We caught up with Jonathon Cadden, the Founder and Managing Director of Business Rocks – a new technology and media festival about to hit Manchester. He spoke to us about his goals and the challenges he’s facing curating what he hopes will one day be one of the biggest TechMedia festivals in the world.

Tell us about Business Rocks

Business Rocks is a cutting edge TechMedia festival, designed to bring global technology leaders to Manchester and put it on the map as a major investment destination.

Our mission is to change the face of the digital landscape in Manchester forever, giving the city an iconic, annual festival that can be the pride of the region, pushing the boundaries of what is possible to achieve at an event.

How big is Business Rocks going to be?

The launch in 2015 is 220 people.

How do you hope it will grow over the years?

In 2016 we want to increase the event to 10,400 delegates over two days with 300 exhibitors, two stages, demo zones, hackathons, live DJ sets and acoustic performances. What we’re aiming to do is emulate the success of Dublin’s Web Summit and South by Southwest in Texas – but this may take some time.

How much awareness will it raise?

We want to create global awareness to raise Manchester’s international profile as a top European investment and startup destination. If a founder or investor gets off a plane from China or Silicon Valley and they attend Business Rocks they will learn everything they need to start, grow, fund and exit a business under one roof.

Why did you choose Manchester?

All the directors are from Manchester, have worked all their life in the tech, digital, media industry and are VERY passionate about the region. We love Manchester!

What are your biggest challenges in putting this event together?

Our biggest challenges have been creating a brand and raising awareness in the TechMedia community over the last 12 months. It has been an awesome journey and we now have great names backing us – like UKFast, Google, NatWest, UBER, KPMG and Adobe. We already have a great deal of interest for the 2016 event.

What do you want to achieve?

Three things:
1. We want to give every person that attends the event a unique, engaging and positive experience.

2. We want to create an iconic global TechMedia festival that is the pride of Manchester.

3. Ensure Manchester becomes a top 5 European startup destination! #MCRTop5

How can Eventbrite help you achieve those goals?

Eventbrite has offered us an awesome solution/partnership to the ticket sales and aftercare for our event. The platform is amazing and the support is fantastic! This has saved us time and money and helped raise awareness.

Where can people find out more about Business Rocks? 

Website: Business Rocks
Twitter: @businessrocksuk
Tickets here.

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