Getting on with the IT crowd

Reporter: Martyn Torr
Date online: 17 February 2010

WIRED City Reconnected saw 60 business people from Oldham and surrounding areas attend a networking event specifically targeted at the digital sector.

The aim to allow the sometimes shy, introvert IT crowd to meet and mingle with like-minded individuals. If this sounds a little bit like speed dating, it did have a few similarities — particularly the way that host Les Selby, from Alba Associates, flitted between people.

He played a kind of networking cupid ensuring that people got to meet the contacts that they wanted to meet, explaining: “Many people working in technology are experts at what they do, but find sales-related networking the most difficult aspect.

“Particularly as many IT businesses are small to medium sized enterprises, finding similar businesses to collaborate with is a real challenge.”

This is where the Wired City approach differs from many similar events. Prior to attending, each business explains who they are, who they are looking to meet and projects for which they are seeking collaborators.

The evening was hosted by Oldham Council’s Economy and Skills section, as part of their credit crunch initiatives.

Organiser Jonathan Philips echoed Les’s view about bringing the less high profile businesses of this new and growing sector to the fore.

The council also recognised the benefit of staging this event in the high-tech surroundings of the City Learning Centre, Chadderton.

It’s oddly reassuring that, even in the most high-tech of businesses, people still need to meet, in person, over a sandwich, to forge proper working relationships and I’m sure many businesses did just that.