Host a Fringe Event

8:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Exclusive Leadership Event

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The REP Theatre, 6 Centenary Sq, Birmingham B1 2EP

The Leadership Breakfast is Birmingham Tech Week’s flagship strategic convening for senior leaders navigating AI, economic transformation and the future competitiveness of the West Midlands.

Bringing together C-suite executives, founders, investors, policymakers and enterprise leaders, the event will explore how organisations are responding to rapid technological change, shifting global markets and the increasing importance of regional innovation capability.

The programme will focus on practical leadership challenges surrounding AI adoption, industrial transformation, investment, talent, infrastructure and long-term growth, with particular emphasis on the West Midlands’ strengths across advanced manufacturing, mobility, clean energy and applied innovation.

Please note: This is an invite-only event!

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06:00 PM – 09:00 PM

Opening Tech Social

Sponsored by

LOCATION: BOX, 1-2 The Waters Edge Brindley Pl, Birmingham B1 2HL

Be the heartbeat of Birmingham Tech Week by sponsoring the Opening Event—an event of celebration and networking. Open to all attendees, this event unites the diverse tech sector, providing a unique opportunity for your brand to mingle with industry leaders, tech professionals, and enthusiasts in a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere.
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8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

FairTech Day

Sponsored by

LOCATION: Eastside Rooms, Woodcock St, Birmingham B7 4BL

FairTech Day explores how emerging technologies can reduce/ deepen inequality across society, education, work and public services.

The event brings together community organisations, educators, accessibility advocates, policymakers and technology leaders to examine how inclusion (gender, ethnic, neurodiverse plus social mobility, LGBTIQ+) can be embedded into the design, deployment and governance of technology.

The programme will focus on inclusive AI, accessibility, digital exclusion, ethical innovation and practical approaches to ensuring technological progress creates meaningful social impact across communities.

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9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

CyberVerse

Sponsored by

LOCATION: Eastside Rooms, Woodcock St, Birmingham B7 4BL

As threats evolve at machine speed, organisations are being forced to rethink resilience, trust and security leadership.

Cyberverse explores what cyber resilience, digital trust and security leadership look like in an increasingly AI-powered and geopolitically complex world.

Bringing together cyber professionals, enterprise leaders, researchers and public sector organisations, the event focuses on the rapidly evolving threat landscape facing businesses, infrastructure and society.

Topics will include AI-enabled threats, cyber resilience, post-quantum security, critical infrastructure protection, digital sovereignty and the growing intersection between cybersecurity, emerging technologies and global risk.

Designed for both technical and strategic audiences, Cyberverse aims to bridge operational expertise with leadership-level decision-making.

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10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

AI Symposium

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The ICC, 8 Centenary Sq, Birmingham, B1 2EA

The AI Symposium explores how organisations are moving from AI experimentation to real-world deployment.

Positioning the West Midlands as a leading region for AI adoption, the event brings together enterprise leaders, founders, policymakers, technologists and innovators to examine how AI is being implemented across business, manufacturing, health, professional services, creative industries and the public sector.

Inspired by Birmingham Tech Week’s 2026 theme, FAST FORWARD, the symposium explores what happens when organisations are forced to adapt faster than traditional systems, workflows and leadership models were designed for.

Rather than focusing on AI hype or infrastructure alone, the programme concentrates on the practical realities of adoption including workflow transformation, organisational culture, data readiness, governance, experimentation and measurable operational value.

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10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Frontiers Festival

Sponsored by

LOCATION: ICC Birmingham, 8 Centenary Sq, Birmingham, B1 2EA

Frontiers Festival explores how emerging technologies are reshaping human experience, culture and society in an age of rapid acceleration.

Inspired by Birmingham Tech Week’s 2026 theme, FAST FORWARD, the festival examines what happens when AI, immersive technology and digital systems begin changing faster than individuals, industries and institutions can comfortably adapt.

Blending technology, gaming, creativity, sport, media and immersive experiences, Frontiers brings together artists, technologists, researchers, founders, gamers, athletes and future thinkers to explore the cultural and emotional impact of life in an AI-powered world.

