Smart Grids & Cleanpower 2012: a wholesome and innovative mix

May 18th, 2012

Headlined by ARM plc and Schneider Electric, the 2012 Smart Grids and Cleanpower Conference in Cambridge at New Hall on 14 June chaired by Dr Sarah Darby and Mr Jeremy Nicholson plays host to a veritable wholesome and innovative mix of talks. All conferences are in some sense unique, but some are more unique than others and organisers CIR Strategy urge you to tool over to Cambridge for this wonderful lineup of talks.

Taking part in 2012 are for example: EON, UK Power Networks, National Grid, DECC, Ofgem, ARM, Schneider Electric, Cambridge University, Oxford University, Reading University, BT, Telefonica, ITU, Design London, Sainsburys, Rolls Royce, Lockheed Martin, Silicon Valley Bank, Peloton Advisors, Deloitte, PwC, Navetas, Amantys, Ampium, Cyan Technology, Xsilon, Eight19, Farm Power, BEAMA, ENA, Energy UK, TAHI, New Energy Network, Cleantech Investor, CUEN; JBS, EPRG, Engineering, Computer Lab, CU; Verne Global, Siemens Infrastructure and Cities, CU Engineering, House of Lords, Mansion, Solar Power UK, Solar Century, Poyry, UK Bioenergy Strategy, InCrops, and many more.

As for the programmes, SGCP sees a roster of over 30 speakers and moderators over two streams: smart grids and cleanpower.

Among many highlights, there will be:

An introduction to the smart energy ecosystem (ARM). A debate about smart meters. Another on networks policy and who benefits at each stage. UK prospects on wind (Ofgem E-Serve), on solar (Solar Century) and on biomass energy (Poyry, InCrops) and shale gas assessed (Lord Oxburgh). There is a talk on printed electronic PAYG solar PV being rolled out in Africa and India. Another will look at sustainable generation for the Cloud. A range of emerging market and mainstream apps of smart grid techs as case studies among innovating startups and SMEs.

SMART GRIDS CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Opening Session – Smart Meter Rollout Debate

10:00   Dr Justin Hayward Conference Director & Consultant, CIR Strategy, Introductory Remarks

10:05   Dr Sarah Darby, Oxford University, Chair’s Opening Remarks

10:10   Gary Atkinson, Director Embedded Marketing at ARM Holdings plc Headline Sponsor

Smart Energy ecosystem – What is possible today & where we need to get to?

10:30   Professor Ross Anderson, Computer Lab, Cambridge University

Critique of the Smart Meter Roll-out: Security & Systems

10:45   Rachel Crisp, DECC Head of Energy Networks

Government policy on balance: smart meters are key

11:00   Siemens Infrastructure & Cities

The Value of Smart Meters Today

11:15   Panel with Terry Rowbury, BEAMA - Moderator of Smart Meter Rollout Debate Session

11:30   Coffee            break

Session  2 – Wider Applications of Grid Technologies

11:50   tbc Lockheed Martin / Rolls Royce,

Microgrids in the Theatre

12:05   Tate Cantrell CEO Verne Global

The truly sustainable cloud – not a myth

12:20    Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO, Eight19

Powering the unGrid

12:35   Panel with Graham Ford, Mansion Partners, & Innovation Pitches

13:00   Lunch and Exhibitions

Session 3 - Grid and Metering Network Solutions

14:00   David Lewis, Marketing Director, Schneider Electric (UK) Lead Sponsors

Enabling Smart Grids Connections

14:15   Bryn Parry, CEO, Amantys – Gold Sponsors

A fresh approach to power switching

14:30    Geoff Sarney, Head Smart Metering, Cyan Technology/Telefonica – Gold Sponsors

Control and Comms Networks for Grids and Metering

14:45   Russell Haggar, XSilon

M2m and Technology for the Internet of Things         

15:00   Tea break

Final Session – Integration, innovation, standards & network policy

15:20   Richard Smith, National Grid

Future Transmission Networks

15:40   Keith Dickerson, Committee Member, International Telecoms Union

Network Standards: update & the trends

16:00   Greg Payne, Director of Business Modelling, Software, EON New Build & Technology UK

