Tech Events at Friends' Meeting House, Manchester

techUK brings its annual digital economy conference to Manchester for a full day on devolution: what mayors, combined authorities and regional leaders can actually do with technology, and who holds the levers. The agenda runs from an opening keynote at 10:05 through sessions on digital infrastructure as economic infrastructure, digital devolution and empowering regions, future jobs and an AI-enabled workforce, AI adoption in devolved and regional economies, and reindustrialisation. There is a fireside chat before lunch and a networking lunch at 12:25. Speakers were not named on the page when we checked. Free for techUK members and public sector attendees. Non-members need to email flagshipevents@techuk.org to ask for a ticket. Why go: this kind of policy room usually happens in London, and this one is in Manchester with the people who actually set regional digital strategy in it. Best for anyone whose work touches public sector tech, regional growth or skills funding.

The Manchester Taiwanese Association screens A Chip Odyssey, a documentary on the semiconductor industry, followed by talks. Useful context for anyone working on hardware, supply chain or deeptech.

The monthly meetup of the North West Ruby User Group, Manchester's long-running community for Ruby and Rails developers. Expect a couple of talks from practitioners on real-world Ruby, web development and engineering practice, plus friendly networking with the region's developer community. Welcoming to newcomers and seasoned Rubyists alike.