Malvern Festival of Innovation heads to the cloud
The highly regarded Malvern Festival of Innovation reinvented itself in a virtual world. Launched on Thursday, 3 October evening at the Wyche Innovation Centre high on the Malvern Hills, the Malvern Festival of Innovation is now ‘in the cloud’ to provide a 24/7 presence accessible from around the world.
Working with V-Ex in Worcester, a virtual event hub has been created with a foyer, exhibition hall and auditorium, located on a cartoon sketch of Great Malvern to provide visitors with an appreciation of the unique setting of the town and its environs.
Within the hub, visitors can explore the first hall of exhibition stands and watch content in the auditorium. Live events can be streamed in the venue and, just like in the real world, when there is an intermission, attendees can go off to explore the trade stands and connect with people in their own time.
Dr Adrian Burden, the founder of the Malvern Festival of Innovation, said: “Physical events are very short-lived and require a lot of effort to stage. I thought it would be a good idea to create a persistent and scalable event in the digital world that builds on what we’ve done in the past. This will continue to showcase Malvern as a vibrant centre for innovation, STEM careers, and entrepreneurship.”
In addition, visitors can call into the virtual reception of the Malvern Hills Science Park to find out more about the facility and its resident businesses. A name board provides direct links to those exhibiting at the virtual festival, one being local software and verification system provider D-RisQ who have been firm supporters of the physical festival over the years.
Paul Walker MBE, Chair of Worcestershire LEP which has also sponsored the initiative, said: “Finding new ways to support and promote our local businesses is key to driving economic growth in the region. This novel approach to showcasing what Malvern’s business ecosystem has on offer is pioneering. We hope more organisations will want to be part of it and that this virtual community will flourish.”
In the future, it is planned to render more venues and facilities on the map, as well as to roll out more thematic exhibition halls, including STEM resources and careers information for students. If any business or organisation would like to get involved, please get in touch through the platform.
