Explore emerging strategies for digital transformation and hear pitches from tech innovators at this dedicated half-day conference in February.

Digital Opportunities 2018 is due to be held at Manchester Central on the morning of Thursday 8 February 2018. This event is sponsored by Mills & Reeve, IBI Group, Datscha and Node.

There will be a mixture of panel discussions, pitches by startup disruptors and presentations on the state of the market currently.

Speakers confirmed so far:

Malcolm Stagg, director of BIM & digital engineering, Skanska; the Swedish construction giant was one of the early adopters of tech in building methods and has a dedicated digital engineering team developing innovative solutions to improve productivity

Jon Lovell, director, Hillbreak; environmental social and governmental advisor to institutional investors advising on scenario planning for long-term market positioning

Doug Ward, founder of Node, Manchester-based telecoms management system for monitoring connectivity infrastructure. Ward is also part of the team behind Telcom, the fast-growing superfast broadband provider

Julia Arlt, innovation real estate director at PwC, based in Vienna. Her areas of expertise include deals strategy, digital real estate consulting, new product development and startup collaboration. She co-founded the Austrian PropTech Initiative and is a startup mentor at US fund MetaProp NYC

Sam Lawson Johnston, director, LJ Real Estate, property developer and tech investor, with extensive holdings in Manchester's office market, including several buildings around Albert Square and Canada House off Oxford Road. LJ also backs tech startups and is pioneering digital transformation in its properties

Tom Shrive, chief executive, AskPorter, artificial intelligence messaging platform aiming to optimise property and facilities management, reducing admin while improving customer satisfaction

John Pownall, director, Doordeck. Unlock your doors from your phone, this access control app was developed in partnership with Cisco

Rick Robinson, digital property and cities leader, Arup, helping clients exceed their goals by delivering better buildings and infrastructure

Sarah Lyons and Mark Bruno, Datscha, the commercial property search tool that gives you fast and easy access to data for all registered commercial properties in England and Wales

Mario Bozzo, director, IBI Group helps build the cities of tomorrow through design, engineering, and intelligent systems to create inclusive, technologically connected communities that put people first

Mike Edge and Paul Knight, Mills & Reeve, leading law firm which offers practical advice to real estate clients on all issues, including implications of changing tech

Niamh Keane, chief commercial officer, Built-ID, a tech platform for discovering and collaborating with the project teams behind some of the world’s most incredible buildings.

Tickets cost £50+VAT and include breakfast and lunch.