Weighing Up the Future of Balancing Services           

16:20   Dora Guzeleva, Head of Network Policy, Ofgem

Policies Right for Innovation

16:40   Panel with David Smith, Energy Networks Association, Chairperson’s Summary, Innov Pitch Prizes

Drinks Networking

This 4th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference, uniquely covering the core and range of technologies and strategic vision for grids and power, is brought to you by CIR Strategy in association with ARM plc and Schneider Electric, and is part of the Cleantech Conferences of Cambridge Series which has run 16 times since 2007.

Bookings online at: http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register or by phone at 01223303500

CLEANPOWER CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Opening Session - Clean and Bio energy

10:10   Michael McCreary Senior HVM Consultant, CIR Strategy, Introductory Remarks

10:15   Jeremy Nicholson, Senior Advisor, EEF EIUG, Chair’s Opening Remarks

10:25   Professor John Miles, Engineering, Cambridge University & Director ARUP

Clean Energy: at what price?

10:45   Bianca Forte, InCrops

A review of bioenergy technologies

11:00   Ali Lloyd, Principal Consultant, Poyry

The outlook for biomass electricity in the UK

11:15   Panel with Chairman – Clean and Bio energy opening Session

11:30   Coffee  break

Session  2 – Solar PV

11:50   Alan South, Commercial Director, Solar Century plc

UK FiTs & RHIs: an evolving solar market for growth

12:10   Mark Simon, CEO, Farm Power

Business Models for PV and microhydro electricity

12:30  Panel with Solar Power UK, followed by Innovation Pitches          

13:00   Lunch and Exhibitions

Session 3 - Wind

14:00   Robert Hull, Managing Director, E-Serve, OfGem

Enabling Offshore Wind to Grid

14:20   Cristiano Marantes, UK Power Networks

Large Wind Projects & the LCNF

14:40   Philip Skipper, Siemens Infrastructure & Cities

Wind Balancing & Storage     

15:00   Tea break

Final Session – Sustainability, energy policy & security – Moderated by Christine McGourty Energy UK

Opening Talk by ARM plc, Headline Sponsor

15:20   Peter Sharratt, Head of Sustainability Services, Deloitte

Future Cities

15:40   Dr Bernie Bulkin, Chair, Office for Renewable Energy Deployment, DECC

Technologies for Targets to 2050        

16:00   Lord Oxburgh, Independent Member, House of Lords, former Chairman Shell

Shale Gas: Curse or Boon?

16:20   Panel, Chairman’s Summary (Jeremy Nicholson EEF)

 

Drinks Networking

This 4th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference, uniquely covering the core and range of technologies and strategic vision for grids and power, is brought to you by CIR Strategy in association with ARM plc and Schneider Electric, and is part of the Cleantech Conferences of Cambridge Series.

Bookings online at: http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register or by phone at 01223303500

 

Posted in Shale, biomass, education, electronics, energy, environment, fracking, high value manufacturing, investment, oil & gas, software, solar, strategy, technology, wave, wind | No Comments »

Amantys CEO on Electronics & the Smart Grid at Cambridge’s flagship Grids & Cleanpower Event

May 18th, 2012

This talk at Smart Grids 2012 Cambridge (tiny.cc/cleanpower) notes that the current market dynamic pits growing demand and global population against the pressure for a reduced emissions and lower dependency on fossil fuels. This introduces instability at both ends of the system. Renewable energy sources are inherently variable, unstable and remote at one end. And meanwhile, consumers are being pushed to change behaviour.
Bookings for the 4th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference can be made here.

Power Electronics and the Smart Grid - Bryn Parry, CEO Amantys Ltd

The energy sector is often labelled as – or maybe even accused of! – being a slow traditional industry, one that is resistant to change, and reluctant to adopt new ideas and innovation. This is reflected in the relative scarcity of new companies in power electronics, and the dearth of young engineers coming into the industry.

