We find that the Local Gov Strategy Forum is a good place to engage en masse with a whole range of local government officers. You can really engage in a short space of time with a very relevant cross-section of local government leaders. We find that Local Gov Strategy Forum is a very good way to develop new threads and meet new people.
Chief Marketing Officer, Content Guru
I have never been to a conference like this where there are so many senior people in the room at any one time and you have such an opportunity to network, ultimately leading to people that open the door and introduce you to other gatekeepers in the organisation.
The first hour [of speed networking] in particular was full of energy and full of buzz; it was very exciting. But ultimately, those opportunities are when you need to make the most of this opportunity. In the first few seconds, you can create a relationship that is going to last for months.
The way this has been managed is unlike anything I have seen. It has been militant in its precision and everyone has been super friendly. Everyone is helping, aiming to get the best out of the day.
This is something we will definitely be coming back to in the future and we are really grateful for the opportunity to be here.
Senior Client Partner, Net Natives
I have had conversations with CTOs, CIOs, Chief Executives… it allows talking to people that can make the decisions and obviously have the plan of what they want to get out of a vendor as well.
The business meetings have been really valuable, mainly because they have been with the kind of people that I have wanted to speak with. It has been great to get a deeper understanding of what they are looking for and understand a little bit more about their pain points and challenges. And from here, we have actually booked a lot of meetings and follow-up demonstrations, which is fantastic.
Territory Manager, Zendesk
At the last one we did in April last year we had three successful follow-ups which resulted in business. I think from this year we are actually ahead of that so far and it is still day one.
Head of Sales, hSo
This particular event is a useful forum for meeting key people in local authorities that are often very difficult to see in other means because they are very busy people and this is a great opportunity for us to engage with them. The structure of this forum is probably the best I've been to in all of my career. The opportunity to meet numerous people is given through the speed networking and of course the one-to-one meetings that we can book in advance.
Assistant Director, Civica
The calibre of delegates here is quite impressive indeed. A lot of senior directors, CEOs and precisely the types of people we are looking to have conversations with to make those enterprise-wise investments.
Other conferences I've been to - not just in the UK but across the US and Europe - are much more formulaic, whereas here it is much more about proactively integrating the delegates with the vendors.
Solutions Architect, Rocket Software
The huge majority are directors, corporate heads and CEOs. They are the senior decision makers. They hold the budget and decision-making power over what services they buy.
Head of Community, Net Natives
The speed networking has been absolutely fantastic in terms of being able to give us a very quick and brief overview of pretty much every local authority.
Consultancy Director, IPL
We find these events are very well organised, providing an excellent forum for us to meet and communicate with key individuals from across the sector. The format and structure of the events provide plenty of opportunities for interaction and discussion.
Marketing communications manager, Management Consultants, Atkins
The event was very productive for O2 UK and provided us the opportunity to inform the attendees about our latest strategic proposition, Joined up Business. The event itself was very well run and the quality of attendees was excellent.
Head of Police & Public Sector Acquisition - Telefónica UK Limited
As a first time sponsor of the Local Government Strategy Forum, we found the event to be a well organised, effective and efficient vehicle through which to meet with senior representatives of our target market. The blend of informative presentations, speed networking, one to one business meetings and the social aspects made for a relaxed environment, which facilitated easy and open discussions with potential clients.
Sales & Marketing Director, Asidua
Thank you for an excellently run event. Your attention to detail made it a very interesting and hopefully a worthwhile event for us - a really professionally run event.
Chief Executive, Cora systems
Very professional & organised staff. It was one of the best organised events I have attended. Business meetings were good.
Managing Director, Twice2much
Excellent event - was our first time. Business meetings very good.
Head of Sales & Marketing, Allpay Ltd
The event was extremely productive for us and gave a real opportunity to discuss current issues and important topics with relevant leaders. One of the best organised events I have attended.
Managing Director, Local Government, Steria