Thames Valley: Tech Awards launched by The Business Magazine

The Business Magazine has launched a new awards scheme for 2018 - the Thames Valley Tech Awards - and already the reaction from the IT and telecoms community in the region has been highly positive.

The eighth major awards scheme run annually by Elcot Media & Events, the Tech Awards will be held at Madejski Stadium, Reading, on Thursday May 24. Ticket bookings are already being taken.

The Thames Valley Tech Awards' headline sponsor is Westcoast, the largest private tech company headquartered in the region.

The awards are supported by techUK, the collective voice for the tech industry in the UK.

Sponsors already lined up include Moore Stephens, sponsoring Thames Valley Tech Company of the Year; Barclays sponsoring Emerging Tech Company; and Grant Thornton, sponsoring High Growth Tech Company. Other supporters will be added in the days ahead.

David Murray, publisher of The Business Magazine, said: "The Thames Valley is the Silicon Valley of the UK, and we want our awards to appeal to companies ranging from the global firms such as Microsoft, Oracle and Vodafone to the small scale-ups and businesses creating their own intellectual property.

"This region is synonymous with tech - and that includes companies involved in space research; in biotech and life sciences; in autonomous vehicles and robotics. We want to see nominations from all these sub-groups, so that the awards truly reflect the diversity of tech in the Thames Valley."

Award-winning IT distributor Westcoast said it was delighted to be headline sponsor of the awards. The company's turnover has grown to circa £2 billion, and it employs 1,200 people. Headquartered at Theale, near Reading, Westcoast is an example of a home-grown business that has become a leader in its field.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact Peter Laurie at peter.laurie@black-ox.com

To book a table, contact Linda Morse at linda@elcot.co.uk