Why the South West can be the creative technology destination of choice

As part of #BristolTechFest I was back on the train to join a workshop and panel discussion around the South West’s status as a creative technology destination for all kinds of businesses, startups, scaleups, techies and innovators.

An underlying question that anchored a lot of the discussion was simple:

If the hugely successful and influential showcase held annually in Austin, Texas for technology and science, SXSW, was coming to the UK in 2025, why wasn’t it coming to the South West?  

Workshopping

First activity of the day (after pastries, obviously) was an interactive workshop led by @aerstudios using some neat discovery techniques (I hadn’t come across What 3 Words in this context before, or a Beetle exercise) teasing out some of the things that would make the South West the perfect venue for a technology showcase festival, and some that wouldn’t.

This fed neatly into the afternoon panel session in the unusual venue of one of Bristol’s iconic nightclubs, Motion, where the discussion covered opportunities, blockers to growth of the South West tech sector and what a vision for the future would look like, brilliantly hosted by Tom Harber.

Start with why

A couple of take-outs that I think are important and first up I’m going to steal someone else’s phrase – Start with Why.

Naturally there will always be a strong feeling of allegiance to one’s location particularly as the South West, and notably Bristol, has historically been a hub for technology and innovation.

There’s certainly a sense that many of the business leaders who have based themselves in the area have the mindset of caring deeply about creating a place for great people to do great work, have a fantastic lifestyle and not be totally focused on money and growth which is admirable. However attracting the sort of investment that’s needed to start or scale fast needs a materially more commercial mindset with investors looking for double-digit multiples.

I found myself wondering if the only answer to the question “why is the South West the go-to destination for creative technology” is, “because we want it to be”. If that’s the case, then we need to create something more compelling. Here's why.

Buying professional services

Over the past decade I have commissioned millions of pounds worth of work from agencies and partners, many of whom have a presence in Bristol. And although my preference is very much to use small, agile on-shore or near-shore teams, I can’t honestly say that the specific location of those teams has been a priority.

So businesses large and small need to be able to explain why their Bristol teams are something that those appointing partners should be seeking out.

Bristol vs The South West

Secondly, I wonder if “the South West” is too broad to attach a really clear vision and goal to. Bristol is known for having a collaborative mindset and we talked a lot about the value of communities of rebels and co-creation. It felt as though the right answer was that we should really be talking about Bristol, but no-one wants to upset the rest of the region.

Collaborating and co-creating is great, but it often leads to a lack of consensus and an absence of progress. As one panellist put it, everyone can have an opinion but someone has to pick a direction and lead towards it. I think there’s a risk that a desire to please everyone will end up pleasing no-one.

Taking things forward

I’ll conclude with three things that need to happen if Bristol is to cement its position as the creative technology destination of choice.

1. The “why” needs to be really clear and compelling to attract work, investment and funding

2. The “where” needs to be agreed and if that means Bristol takes the lead in its own right, that’s better than the wider region failing to get anywhere

3. A figurehead is needed to set that vision and mobilise the huge amount of good will that exists

The room was full of passionate, energetic and enthusiastic advocates of creative technology in the area. I think that by nailing those basic enablers, that energy can be harnessed to achieve the goal.