Tech companies Hopin and CogX sign 'groundbreaking' London hybrid festival deal

Event will take place in June with more than 100,000 attending online or in person

A screenshot of video-conferencing app Hopin. Courtesy Hopin
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UK online events platform Hopin has linked up with the CogX Festival to stage the largest hybrid event of its kind to date, it was announced on Tuesday.

The CogX Global Leadership Summit and Festival of AI and Transformational Technology will take place from June 14 to 16 in Kings Cross, London.

It will address the theme, "How do we get the next 10 years right?"

More than 100,000 people are due to attend in person and online – over double the 2020 total.

They will be treated to 1,000 speakers, 350 online exhibitors, three physical stages and 15 virtual stages,

The festival will take place directly after the G7 Summit in Cornwall, England, and will address the urgent need to reconnect and focus on social stability and economic growth.

It will celebrate innovation and prepare for Cop26 and the path to net-zero carbon emissions.

Confirmed sessions include: Global Leadership; Ethics and Society; Start-up to IPO; Future of Work; Createch – Culture, Creativity and Technology; and Next Gen Infrastructure and Industry 4.0.

The CogX-Hopin partnership will last three years.

"We're delighted to be back at CogX Festival, now as the official platform partner, to host this groundbreaking hybrid event,” said Hopin founder and former Dubai resident Johnny Boufarhat.

On Monday Mr Boufarhat was confirmed as Britain's youngest self-made billionaire after launching the £4.1 billion ($5.8bn) video conferencing app just last year.

Johnny Boufarhat. Courtesy Hopin
Johnny Boufarhat is Hopin's founder and Britain's youngest self-made billionaire. Courtesy Hopin

CogX co-founder Charlie Muirhead told of the festival’s rapid growth and global importance.

”We've doubled in size each year and we're on track to do that again,” Mr Muirhead said.

“We bring together the most incredible cross-sections of society focused on the overall ambition of 'How do we get the next 10 years right?' – a question that could not be more urgent."