About the conference
VICTORIA BATHS, ManchesteR
8:30am - 5pm & Evening Social

Orlando
Machado
Former Chief Data Officer
LEGO Group & Empiriq board member

Ron
Thompson
Former Government Executive
& Chief Data Officer, NASA & Empiriq board member
INTRODUCING OUR HEADLINE SPEAKERS
We are over the moon to announce our headline speakers for MTF 2025! Ron Thompson Ex CDO NASA will be flying over from Washington D.C for a live Q&A! Plus Orlando Machado the former CDO of The LEGO Group will be joining us for his own live Q&A before joining Ron Thompson on a panel to discuss their experience of adapting to change and the future of AI.
What to expect
Our Core conference is designed to cater for everyone in the community and includes:
Discover our Main stage, built around what is currently urgent, topical and developing in the tech space. This can range from more socially conscious discussions to the more granular, techie topics. This year we are delighted to bring to our main stage two Keynote Speakers (to be announced!). Across the two days our main stage will feature 2 keynote talks with live Q&A, 10 tech talks and 2 panel discussions.
Step into our Tech Expo, where over 15 forward-thinking tech companies are ready to connect, inspire, and collaborate. Whether you’re looking to kickstart your career in tech or scale up your business, the Expo is your go-to space to meet the people and products shaping the future. With breakout areas designed for deeper conversations and plenty of time built into the agenda to explore, the Expo Hall is more than just a showcase — it’s a hub of opportunity, innovation, and connection.he festival to browse the expo!
Discover the future of technology at our Tech and Innovation Showcase, where 15 pioneering companies come together to demonstrate how their innovations are transforming lives. From revolutionising education with immersive learning platforms to advancing healthcare through AI-driven diagnostics and wearable tech, this showcase puts life-changing technology front and centre
Inclusivity is at the heart of Manchester Tech Festival and we work hard to ensure all of our spaces throughout the festival work for everyone. That’s why we have a number of calm zones and mental health spaces giving you the opportunity to retreat and reboot in a calm, quit space away from the hustle and bustle of the festival.
Introducing our Charity Workshop Room – a unique space where purpose meets practicality. Here, you’ll have the chance to take part in ten-minute speed networking sessions with a range of inspiring charities, each ready to share how you can make a meaningful impact through your business. Whether it’s supporting local communities, championing sustainability, or driving social change, you’ll discover simple, effective ways to embed charitable partnerships into your work – with minimal effort and maximum impact.nd real insights take centre stage.
New for 2025! The MTF event app is a virtual environment which puts you in the centre of the festival! Log on, explore sessions and choose your own agenda. Plus! Interact with other guests, access pre-conference content, pose questions to our speakers and more! The best part? You get access to the app for upto 6 months after the festival where all of our talks will be posted so you don’t need to worry about missing a thing!
SPEAKERS
Discover this years speaker bio’s by clicking the images below!

Orlando Machado
Former Chief Data Officer
LEGO Group &
Empiriq board member

Ron Thompson
Former Government Executive
& Chief Data Officer,
NASA & Empiriq board member

Elena Korenko
Head of Language Development & Intercultural Communication
Godel Technologies Europe

