Network, learn and grow with the Turing Fest
Are you a woman working, or wanting to work in Tech? Are you looking to connect with like-minded people, learn, grow, and get inspired? If yes, keep reading as we have a great networking opportunity for you! Equate Scotland is indeed thrilled to be partnering with the Turing Fest for the second year in a row and taking part in their Diversity Programme!
We have 9 free tickets to give away. To enter the ticket raffle, you must be a woman or non-binary person working in a tech role, on a career break from a tech role, or looking to return to a tech role. The raffle will close on Friday May 26 and winners will be contacted via email on May 29. Link to enter is at the end of this article.
To learn more about this year’s Turing Fest, we spoke to Fraser Edwards, Marketing Manager, to share the latest updates about the 2023 edition and what you need to know if you are thinking of attending the event (28 and 29 of June).
Can you introduce the Turing Fest?
The Turing Fest is an event in Edinburgh that brings together all the people that are building and growing a tech product, but it also brings tech companies and their teams together for two days of in-person learning and connection. The event has been here since 2016 and covers three main tracks: BUILD, GROW, and LEAD. The first one – BUILD – is probably the track that is the most relevant to your audience as it covers everything related to building products, engineering, data, etc. It will be particularly relevant to software engineers, product managers, designers, and data scientists. The track “GROW” covers areas related to marketing and customer success. It is all about getting your brand in front of your customers. The track “LEAD” focuses on people and is designed to help founders, investors, and managers best shape their organisations for success, looking at their teams and the culture of their organisation.
What makes Turing Fest unique?
The fact that there is something for the whole team! It is also worth pointing out that the event is not huge in terms of size – we are looking to welcome around 1,000 people this year – which means that participants will be able to bump into the same people several times and have in-depth conversations. The idea is not to make a list of people you need to follow up with after the event but, instead, to be able to build meaningful relationships at the event. And that is also why we have allocated time for social events and networking.
What type of speaker line-up are you trying to have at the event?
A very diverse line-up! We have speakers from all over the world – from America to Europe. We work hard to ensure that there are different organisations, industries and Tech areas represented at the event. We also don’t shout too much about it, but we have more than 50% representation of women speakers at the event. From day 1, diversity has always been a priority for the Turing Fest and the diversity programme that was more recently launched is just an extension of that – ensuring that also the rest of the people in the room (not just the speakers) are coming from a diverse range of backgrounds. This is one way for us to contribute and make a positive impact on the Scottish Tech ecosystem.
Speaking of which… how do you think the event contributes to the growth of the Scottish Tech Ecosystem?
The way we see it is that we are playing a facilitating role. We provide continuous learning for people, we facilitate networking, and we help build that community piece where other countries may be further ahead than us. We do this across different industries and delegates – regardless of their level and experience. For us, it is about bringing everyone TOGETHER and this is essential for the longer-term development of the startup mindset within Scotland.
What are the key things women in our network should be aware of?
This year, and after the successful launch last year, we are bringing back our creche which is an onsite childcare facility. It is available to all attendees: they just have to register a place for their children or child to be able to benefit from the service. We thought it was important to remove barriers for people who are primary caregivers and ensure they can still access this opportunity. We also have a new InEvent app which will allow delegates and users to find and connect with like-minded people. This is essential as in the context of AI and chat GPT the one thing you cannot take away is in-person connections!
Networking can be overwhelming sometimes for delegates. Do you have tips or best practices to make the most of the event?
As we get closer to the event, we will provide more details and information about the agenda. I think the key thing is to use the app so that you can prepare who you want to see and then build your own schedule. I would also recommend filling in all your profile information which will make the networking part easier too. I know it can be daunting going to this event and many of us feel the imposter syndrome at times. But you need to keep in mind that everyone is there for the same reasons, and it is a very supportive and fun environment so trust that and give it a go! We also have some social events like the opening party that can help ease into the event and networking part.
A huge thank you to Turing Fest Diversity Partners, CodeClan and Baillie Gifford, for enabling us to offer these tickets and for their ongoing support.
What’s next?
To learn more about the event: https://turingfest.com/turingfest-2023/
