Each week we interview one of our members to find out a bit more about them and their work in the Greater Manchester digital sphere. This week we're speaking with Skylab, an agency that specialises in digital strategy
What does your organisation do?
We create world-class work on a world stage. Skylab is a digital innovation agency that specialises in the digital transformation and evolution of organisations, through the creation of commercially successful digital strategies, websites and web applications. We convert new ideas and technologies into commercially successful digital blueprints for our clients and believe that organisations must embrace digital change to achieve sustainable growth. We have been recognised by the UK government’s Department for International Trade as a top 100 world-class creative business.
What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry?
Apart from a shortage of digital talent, the biggest challenge for the digital industries is to completely migrate away from being full-service agencies into a decentralised ecosystem of many agile digital partnerships. The networks and platforms to facilitate this are yet to be created. These networks would supercharge more financial investments in digital industries, encourage greater collaboration between agencies, create more digital innovation, create more client opportunities and attract more talent. This decentralised ecosystem would act as a centrifugal force for digital innovation with a reputation that extends around the world. Manchester could be at the heart of such a vision. We are however lacking the political, industry and financial leadership to make this happen. Skylab has very clear ideas about what the future shape of the digital industry looks and we are happy to build a cohort of willing collaborators to lead the charge and make Manchester the birthplace of a new digital industrial revolution. Let’s get the conversation started...
What is your organisations biggest achievement?
We are very proud to have been chosen as the digital partner for clients such as the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, Swim England, England Athletics and other great organisations, but the biggest achievement has to be the strong sense of family that we have created within the business. We are a group of experts who work together in the best possible way, and we are very proud of the sense of togetherness that we have created. We are enjoying every step of the journey together in a positive spirit of unity.
What would you consider to be your organisations biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge for us is achieving the right kind of growth and not the wrong kind of growth. We only want to grow at the pace that we are capable of finding talented people who can create world-class work. We don't want to grow by just adding anyone to the company, which would dilute the quality of the work that we do. Skylab is a special place and keeping it special is the biggest challenge.
What do you think the future looks like for Manchester's digital and tech sector?
Manchester has become the biggest tech hub in the country outside of London and this will only continue to grow over the next few years. Many large businesses have moved to Manchester and this has created additional new opportunities for small and medium-sized companies in the digital and tech space. This means it’s even more important that we create
a digital ecosystem of partnerships so that we can capitalise on all the new opportunities and export that capability across the world.
Tell us something we might not know about your company?
People always think Skylab is the evil corporation featured in The Terminator movies... but that was Skynet, not Skylab! Other people think Skylab is a blend of blue sky thinking and being innovative in the lab. Whilst it’s true that we spend a lot of time creating digital strategies and being innovative, the name was originally born out of wanting something that was technical and almost science fiction in nature. There’s something about the future in what we do and the name suits us very well. Speaking of which, Skylab was also a 1970’s US space station. The fact that it ultimately crashed to earth is a good daily reminder that one day the journey will end and therefore we want to work really hard, enjoy the journey together as much as we can and create world-class work on a world stage that we are really proud to put our names to.
If you want to contact Skylab, you can find them here.
If you're a member that would like to feature in In The Spotlight, email ruby@manchesterdigital.com
