Organised by Tended, the 2025 Innovation Summit brought together over 100 industry professionals, innovators, and leaders from across the railway sector for a day of insight, collaboration, and forward thinking, all set against the inspiring backdrop of the National Space Centre.
This year’s theme, scaling innovation, sparked powerful discussions on how the industry can move from pilot projects to organisation-wide transformation. From overcoming technical and cultural barriers to embedding new ways of working, our speakers offered a wealth of practical ideas and real-world experience.
Key takeaways from the day:
- Richard Carr (RIA) explored the challenges of the “pilot trap” and how early alignment with CP7 priorities can make or break scalability.
- Dave Allen (Network Rail Technical Authority) and Phil Sadgrove (Tended) shared practical approaches to building strong business cases, demonstrating ROI, and aligning innovation with cost efficiency and safety goals.
- Jules Reed (Tended) reminded us that scaling isn’t just about technology, it’s also about people. Her session highlighted the importance of human factors when fostering a culture of long-term change and addressing the "what's in it for me" to secure workforce buy in.
- Jennifer Kirk (Network Rail) provided insights from her IRSE Scholarship research into how technology like ETCS can reduce trackside risks and shape safer work environments.
- Leo Scott Smith and Alex Ford (Tended) closed the summit by showcasing how geofencing is being successfully scaled route-wide and the efficiencies and cost-savings that can be achieved as a result. They also offered an exclusive preview of Tended’s upcoming safety innovations.
We were proud to share the latest from Tended, reinforcing our commitment to safety, efficiency, and measurable ROI, and to show how our technology is driving meaningful change across the rail industry.
The evening wrapped up with our casino fundraiser for Railway Children, which was a real success. Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, we raised over £1,000 to support vulnerable children and young people, which was a brilliant way to end the event!
Take a look at the highlights in our recap video:
What attendees said:
“Fantastic event, well organised, great venue and interesting speakers. Excellent job!”
“I like the fact that there was a level of interaction with the crowd that you don’t always see at summits.”
“Attendees were brilliant — we got a lot out of networking with everyone. Best conference venue I’ve been to for a while.”
“We took away some genuinely valuable insights and ideas.”
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us for this year’s summit! Your engagement, questions, and passion for innovation made the day a huge success. We hope you left inspired and equipped with new ideas to help scale innovation and drive lasting impact within your organisations.
If you have any feedback about the event, we'd love to hear it Please let us know what you thought of the day here.