Existing national grid systems are based on long-established, proven technology and architectures, an aging infrastructure that has changed little in many decades, and a user who is passive whether he or she likes it or not.

The traditional grid has no link between generation and consumption; it operates with centralised control, a passive architecture, and as a result, lacks any degree of operational flexibility – supply is generally on or off, and so is demand.

The current market dynamic pits growing demand and global population against the pressure for a reduced emissions and lower dependency on fossil fuels. This introduces instability at both ends of the system.

Renewable energy sources are inherently variable, unstable and remote at one end. And meanwhile, consumers are being pushed to change behaviour by governments and suppliers, keen to shift them towards a heavily interactive mode, whether with energy monitors in the home, or smart meters and new models of usage.

Amantys believes that one of the core building blocks of an efficient and reliable Smart Grid is effective power switching - something more sophisticated than on, off or fault; something that combines advanced digital control techniques with precision analogue and power engineering.

The intelligent power switch offers real-time adaptation to varying system, load and environmental needs. It deploys a simple, reusable architecture, with a standard digital communications exporting real-time and non-real-time data from the switch to allow remote monitoring and control.
There is a common demand across all medium and high voltage power switching applications for greater reliability and efficiency, for better control and for simpler design.

Perhaps this is why an industry – normally so resistant to change - is engaging with Amantys to deliver the Intelligent Power Switch to meet the challenges of the Smart Grid.

 

Short Biography - Bryn Parry 

Bryn Parry is the CEO and co-founder of Amantys, a start up company based in Cambridge, which is developing intelligent power switching products for the smart grid, renewable energy and motor drive markets. Bryn was previously a General Manager at ARM Ltd. He started his career as an electronics design engineer before moving into applications support and eventually into general management.

About Cleantech Conferences of Cambridge

This 4th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference, uniquely covering the core and range of technologies and strategic vision for grids and power, is brought to you by CIR Strategy in association with ARM plc and Schneider Electric, and is part of the Cleantech Conferences of Cambridge Series which has run 16 times since 2007.

Bookings online at: http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register or by phone at 01223303500

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in electronics, energy, environment, financial, investment, software, strategy, technology | No Comments »

The outlook for biomass electricity in the UK & Government Bioenergy Strategy discussed by Pöyry at Cleanpower

May 10th, 2012

Poyry will note at Cleanpower 2012 Cambridge (14 June) that the government expects electricity generated from biomass to play an important role in meeting the UK’s 2020 renewables target. This talk describes the policy and regulatory background affecting biomass electricity developments, including the Renewables Obligation, Electricity Market Reform, and the April 2012 Bioenergy Strategy.

Ali Lloyd, Principal Consultant at global renewable energy leader Poyry, will present ‘The outlook for biomass electricity in the UK’.

Biography for Ali Lloyd

Ali Lloyd joined Pöyry Management Consulting in February 2010 and has around 20 years of commercial experience in UK energy markets. He has a detailed knowledge of the UK electricity market including support schemes for renewable and CHP generators. Ali is part of Pöyry’s renewables team, providing advice primarily to renewable and energy-from-waste developers on project valuation and off-take contracting strategy.

This 4th Annual Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference, uniquely covering the core and range of technologies and strategic vision for grids and power, is brought to you by CIR Strategy in association with ARM plc and Schneider Electric, and is part of the Cleantech Conferences of Cambridge Series.

Bookings online at: http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register or by phone at 01223303500

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in EfW, Uncategorized, biomass, education, energy, environment, financial, investment, strategy, technology | No Comments »

Guru South sees Solar move North to UK at Cleanpower 2012

May 7th, 2012

Alan South, Commercial Director of the Award Winning UK company Solar Century plc, a veteran of the Cleantech Conference Series organised by CIR Strategy, will deliver a talk summarising the changes that have occurred recently in the UK solar market. He will also describe how massive, unsubsidised growth in solar installations has occurred in Spain and now in Holland as this phenomenon moves north…

4th Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference

Future growth for solar PV in the UK by Alan South

Alan South, Commercial Director of the Award Winning UK company Solar Century plc, a veteran of the Cleantech Conference Series organised by CIR Strategy, will deliver a talk summarising the changes that have occurred recently in the UK solar market.

