Merged Futures 8 - Digital Northants' 8th annual innovation showcase
Schedule
Fri Jun 26 2026 at 10:00 am to 04:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Learning Hub, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton | Northampton, EN
About this Event
Our 8th annual tech innovation showcase takes place in the Learning Hub at the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus.
You can check out the full timetable below, which also includes a range of exhibition stands where you can try out tech and talk to suppliers.
At 12:45, a fantastic free buffet lunch will be served and you can join us at 15:30 after the event in the Waterside Bar for pizza.
Timetable
Main space
10:00 - 10:10
Welcome - Alexandra Vujcich (Director of IT, University of Northampton)
10:10 - 10:45
Keynote: Reimagine Education - Steph Lee-Vae (Curriculum Manager for the School of Arts, Northampton College)
15:15 - 15:30
The Future of Work: From Assistant to Operator - Eric Bye (Erictron AI)
Room 1: Local Stories
11:00 - 11:45
Same Tool, Different Contexts: What Copilot Taught Us About Change in Higher and Further Education - Valentina Meninno (Northampton College), Rob Howe and Karl Downing (University of Northampton)
12:00 - 12:45
Supporting Life through Art and Technology - James Steventon (Fermynwoods Contemporary Art)
13:30 - 14:15
Solving Agriculture’s Labour Challenges Through Applied Robotics - Terence Goad (Dynium)
14:30 - 15:15
All the bots and some ideas. West Northants' first foray into bleeding edge technology - Kiri Crequer and Diana Silva (West Northamptonshire Council)
Room 2: Health
11:00 - 11:45
Plan, Personalise, Prevent: Northamptonshire is using your Health and Care Shared Data for Smarter, Proactive Care - Matthew Hutton (Integrated Care Northamptonshire)
12:00 - 12:45
WaveVR: An Immersive Virtual Reality Experience for Emotional Wellbeing - Dr Mu Mu (University of Northampton)
13:30 - 14:15
Immersive Empathy: Virtual Reality supporting Trauma-Informed Fostering - Rob Fuller (Northamptonshire Children's Trust)
14:30 - 15:15
A Generative‑AI Self‑Assessment Tool for Therapy Services - Pedro Santos (North Northamptonshire Council) and Henry Stratford (Beam)
Room 3: Education
11:00 - 11:45
The Power of Collaborative Immersive Spaces - Mike Smith and Nick Budden (Northampton College)
12:00 - 12:45
Unlocking the Dark Arts of AI in Education - Ray Meadham (Northampton International Academy)
13:30 - 14:15
From Vision to Practice: Scaling Active Digital Education through Real World Case Studies - Rob Howe, Helen Caldwell and Emma Whewell (University of Northampton)
14:30 - 15:15
No‑Code, High Impact: Creating Interactive Learning Experiences - Jacqui Hughes (Moulton College)
Room 4: NN1 Dev Club
11:00 - 11:45
From Task to Invention: A Hands-on Sprint to Find New Value in AI - Eric Bye (Erictron AI)
12:00 - 12:45
What a Load of Crap: The Complex Tech Behind Collecting Your Bins and Clearing Up Your Mess - Kevin White (West Northamptonshire Council)
13:30 - 14:15
AI Full Stack Speedrun - Roger Hughes (Sign In Solutions)
14:30 - 15:15
Product Management is Not a Secret Society: A Jargon-Free Guide to Thinking Like a PM - Kiran Patel
Room 5: Digital Marketing
11.00 - 11.45
From Socials to Scrums: Marketing that made the Women’s Rugby World Cup - Holly Skelton (West Northamptonshire Council)
12.00 - 12.45
SEO IS Dead, Long Live SEO - Nikki Pilkington
13:30 - 14:15
Built for the Future: Digital Marketing Through the Degree Apprenticeship Lens - Evie Scarborough and Tamzin Bedford
14:30 - 15:15
Marketing as a Growth Engine: Building Momentum and Impact - Kardi Somerfield (University of Northampton)
Exhibitors
- dbfb Telecomms
- Dell
- Dystopia Games and Lotus Flower Games
- Elsby & Co
- Explorable Games
- Fuse Collaboration AI and Cloud
- Giant Journeys
- Kaltura AI Video Solutions
- Magic Notes and West Northamptonshire Council Digital Service
- MBD Limited
- Microsoft
- South Midlands Growth Hub
- Spokes Education
- S-SA Digital
- Streamline Labs
- Toru Digital
- University of Northampton Degree Apprenticeships
- University of Northampton Digital Marketing
- University of Northampton Esports
- University of Northampton Fuelling Innovation
- University of Northampton Games Design
- University of Northampton Media and Culture
- University of Northampton Robotics Stand
- University of Northampton Virtual Reality Experience for Emotional Wellbeing
Where is it happening?
Learning Hub, Waterside Campus, University of Northampton, University Drive, Northampton, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
