Our friends from across the Atlantic paid the North West a special visit this week. The University of Manchester hosted a ‘Silicon Valley Comes to Manchester’ (SVC2MCR) event that brought together Mancunian tech entrepreneurs and business leaders from America’s biggest technology hub. The conference saw tech moguls pass on expertise to help tech companies in Manchester accelerate growth and assess investment opportunities. As a technology PR agency based near to Manchester, we’re excited to see what the outcome of the event was, particularly after plans to turn Manchester’s Oxford Road into a mini Silicon Valley have been revealed.
With our city taking an approach to technology similar to Silicon Valley, I got thinking about other things that Manchester shares with California. While Manchester’s weather will sadly always be far from Californian, here are three ways that the two places bear a resemblance:
- A distinctive dialect: If something’s ‘totally awesome’ in California, it’s ‘proper sound’ in Manchester. The two places know how to detect an outsider just by hearing them speak and wherever Mancunians or Californians go, there are some words that will never leave their vocabulary.
- A love for fashion: The ‘90s saw Manchester develop a definitive style that took the form of ‘Madchester chic,’ while the same decade saw teen drama Beverley Hills, 90210 inspire a slightly more glamorous fashion for California. Nevertheless, both places are a sucker for the latest trends and you’re spoilt for choice when shopping at either.
- Successful music alumni: Both places are homes to countless music acts, and the rock scene particularly has much to thank them for. Bands like The Stone Roses are proud Mancunians, while California treasures Red Hot Chili Peppers as one of its own. There’s no escaping a rock ‘n’ roll culture in either of these music loving places.
So judging by the above, attendees of SVC2MCR should have got on like a house on fire! It’s an exciting prospect to think that Manchester’s tech scene could soon match that of Silicon Valley, but for now let’s just see how Wednesday’s event went.
Alex Brown has just started his career at Skout PR and will be a regular contributor to the Skout blog.