PV generation capacity installed in the UK has grown beyond all expectations in the last two years. A consequence of the extraordinary growth has been fast and deep cuts to the support scheme. Just where does the UK stand in comparison with other countries and what will the future look like for the technology?

Alan’s talk at this year’s Smart Grids and Cleanpower Conference on 14 June at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, will describe how massive, unsubsidised growth in solar installations has occurred in Spain and now in Holland as this phenomenon moves northwards to the UK. He will discuss what happens when you reach and surpass grid parity, solar markets.

Alan will attempt to describe the dynamics and timings of this process in a way that will be of interest to cleantech investors and innovators as well as other market experts and academics.

Biography - Alan South

Chief Innovation Officer, Solarcentury

Alan South is responsible for driving growth at Solarcentury through proprietary products and services. His role is to manage innovation as a portfolio, and to maintain a five-year vision and strategic roadmap. He has over 25 years experience in innovation including leadership roles at IDEO and at Cambridge Consultants.

Bookings for the Conference are available at: http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register or by calling 01223 303500 the conference hotline.

The conference homepage is at http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/cleanpower

CIR Strategy is an independent technology consultancy based in Cambridge, England. We offer strategic work, market research learning validation, service design, customer experience work, focus strategy, financial consulting, technology and engineering help in various tech sectors such as energy, environment, printing, electronics, nanotechnology, instruments & engineering, software.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Powering the unGrid! CEO Eight19 Simon Bransfield-Garth features at Smart Grids 2012 14 June

April 30th, 2012

Twenty-two per cent of the world’s population - 1.6 billion people - are unconnected to the grid and, despite governmental efforts, the number in Africa is still rising. Eight19’s Indigo pay-as-you-go solar combines mobile phone and solar technology to provide off-grid power as a service, providing clean power without the up-front cost of a traditional solar power installation.

Powering the Ungrid

This talk by Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO, Eight19, will take place in the Smart Grids stream looking at unusual applications of grid and power technology during the 4th Annual Smart Grids and Cleanpower Conference 2012 on 14 June at Cambridge University’s premier conference centre at Murrary Edwards College. CIR Strategy, organisers and specialists in service design and routes to value advice, offer this 25th Conference in their series since 2002.

You can see the lineup, themes and aims of this year’s leading CleanTech conference in Cambridge on grids and power here and you are welcome to book online.

Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO, Eight19

Simon has 25 years’ global experience building rapid growth, technology-based businesses in sectors including Semiconductor, Automotive and Mobile Phones. His career includes seven years at Symbian, the phone OS maker, where he was a member of the Leadership Team and VP Global Marketing.

Simon was founder of Myriad Solutions Ltd and was previously a Fellow at Cambridge University. He holds a BA and Ph.D in Engineering from St John’s College, Cambridge UK.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized, education, energy, environment, financial, high value manufacturing, investment, solar, strategy, technology | No Comments »

Clean Energy: at What Price? Professor John Miles keynotes Cleanpower 2012 14 June

April 26th, 2012

An analytical keynote talk by Professor John Miles of the Engineering Department at Cambridge University in the opening session of the Cleanpower Conference on 14 June at Murray Edwards College, will look at the possibilities for generating clean energy in the UK in pursuit of the Government 2050 goals. In particular, the cost of supplying energy from these sources will be commented on and some possible practical routes forward explored.

Professor John Miles, Director ARUP & Cambridge University Engineering

 

John Miles has been a Group Board director at Arup, the global consultancy, for 17 years and has been responsible for a number of high profile projects and developments over that time. John has very wide experience in the fields of energy and resources, and has particular expertise in the areas of energy strategy and low-carbon transport systems. As a senior member of the firm, John has been a media spokesman on subjects ranging from Peak Oil to Intelligent Mobility, and has actively contributed to the debate on carbon reduction and global warming. Outside Arup, John has held a number of significant positions including a three-year term as a commissioner on the UK Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and a term as a director of the UK Housing Forum. He is currently a member of the UK Automotive Council, the UK Energy Research Partnership, and a non-executive director of the Construction Industry Research and Information Association.

