Let’s cut to the chase: we had an absolute blast planning and delivering #WXGSIX. Inspirational speakers, moving talks and a great crowd (that’s you).
But like all good things, it must come to an end. For a couple of months at least. It’s not long after one WXG that it’s time to start thinking about the next. Now in its seventh year, we knew we wanted to shake up the format and try something new.
Technology… for good
It’s safe to say that WXG is a tech conference, and we could talk about AI, VR, blockchain, algorithmic algorithms and cool things with lasers until the cows come home. But this year we decided to take a step back and ask ourselves one simple question.
Are we using technology for good?
This introspective look into the why rather than the how gave us a recharged vigour to find speakers from some exciting walks of life. And that’s exactly how we plan WXG; we decide what we want and then we look for the right people to fit that bill.
WXG 7 will question the use of tech in everyday life, explore the ethics of tech in agency life, and reveal how tech can be used to improve life.
As we all strive to do the best work we can, whether you’re an individual, a business owner, an entrepreneur or a student, it really pays to step back and ask yourself, “Am I making a difference?”
Home is where the heart is
With this reflective mindset, we wanted to give WXG 7 a more homegrown, local vibe. After all, we are proud of our Guildford roots and the local community, and have little desire for WXG to become a London conference.
For that reason, we looked at the town’s historic Electricity Works as a venue, better known as The Electric Theatre. So in partnership with Guildford Borough Council, WXG 7 will feel more like a festival amongst friends than a big, corporate day out. We’ll welcome local business to feed us via their fantastic food trucks, and we’ll also be bringing in local breweries to quench our thirst.
Keeping it sustainable
All of the above would fall a bit flat if we ladened you with flyers, coffee cups and plastic straws. So, thinking about our impact on the environment around us, every supplier that we work with for WXG 7 will be making efforts to provide their services with sustainability in mind, and we’ll be doing the same; only producing the collateral that we really truly need to run a conference.
We’re not going to tell you how to live your lives, but maybe on WXG day, you can do the same too. The Electric Theatre is just a short walk from the station and Guildford now sports not one but four excellent electric Park and Ride services from out-of-town car parks.
Howdy, partner
We’re proud to partner with Wirehive once again. This is our third year working together, and whilst our offerings are different, our ethics, goals and attitudes are perfectly aligned. Kyan build the products and platforms to solve your business problems and Wirehive help create the incredible infrastructure to allow people like us and our clients to do so.
So what’s next? Well, you can keep up with speaker announcements on Twitter or Instagram, and if you’d like to see who we’ve announced so far, then check out the ever-changing wxg.co.uk
Also keep your eyes peeled for our Speaking for Good blog series, which will give you a little insight into our speakers and what rocks their world.
From everyone at Team WXG, Kyan and Wirehive, we look forward to seeing you at #WXG7 on 23rd May.
