Organisations across the North East are being urged to pledge their support to championing and growing the region’s burgeoning tech sector.
Over a dozen businesses across the region have signed a pledge to support the North East’s largest tech festival, TechNExt, which returns next month.
By signing the pledge, Sage, Accenture, Opencast and Leighton have all agreed for at least 10 employees – or 10% of their workforce – to attend events taking place during the week-long festival.
The festival’s organisers are now urging more businesses and organisations to pledge their support and give their employees a ‘unique opportunity to learn new skills and grow their networks’.
Bringing together over 3,000 attendees, the festival will span 16-20 June, with events held across the region to spotlight the best tech businesses and talent the North East has to offer, while encouraging further collaboration and innovation.
Last year, the event – hosted by a partnership of North East businesses and stakeholders working collaboratively and led by Dynamo North East CIC and Sunderland Software City working with BeaconHouse Events – attracted more than 3,000 people.
However, by encouraging more organisations to sign the pledge and bringing the industry together as one, the organisers are hopeful that this year’s festival could be the ‘biggest and best’ yet.
Dr David Dunn, chief executive of Dynamo North East CIC, said: “We are delighted that over a dozen organisations have already pledged their support to TechNExt.
“By singing the pledge, they are demonstrating their commitment to supporting the growth and innovation of the region’s tech ecosystem, while providing their employees with invaluable learning and development opportunities.
“It’s a fantastic event so we’d encourage any business or organisation, no matter how large or small, to sign the pledge and get involved. Together, there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t make this the best TechNExt yet.”
Tech giant Sage is returning as a headline sponsor for this year’s festival and is one of the companies to have signed the pledge.
The company said it is proud to be helping showcase the ‘vibrant tech community’ and has echoed the rallying call for others to get involved.
Nikola McNicol-Kenney, VP at Sage, said: “We’re proud to sponsor TechNExt 2025 once again, right here in the North East – our home and the heart of Sage’s global headquarters. This region has a rich heritage of innovation and a vibrant tech community and we’re excited to celebrate and support its continued growth and help showcase the incredible talent driving the future of tech.”