To read more information, click here.

Tweet tag: #SGCP

http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/cleanpower/
http://www.cir-strategy.com/events/register (Book now!)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in EfW, Shale, Uncategorized, biomass, education, energy, environment, financial, fracking, investment, oil & gas, solar, strategy, technology, wave, wind | No Comments »

Lord Oxburgh keynotes on ‘Shale Gas – Curse or Boon?’ at Cleanpower Conference 14 June

April 26th, 2012

www.cir-strategy.com/events/cleanpower

www.cir-strategy.com/events/register Book now!

Ron Oxburgh

Shale gas is natural gas that, unlike conventional gas, never escaped from the source rock within which it was formed because the source was too impermeable. Modern technology has allowed this gas to be exploited by a combination of detailed sub-surface imaging, precisely controlled directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing. The application of these technologies is still in its infancy and some unfortunate and weakly regulated attempts to exploit shale gas have been made without making proper use of them resulting in some highly undesirable environmental consequences that include unintended gas seepages and pollution of ground water.  This has led to some strong local resistance to new shale gas exploration.

The world’s shale gas resources are probably very large but detailed exploration has yet to be done in many places. However, shale gas has more than doubled US gas reserves. China appears to have even larger reserves. In countries where it occurs, however, shale gas is likely to displace coal as the preferred fuel for power generation and to that extent will reduce the carbon footprint of electricity. However the continued availability of gas may weaken efforts to find sustainable alternatives.

End of Talk Summary for Lord Oxburgh Keynote on 14 June at New Hall Cambridge University CB3 0GT.

#SGCP

Biography for Ron Oxburgh

Ron Oxburgh is an independent member of the House of Lords and is currently chairman of 2OC, Green Energy Options and the Carbon Capture and Storage Association. He was formerly President of Queens’ College Cambridge, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Rector of Imperial College and Chairman of Shell.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in EfW, Shale, Uncategorized, biomass, energy, environment, fracking, high value manufacturing, investment, oil & gas, solar, strategy, technology, wave, wind | No Comments »

A place for manufacturing

April 11th, 2012

A place for manufacturing (HVM)

“Our aim is to independently arrange a discussion of high value manufacturing (HVM) for delegates: analytical but clear and practical”

So stated the brochure for the intrepid, inaugural HVM Conference in 2002, ten years ago. The event saw an array of CEOs of Cambridge elite technology companies and senior government. This year’s anniversary heralds an “all-keynote” festival of talks on the future of HVM over two days.

A report ‘HVM in the East of England’ commissioned to CIR by EEIA Q2 2002, with definition and findings was published at that first conference. An 125 year old patent attorney firm has confirmed that CIR coined the phrase and definition through searches prior to 2002. Later, in 2005, the IfM produced a report on HVM, directly government supported, which yielded a refined definition of HVM including the social element of high quality, interesting, modern employment, to add to higher-than-average intellectual property, reinvestment of profits into R&D NPD from being fast-to-market, and cleaner operations, across deep technology sectors. HVM went beyond great technology. But shifting markets were predicted.

Lord Sainsbury, as Minister for Science & Innovation, now Chancellor elect of Cambridge University, said at the HVM Conference in 2002 that: “The DTI and I think that there are huge opportunities for manufacturing in the UK. They will come in different areas from those in the past: new areas of high value manufacturing.”

Professor Sir Mike Gregory CBE, who chaired and summarized that inaugural conference, and half a dozen further HVM conferences as Head of the IfM, said in 2002: “HVM is clean, networked, exciting. If you can make something others can’t make, and take it to market swiftly, then you can be very successful.”

These statements hold today. Both these highly-respected leaders will attend the 2012 HVM Conference, the latter as Chairman, as will the TSB HVM leader and a roster of keynote HVM speakers from Cambridge, the East and the UK.