The 2026 programme will be structured around three core themes: Future Brains, Future War and Future Human, exploring questions around AI-native generations, gaming and ethics, digital identity, human performance and the evolving relationship between technology, creativity and human behaviour.

At the centre of the festival is Faster Horse, a large-scale public installation by artist Bruce Asbestos.

Launching in Centenary Square with a live performance by the CBSO, Faster Horse transforms the city centre into a shared public experience that invites audiences to imagine what comes next.

At the heart of Frontiers is a belief that the future is not just technological, it is deeply human.

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9:00 AM – 2:30 PM

Global Growth

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The Exchange Assembly Rooms, 3 Centenary Sq, Birmingham B1 2DR

As technology, geopolitics and investment landscapes evolve rapidly, the event explores how regions and organisations remain globally competitive.

Global Growth is Birmingham Tech Week’s international innovation showcase, bringing together investors, universities, founders, trade organisations, policymakers and global innovation ecosystems to explore the technologies, industries and ideas shaping the future economy.

Structured around fast-paced showcases, lightning talks and international perspectives, the event highlights the West Midlands’ strengths across areas including advanced manufacturing, mobility, health innovation, creative technology, AI, DeepTech (e.g robotics and synthetic biology) and Quantum.

Alongside international perspectives and startup innovation, the event will include focused discussions on areas such as defence, sovereign capability, future industries and international collaboration in an increasingly complex geopolitical and economic landscape.

Designed as a platform for visibility, partnership and global connection, Global Growth aims to position the West Midlands as a globally relevant region for innovation, investment and future industry leadership.

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6:30 PM – 11:00 PM

Universities, Innovation & Investment Dinner

Sponsored by

LOCATION: Grand Hotel, 1 Church St, Birmingham, B3 2FE

The Universities & Investment Dinner is an invitation-only convening bringing together investors, university leaders, corporates, founders and policymakers for strategic discussion and relationship building.

Focused on research commercialisation, innovation investment and long-term regional competitiveness, the dinner creates space for high-value conversations around collaboration, growth and future capability.

The evening will highlight the critical role universities, R&D partnerships and innovation ecosystems play in accelerating investment, supporting future industries and strengthening the West Midlands’ position as a globally connected innovation region.

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10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

ScaleUp Summit

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The Studio, 7 Cannon St, Birmingham B2 5EP

In an era of accelerated markets, AI disruption and shifting investor expectations, scaling sustainably has never been more complex.

Scale Up Summit is designed for founders and leadership teams scaling beyond startup mode.

Focused on the operational realities of growth, the summit explores the challenges businesses face as they expand teams, enter international markets, secure investment and build long-term competitive advantage.

The programme will focus on AI-enabled growth, scaling operations, leadership, investment readiness, industrial innovation, climate technology and international expansion, with practical insight from operators, investors and founders navigating high-growth journeys in real time.

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8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Engineering & Developer Conference

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The ICC, 8 Centenary Sq, Birmingham, B1 2EA

The Engineering & Developer Conference is Birmingham Tech Week’s dedicated event for software engineers, developers, architects and technical teams building real-world systems and products.

Focused on technical depth rather than high-level commentary, the conference explores modern engineering challenges including infrastructure, AI tooling, DevOps, cybersecurity, developer experience and large-scale system design.

The programme will combine technical insight, practical learning and real-world case studies from teams building production-ready systems across sectors including mobility, manufacturing, gaming, fintech and enterprise technology.

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07:00 PM – 1:00 AM

Black Tie Dinner & Tech Awards

Sponsored by

LOCATION: The ICC, 8 Centenary Sq, Birmingham B1 2EA

The Birmingham Tech Week Awards Gala is the closing celebration of the festival, recognising the organisations, founders, leaders and innovators shaping the future of the region’s technology ecosystem.

Bringing together sponsors, investors, policymakers, partners and the wider tech community, the evening celebrates achievement across areas including AI, engineering, cyber, immersive technology, innovation, scale-up growth and social impact.

The event is designed as both a celebration and a statement of ambition for the West Midlands as a globally connected region driving applied innovation, future industries and long-term economic growth.

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