The collaboration effect - catalysing innovation

To learn about collaboration I left C4DI, Hull, for the day to explore Do it Day - an annual event where hundreds of marketeers and digital experts come together to try and solve huge problems in one day. Here's a review of the event and some useful concepts and ideas that could drawn from the day, which you can apply to your own business. The event was a prime location to see what can be achieved through collaboration and various team dynamics. The tasks varied, greatly, and ranged from IBM's technology challenge which aimed to get children into technology through wearables, to Visa's challenge - aiming to help children understand finance.

C4DI Trees

After an early start and some exercise, battling my way through torrents of Londoners in the underground, I arrived at IBM's head office, where the event was to be held. Drafted into a team of around 15 members, I helped promote our campaign - a product of the former 'Plan It Day' event; "Trees for Trees". The aim of the campaign was to plant 10,000 trees (a whole forest) in just one day.

By taking a picture of a Tree or sending in a drawing to the 'Heart of England Forest team' using the tag #TreesforTrees the project ensured that as many members of the public would get involved in the action as possible. For every picture that was sent in a tree would be planted in the rapidly growing forest.  In addition, any submissions would become part of the virtual forest on the website and displayed on a huge digital billboard in Piccadilly circus during the day. For more information visit the web site www.treesfortrees.co.uk.

As mentioned earlier, many of the projects being run on 'Do it Day' were conceived initially in the Plan it Day' phase. Through brainstorming, collaboration and idea sharing teams of digital professionals created incredible projects from the briefs that were given to teams on the day. Not only were these campaigns created in record time, they probably would have eaten huge amounts of time (and other resources) to make in a more stagnant, traditional environment. The variety of perspectives and fields helped generate a buzz of ideas that led to the rapid concept generation that made the Do It Day campaigns possible. Many of these projects would not have come to fruition without this type of environment. Traditional working environments can often lead to narrow and sluggish idea generation phases since they often do not have the resources or the fresh perspective s that can drive creation through the cross pollination of ideas.

All in all, it was an exhilarating day - by combining the abilities of everyone attending we managed to achieve some truly spectacular things. Seeing the sheer caliber of projects and the varied approaches of each team was fascinating. Trees for trees surpassed over 10,000 tweets and attained the project goal of getting a whole forest of 10,000 trees planted in just one day. The success of Do it Day is a testimony for the effectiveness of collaborative workspaces, as found in C4DI, which foster leaps in innovation. This experience has proved to me that with the right type of culture and people you can create some really amazing things. I can't wait to get involved in all the projects that will arise from our very own digital hub over the next few years.

#TreesforTrees - a wonderful way to save the world.

Dee - Community and Project Support

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Novel industry solutions created by Hull’s flourishing digital community

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Hi, I'm Dee - the newest member to join C4DI's talented team. I have had experience working in a variety of industries, ranging from project management to teaching. It's going to be great working with everyone, supporting the community and getting immersed in the innovative projects we run. You can read my full bio here. C4DI is at the heart of Hull's digital economy. With a flourishing community of over 180 members, drawn from a wide array of fields across the digital sector, the synergies arising from our collaborative environment have secured new business opportunities and even, in some cases, solved some industry-wide problems! We've picked out just a few of our favourite member quotes for you below.

Andy Mcmillan, Training and R&D - Escada Systems Europe says;

"At C4DI we brought new products to market in record time to solve an industry-wide problem. Our product will increase the accuracy and reduce maintenance of sensors that are used in the packaging industry. This was made possible because of C4DI's collaborative working space."

Matt Gibson, Accounts Executive - Studio Kiwi says;

"The access to support, advice, and mentoring added to the networking potential, diversity of skills, and knowledge that is available at C4DI helps our business to grow. It is a privilege to be set in such a vibrant and beautiful location within the City of Hull."

C4DI's community  is always growing and we've had some incredible talent join us this month. Read all about our newest members like Hull born and bred trader 'Dean Melton', social media guru 'Joanne Brady' or Francis Osih an entrepreneur and founder of 'Betamenu' (as well as many others) below.

From the end of November 2015 we will be running tours around our new home, every Friday, so if you would like to come and visit, meet any of our fantastic members or simply just try a cup of our famous coffee please do get in touch and email me on dr@c4di.net

Without further adieu please say hi to our brilliant new members:

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Joanne Brady - freelance social media manager "I help SMEs set-up and develop a social media presence through a variety of methods from regular weekly consultations to full-on daily management. I also write content for websites and blogs, and have a pretty good knowledge of SEO. I enjoy collaborative working and see C4DI as a way of meeting like-minded professionals. I'm always happy to help with any questions about social media."

Francis

Francis Osih - entrepreneur "I lived in the US and Spain for business school. New to Hull, so my entrepreneurship & VC connections are limited to Barcelona and Berlin.  Starting programming in 2005, I have contributed to startups as diverse as they come along the way.  I am also the founder of Betamenu and Witelist.  Looking forward to assisting and having fun with everyone here!"

Dean

Dean Melton - trader "I was born and brought up in Hull. I worked as an Investment Analyst for a Hedge Fund for many years. I left the trading arena 10 years ago and set up on my own, working part time from a home office trading the Stock Indices, Forex and Commodity Markets, when I wasn’t trading; I was the 'house husband', looking after my two children, who having finally flown the nest, leaving me with time on my hands again."

Richard

Richard Farrer - Co-founder of Fractal Software & graduate "As a software developer I have experience in .net languages and agile software development, also a keen eye for graphics and UI.  I look forward to tackling the challenges of building a software business at C4DI."

Pat

Pat Coyle - director at Rollits "Pat's main role involves leading and managing the marketing function within Rollits. She is the current chair of the East Yorkshire (Humber) IoD branch committee, sits on the Steering Group for Humber Business Week, and is also a member of the committee of Hull Businesswomen's Breakfast Club."

Andrew

Andrew Downie - R&D manager "Andrew has recently joined RB working as Health Transformation R&D Manager - working across the healthcare brands in areas including connected health and innovation beyond the product. Andrew has a background in biological sciences and has experience in FMCG and pharmaceutical businesses, including AstraZeneca and Unilever."

Josh

Josh Cunliffe - Co-founder of Fractal Software & games developer "I’m a recent graduate from the University of Hull, with a first class MEng degree in computer sciences with games development. I am well versed in .NET languages and frameworks, and after a year of working in SEED within the university, can use Scrum to manage and execute projects in an agile manner. I look forward to being able to apply everything I've learned within C4Di!"

Mike

Mike Wasling - Director of I.T. "Since joining Rollits, Mike has developed and enhanced the firm's IT infrastructure to support the needs of both the firm and clients. He is responsible for the IT team and helps deliver high standards of IT support and innovation throughout the practice. Some of Mike's key responsibilities include developing and maintaining relationships with IT suppliers and implementing "best of breed" technologies."

Lewis

Lewis Taylor - Co-founder of Fractal Software "I am a software developer with a BSc and MSc(pending) in computer science from the University of Hull. Proficient in a wide range of programming languages and frameworks ranging from .NET to Python. I enjoy riding bikes and playing bass guitars. Looking forward to building software that matters."