It promises to be a place for manufacturing, a day of mature and balanced up-to-date perspectives and high-level elbow-rubbing. You can attend this year’s 10th Anniversary High Value Manufacturing 2012 Conference on 14-15 November 2012 10am-530pm at Murray Edwards College, CB3 0DR

Web: www.cir-strategy.com/events/

Tel 01223 303500

Email: hvm2012@cir-stategy.com

Text: Simply text “HVM2012 N delegates” to 07720047402 and we’ll follow up the booking for you.

 

Posted in financial, high value manufacturing, strategy, technology | No Comments »

Conference in Cambridge sponsored by ARM offers unique look at the gamut of grids, metering and power innovations

April 11th, 2012

Smart Grids & Cleanpower 2012

Conference Cambridge sponsored by ARM offers unique look at the gamut of grids, metering and power innovations 

Moving to smart infrastructure requires modernization. There is pressure. This calls for innovation. As renewable input increases, so variability increases. Will embedded, incumbent technologies remain in place through subsidies and regulatory lock-ins? Will interventions result in more lobbying and less market-based-learning about private sector customers? As we remove the need for intrusion into millions of houses to read meters, and deliver more services, so we should meet difficulties around security of data and system. Therein lie many opportunities for entrepreneurs. VCs seeking risk will be assessing these opportunities in clean technology carefully, looking keenly at how policy-making evolves around grants for innovation and R&D, market reform and (de)-regulation, standards, and targets. New products, processes, markets and ancillary services are likely to be created.

 

Future trends and opportunities often emerge unpredictably from the wider range of technologies being developed. This conference (#SGCP) will stage an innovation pitching competition from sector startups/SMEs, not restricted to the core “metering rollout” in which prizes are offered by sponsors.

 

Lord Oxburgh will talk in the Cleanpower stream about large, often controversial lower carbon opportunities in the context of an unreliable new-nuclear sector in the UK and implications. Dr Bernie Bulkin, Chair, ORED, DECC will talk about technologies to meet targets, what this means for government strategy.

Professor Ross Anderson of the famed Computer Lab at Cambridge will challenge the smart-meter-rollout plan alongside leading technology providers for rollout and government, in what promises to be an exciting opening session, in the smart grids stream. EON will talk about the growing need for non-energy-generating services of power plants, a source of opportunity for many entrepreneurs. UK Power Networks discuss projects around connecting wind energy to the grid and about network integration in a session focusing on regulation and distribution policy with Ofgem.

Among applications of investible power and grid technology being showcased, the CEO of Eight19, the award-winning offgrid solar company operating in Africa and soon in India, will talk about “powering the unGrid”.

Example Confirmed Speakers/Panellists

  • Lord Oxburgh, Ron Oxburgh, eminent expert on energy
  • Dr Bernie Bulkin DECC - Chair, Office Renewable Energy Deployment
  • Robert Hull, Director, OfGem - E-Serve, Co-ordinating Offshore Wind Rollout
  • Dora Guzeleva, Head of Networks Policy, OfGem, Smarter Grids: Distribution
  • Richard Smith, National Grid, Future development of the UK’s energy networks
  • Cristiano Marantes, UK Power Networks, Projects connecting wind to grid
  • EON New Build and Technology, Greg Payne, Additional Services Opportunities in Power
  • ARM Holdings plc, the Global Chip Design Leader
  • Siemens - Infrastructure & Cities
  • Schneider Electric - Metering & Grid Products
  • Jeremy Nicholson, Senior Advisor, Energy Intensive Users Group, EEF, Chairman of Cleanpower
  • Christine McGourty, Director, Energy UK, Moderator
  • Dr Sarah Darby, Lecturer, Oxford University - Smart Meters & Consumers
  • Prof Ross Anderson, Cambridge University, Computer Lab, Smart Meters: Challenges of System Security
  • Prof John Miles, Cambridge University, Engineering Dept, Clean Energy: At What Price?
  • Keith Dickerson, Committee Member, International Telecoms Union, Standards: Where are we headed?
  • Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO, Eight19, Powering the unGrid!
  • Peter Sharratt, Head of Sustainability Services, Deloitte
  • Alan South, Commercial Director, Solar Century, Solar sector trends, FiTs, RHI et al
  • Laing O’Rourke, Lessons Learned for Grids from Aerospace & Defence Technology Deployment

 

6 USPs of the Smart Grids & Cleanpower Conference

1) The only one-day, two stream conference in Europe to cover wider aspects of grid, power, metering technology strategy for emergent future trends (looking at the 80-tail not just the 20-core!)