Matt Squire
CTO
Fuzzy Labs

Clare Sudbery
Technical & Leadership Coach
Sudbery Software Engineering Ltd

Mark West
Assistant director - innovation
Roke

Adam Flemming
Chief Innovation Officer
Apadmi

Rob Scott
Producer &
Immersive Technologist

Mark West
Assistant director - innovation
Roke
Purchase your pass
Tickets for our Core Conference are £36 each and include admission to the day conference at Victoria Baths and the evening social. Ticket prices also include access to the MTF event app for 2 months prior to the festival and 6 months after.
What's On
Ron Thompson
Ex-CDO
NASA
SESSION OVERVIEW:
Mark West
Assistant director – innovation
Roke
SESSION OVERVIEW:
Elena Korenko
Head of Language Development and Intercultural Communication
Godel Technologies Europe
SESSION OVERVIEW:
ERob Scott
Producer and Immersive Technologist
SESSION OVERVIEW:
What happens when your AI sees through your eyes and whispers in your ear? This isn’t a line from science fiction; it’s the near-future we’re about to be designing.
We are at the confluence of two transformative technologies: Augmented Reality (AR), which overlays our world with digital information, and hyper-personal AI. When these two converge, our relationship with technology will fundamentally change, giving us a constant collaborator that guides our work, enhances our creativity, and reshapes our lives.
This workshop, led by a former BBC R&D Producer and leader of the VR Manchester Community, moves beyond the basics of XR to tackle the profound questions and creative opportunities of this new paradigm. It’s a 90-minute session for developers, students, and tech leaders who want to actively speculate on the next paradigm of computing.
First, we’ll set the scene with a rapid-fire overview of AR and the current trajectory of personal AI. We’ll explore the immense potential of a true human-machine partnership, but also touch upon the critical ethical and user experience challenges it presents.
Then, you’ll prototype this future. In your groups, you will tackle a provocative design challenge: Build a low-fi prototype of a service powered by an ever-present, all-seeing AI assistant. Using simple materials, you will physically mock up an AR interface for this service. Your task is not just to show how it would work, but to imagine one brilliant, world-changing use case and one “wacky” or genuinely worrying unintended consequence.
This is a hands-on exercise in speculative design, pushing you to think critically and creatively about the products and services you might one day build. We’ll wrap up with quick-fire demos from each group, showcasing your ingenious and cautionary visions of our AI-powered future.
You will leave with more understanding of the AR and AI horizon, practical experience in thinking through the UX of complex future tech, and hopefully a funny story about the time you designed something truly thought provoking in less than an hour.
Orlando Machado
Ex-CDO
The LEGO Group
SESSION OVERVIEW:
Clare Sudbery
Technical and leadership coach
Sudbery Software Engineering Ltd
SESSION OVERVIEW:
How technical do technical leaders have to be? Are you worried that you’re too hands-on, or not hands-on enough? Are you exhausting yourself trying to keep up with every technical detail in your domain?
Sometimes individual contributors are promoted to leadership positions and worry that they won’t be as hands-on as they used to be. Sometimes they worry that they no longer have time to stay up to date with modern technology and / or the state of their team’s code base(s). Sometimes it’s the other way around: Somebody who has never been hands-on in the technical realm is given a leadership position, and worries they’re “not technical enough”.
Whatever your position, this workshop will help you to overcome your worries and figure out the best attitude and approach for you and your circumstances.
TAKEAWAYS:
• How to embrace the difference between individual contributor and technical leader
• How to take a step back from “knowing all the things”
• How to make the most of the knowledge and experience of your team
• How to identify when technical knowledge matters, and when it doesn’t
• How to identify the things you need to know
AFTER PARTY
Our evening socials offer the perfect setting to forge new connections, exchange insights, and build valuable relationships within the tech community. With a vibrant atmosphere, delicious refreshments, and opportunities to engage with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and like-minded enthusiasts, this evening social is the ideal platform to relax, unwind, and expand your professional network.
Day 1 – Mother Marys 7-9 New Wakefield St, Manchester M1 5NP
Day 2 – Abel Heywood, 38 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ
Thank you to all the organisers, I can’t wait for next year!
You understood that representation would matter, and rose to the challenge!
JOIN OR SPONSOR COMMUNITY
From an exhibition stand at our core conference to sponsorship of one of our mid-year events, MTF offers businesses of all sizes an opportunity to join together and engage with the Manchester Tech Ecosystem.
From boosting brand awareness to securing your next big hire, our sponsorship packages offer a year of benefits designed to hit your business goals, regardless of your priorities!
Enquiry today or explore the different opportunities for MTF 2026
OUR EXHIBITORS



