Scaling up: Creating the Gigabit Future - INCA Conference & Awards Dinner 2021

Creating the Gigabit Future: INCA Conference and Awards 2021 in partnership with Adtran

Video recordings and other resources from the conference are being made available. For all of the video recordings form the conference please visit the Conference 2021 playlist on our Youtube channel.

The last year has been unprecedented - not just in terms of the impact of the pandemic, but also because we've seen our industry shift into overdrive in pursuit of ambitious government targets for gigabit-capable deployment, and the race to capture market share. Investment flows into the altnet sector are at record levels, and we're seeing a large number of new entrants in the market.

The work that INCA has been quietly engaged in over the last decade to enable an open and competitive market is bearing fruit, and exciting times lay ahead. The next five years will likely see phenomenal levels of growth and activity across the sector as the pace of deployment accelerates further. This conference, our first face-to-face gathering since February 2020*, celebrates the achievements of the last year as our Awards Programme culminates, and looks ahead at the opportunities and challenges that lie in front of us.

What are the strategies that will succeed? Which tools and technologies will prove to be essential ingredients for successful – and rapid – deployments? What are the key factors in what has become a confusing market for consumers that will drive take-up rates? How will the wholesale market evolve? How will one-touch switching, copper switch-off, and the move to all-IP impact the industry? Are there actions that we can take collectively to tackle the need for skilled labour? What will emerge to become the key issues ahead as the Altnets scale up?

Programme

The Conference runs over two days. The first day (Weds Nov 3) features a full-day programme focussing on "Tech & Ops" – the tools and technologies that we use to design, build and operate state of the art fibre and wireless networks. This is a very popular element of our programme judging from previous conferences.

Also on the first day we'll be running two other sessions – one will focus on the investment community, while the second is focussed on the BDUK Project Gigabit programme.

The programme for the second day of the Conference is almost complete, and features keynotes from leading voices in our industry, lively panel discussions, and breakout workshops focussing on a range of key topics. Keynote speakers already confirmed include Lindsey Fussell, Group Director for Networks and Communications at Ofcom, and Imran Shafi, the recently appointed Director of Digital Infrastructure at DCMS.

We are particularly keen this year to welcome the many new companies building and running fibre and fixed wireless networks, to celebrate their energy and their successes in raising funding for their build plans.

You can be certain of a highly informative and valuable two days that will bring you right up to speed, give you the insights you need to take your organisation forward, and the opportunity to build the business relationships you want.

INCA conference has earned a reputation for high quality and outstanding value over the years. Distinct from some of the larger conferencing options our goal is not to maximise the number of people participating, but rather to get the right people together and by so doing to ensure high quality debate and a more enjoyable and hopefully relaxing event.

INCA Awards Dinner

On the evening of the 3rd we'll be hosting our 'INCA Golds' Awards Dinner. This is the glittering culmination of our Awards Programme for 2021, where we've invited members to nominate the people and organisations who have gone the extra mile. By the time of the Awards Dinner our eminent judges will have taken their decisions, and the excited shortlisted candidates will be waiting to find out if they are going to be taking home one of the highly prized and extremely rare 'INCA Golds'. Not to be missed.

There are two options for the Awards Dinner menu:

Option One:

Glazed melon trio on char-grilled pineapple with a burnt orange, pomegranate and mango coulis.
Beef two ways – shortcrust steak and ale pie and a herb roasted sirloin of beef served with sweet ale pan jus and goose fat roasted potatoes.
Dark chocolate delice and salted caramel brownie with banana mascarpone cream

Option Two (vegetarian and vegan friendly):

Blood orange, pear, avocado with fig, pomegranate and red currants salad drizzled with an oil dressing.
Mediterranean vegetable and grilled vegan cheese tower with a fresh watercress sauce
Raspberry vegan Eton mess with a shortbread biscuit.

Please choose your preferred option when registering.

Dress Code: Smart/Casual.
Between 5 and 6pm there will be an opportunity for a private viewing the Motocylce Museum. A cash bar will be open from 5:30pm.
At 6pm there will be a Drinks Reception sponsored by Gos Consulting.
All Awards Dinner guests should be seated by 6:45pm table plans will be located around the room
6:45pm : Welcome speech
7:00pm : Dinner is served
The INCA Golds Awards will be introduced between courses.

Conference pricing

Conference passes are £450 + VAT per person, providing access to all conference sessions over both days.
Seats for the INCA Awards Dinner on the evening of November 3rd are £99 + VAT per person. (We can also offer tables for 10 people at the dinner at a price of £800 + VAT per table, please contact Gill at gill.williams@inca.coop to enquire about late availability of seats for the dinner.)

Automatic discounts ranging from 10-20% are implemented against the conference pass price, to members in Tiers 1 to 3. To access member pricing for the conference, log in to your user account before registering. If you are part of an INCA member organisation and don't yet have a user account you can apply for one here (it's quick and free to set up).

In addition, each Tier 2 member organisation is eligible for one free conference pass, and each Tier 1 member organisation has two free conference passes. Details about these passes and how to claim them, as well as other member discounts will be sent via email to all eligible contacts on our mailing list.

Your organisation certainly doesn't need to be an INCA member to participate and get great value from this conference, but it makes a lot of sense to join if you are not yet a member. And there's never been a better time to join us. By working together the Altnets and their partners are revolutionising the UK market and going further faster. You can find more information about membership and how to apply here.

If you think you are on our mailing list as part of a member organisation, but aren't getting email from us, check your spam folder and/or whitelist email from our domain. Get in touch via user-support@inca.coop with any queries.

Travel, Accommodation and the Conference Venue

The National Motorcycle Museum is located just off Junction 6 of the M42. The postcode os B92 0EJ. There are plenty of free parking spaces on site, including charging points for EVs, and more accessible parking bays for people with disabilities.

The Museum is about a 20 minute drive from Birmingham City Centre, and about 2 hours from Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, or London. The closest railway station is Birmingham International, which is a 5 minute taxi journey away from the venue. Please note that due to its location on the motorway at Junction 6, there is no pedestrian access to the venue - you can't walk there from the railway station, for example.

If you would like to book hotel accomodation locally there is plenty of choice given the proximity of the NEC. Local hotels include:

All of these hotels are within a 5 miinute taxi ride from the venue.