2) 4 years of assembling the thought leaders, strategists, academics and innovators in the business

3) Refresh and build all your relationships and learning in a single day out of the office

4) Dedicated innovation pitching competition

5) High proportion of delegates are at director level

6) Pricing to suit all key categories of valued delegate for excellent networking

You can attend this year’s 4th Smart Grids & Cleanpower 2012 Conference on 14 June 10am-530pm at Murray Edwards College, CB3 ODR

Web home: www.cir-strategy.com/events/cleanpower

Tel 01223 303500

Email: grids@cir-stategy.com

Text: Just send “SGCP N delegates” to 07720047402 and we’ll follow up the booking for you.

Online Booking: www.cir-strategy.com/events/register

Posted in EfW, Shale, biomass, energy, environment, financial, fracking, high value manufacturing, investment, oil & gas, software, solar, strategy, technology, wave, wind | No Comments »

Top 10 Actions for Marketing Sponsorship

April 11th, 2012

0. Sort out a budget, which you have some flexibility on

1. Prioritize events to sponsor from a researched list - do you want a massive trade show or time to develop relationships? Optimal full day conferences for relationship development range from 60 - 140 people. Simply finding people on the list when the list is over 200, can be tough (unless you chat with registration early on and locate a colleague with them).

2. Sponsor early, pay early - the organisers will be clearer what the event budget is, and they market you cumulatively over time to good effect.

3. If not near the priority list, say “no” clearly and early to sponsorship teams on the organiser’s side - it’ll save you and them time.

4. Send the event organiser your logos, bios, synopses, materials, press releases early - there’s more chance they will get used, and in a better position and size, and be seen by more people.

5. Take up your included delegates - if not, why not invite potential customers or partners? Send names early. If it is hard to contact included delegates yourselves, why not ask the organisers to do so on your behalf?

6. Take up that stand! If you are offered a stand position, this can be a great way of improving credibility, leading people from a speaking slot back to talk with your colleague at the stand, and indeed to enable that person to have a series of good business leading conversation. Agusta Helicopters recently took over half a billion dollars worth of orders at a 2012 show! Imagine the cost of not having had a presence that day!

7. Make sure the organisers are mentioning you on e-shots and any business social network pages for the event - this gives viral reach, especially if you are launching a product or have interesting news.

8. Measure the event: choose your measures - what would make the conference attractive? Write these down and see what happened. Some of this will be qualitative, but you can still judge that too!

9. Influence! Actually tell the organisers what you want in the programme and what kinds of people you want to see there. They can actually target if you tell them early enough. This can also improve the coherence of the programme, and increase your influence. You are missing out if you’ve paid for a high level sponsorship that includes this and you don’t take it up, and on the other hand, you may have gone for lower level sponsorship and still be able to influence the programme and delegate list.

10. Iterate: sometimes you won’t get business directly out of the first event. You may want to invest in a series of events in order to measure value properly. One long running experienced marketing sponsor once said: “If I’m still talking to 2-3 potential customers I met at the conference 6 months later, then it was worthehile”. This is more realistic for most businesses than “I expect to make a return of 100 times the sponsorship fee within 6 months”. Although, for some, that is possible - it depends what your business is!

Upcoming conferences:

#SGCP 14 June 2012 4th Smart Grids & Cleanpower 2012 Conference Cambridge

#HVM2012 14-15 November 2012 10th Anniversary High Value Manufacturing Conference 2012 Cambridge

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized, energy, environment, investment, strategy, technology | No Comments »

« Older Entries