeOut.

The festival is described by founders as a mashup of an open studio tour and a tech conference, with the vibe of a music festival. The free, one day event is broken down into one hour segments, where the leaders of HostCo’s share the stories behind their business, their vision as well as any new projects or developments they are working OpenCo (known as NewCo outside the UK) now also takes place in New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Boulder, Los Angeles, London and Amsterdam, has attracted over 10,000 attendees over the past two years, and has had the participation of many of the world’s most inspiring and forward-thinking business leaders.

OpenCo UK Co-Founder & IPG Mediabrands Global Strategy Officer Hamish Kinniburgh says: ‘From new start-ups to well-established global firms, OpenCo offers the opportunity to experience innovation up close and personal in its native habitat, giving people the opportunity to hear from some of the most talented business minds out there and see some of the city’s most dynamic work environments.”

Tech City UK CEO, Gerard Grech commented, “We’re delighted to be partnering with OpenCo to make the UK the first country to host the event simultaneously in multiple cities. This event is very much in line with our mission of accelerating the growth of digital businesses, sharing best practices, spreading opportunities and connecting groups engaged in digital innovation across the UK.”

For OpenCo London, register here: http://ldn-schedule.openco.us

And for the UK schedule: http://uk-schedule.openco.us