During my dreary morning commute this morning, I was flicking through the Metro only to stumble across a feature including UKTI Mission to SXSW Alumni, ParcelGenie.
The recently announced Digital Mission Observer Programme launched this week, with the trip to Washington, DC. The programme was designed specifically to offer opportunities for staff in larger corporates, professional services firms and academia a chance to benefit from the Digital Mission series.
Amongst the observers joining the DC trip is Louise Eldridge (@fieldhead) from London law firm, Finers Stephens Innocent LLP. She said,
"We're excited to be part of the mission and the observer programme affords both companies and individuals the opportunity to engage with the companies selected and learn about their drivers and to better understand how to help facilitate their growth".
The agenda includes a mixture of briefings, masterclass, speed networking, VIP reception and evening events with the US Dept of State, Microsoft, Deloitte, the State of Maryland with more to be announced shortly. Across the week-long trip there'll be opportunities to meet representatives from across the spectrum of the DC digital and governmental scene from departments to NGOs to startups and social innovators.
Woah there. Run that past me again? Yup, you read it right. Travel and listings publisher, Time Out, announced a staggering 6,000% increase in the number of downloads of their travel apps after going free.
"In June, Time Out has made the decision to make all travel apps free for the foreseeable future – a move which saw the average weekly download per app jump from 140 downloads a week to over 8000, a rise of a staggering 6000%"
So Google and Facebook really seem to be going head to
head. Google does not send people to Facebook and vice versa.
I am sure we remember that back in May, Facebook
was discovered to be guilty of hiring a PR firm principally to tar Google’s
reputation in regards to their privacy policies. However, Facebook themselves really aren't any better! They have been caught red-handed using personal data in
inappropriate ways. All you need to do is read their Terms to find out
how blasé they are with some of our most personal information.
Here are some of the more interesting ones I found –
Building
a
collaborative event is not for the faint hearted. Many an event producer has run
for the hills when faced with a large committee of partners let alone trying to
lead a large team of stakeholders.
If,
however, you are brave and follow a few guidelines the benefits of collaboration
can be mind-blowing and much bigger than you could ever manage on your own.
Here is a guide based on my learnings directing Social Media Week (SMW) the London
Games Fringe & Onemedia. During SMW
we had over 53 event partners, 50+ venues, 110 events and 40 experts on the
advisory board. All of this was accomplished in under 16 weeks and here is how:
Maybe it's the over-developed thumbs of the smartphone natives? Maybe the news doesn't have the draw that it used to. Either way, it's games that dominate app purchases in the US according to the latest Neilsen research.
NMA reports that of the 300,000 users surveyed in May, 93% bought mobile games, compared with 76% paid for apps with a news flavour. Surprisingly, bearing in mind thse figures relate to a US audience, the second most popular category of downloads was weather. I thought it was just us Brits who were obsessed.
The statistics reveal the top 10 categories of apps downloaded in the last 30 days are:
The team behind the North East's successful incubator, Difference Engine are back with a new accelerator fund, ignite100, backed with funds of £1m.
Jon Bradford, founder of Difference Engine, which includes Digital Mission alumni Screenreach amongst the companies is supported, returns as Executive Director with Paul Smith, a North-East based entrepreneur running the programme. He said,
"Difference Engine was the first major acceleration bootcamp programme in Europe. ignite100 redefines acceleration programmes again and will be first acceleration programme in Europe to offer up to £100k per team."
The deal?
Next week some of the UK's leading digital firms will be making their way DC for the Digital Mission to Washington.
The week takes in a heap of activities designed to bring companies up-to-speed on the US market, make heaps of introductions and build their international profile.
For those taking part in the Digital Mission, and anyone travelling to the US from the UK, the forms for immigration have changed and it's now obligatory to complete the snappily titled Electronic System for Travel Authorization for (or thankfully, ESTA form).
A little over three years ago, preparations for the very first Digital Mission to New York were just starting. A lot's happened since then, so what better time to reflect on the past, and ponder the future?
In this post (sorry it's quite long), we're reflecting on the story so far, looking at the future, how the missions are funded and the work to make them sustainable in the long-term, our plans for the next Digital Missions and three exciting new initiatives, plus how to get involved.
Read on, and do comment, we'd love your feedback.
The companies joining the Digital Mission to Washington are gearing themselves up for a packed week in and around the US capital meeting with numerous federal agencies, major corporates and a host of movers'n'shakers in DC.
We're delighted to announce a VIP Digital Mission Company Showcase (Mon 11th July - RSVP here) to close the first night of the mission. It follows a highly successful event organised by UKTI to promote TechCity a few weeks earlier.
Working closely with FutureGov, UK Trade & Investment, Fairfax County EDA and Deloitte, the guest list will feature senior staff from across DC including speakers from sessions later in the week and key influencers in this sector from government and industry.
After the official presentations and introductions there will be a spot of speed networking with some of DC’s leading digital agencies and government officials continued with a casual networking session, with a chance to relax with a beer and carry on the all-important conversations.
