News: Global Manufacturing Festival set for return

Preparations are well underway for the second Global Manufacturing Festival which will take place in Sheffield on March 21 - 22 2012.

The event is designed to highlight the importance of advanced manufacturing and engineering to the UK's economic future and the magnitude of inspiring the next generation of engineers.

The inaugural event last year registered nearly 2,000 attendees across eight major events and featured world class speakers from Boeing, Siemens, Westinghouse, EDF, the Government and many others.

Richard Wright, executive director of Sheffield Chamber, said: "The inaugural Global Manufacturing Festival was a good foundation to develop a unique event in the city which has international reach.

"Early feedback from the March 2011 festival was the need to ensure it provided a significant value added offer to businesses, sponsors and contributors, where economic return can be gained.

"We are reassessing the event format and see it becoming a trade show style gathering of the world's leaders in manufacturing, sharing best practice and ultimately securing contacts for to future partnerships, which will be key to ensuring the city region ultimately benefits."

For the 2012 festival, Sheffield Chamber has joined forces with Marketing Sheffield (the city marketing function of Sheffield City Council), The Cutlers Company and Creative Sheffield in organising a series of focused events, exhibitions, conferences and workshops, with guest speakers from the world of manufacturing, engineering, politics and education.

The organisers want the festival to become the premier national high technology, high quality and high added value manufacturing festival that sells UK manufacturing to the world.

Richard added: "UK manufacturing businesses can compete in international markets if they do the right things and focus on export led, high technology and high added value supply chains, which is critical.

"The Global Manufacturing Festival does, and will continue, to do just that. This is exactly the event for companies to attend who wish to enter export markets or grow existing ones."

Global Manufacturing Festival website

Images: globalmanufacturingfestival.com