THE growth potential of the region’s technology sector will come under the spotlight at a major conference being held in Ipswich on Monday by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The conference theme of whether East Anglia could become “the California of Europe” will be introduced by Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman, who is compere for the event.

And the line-up of speakers will include two successful technology entrepreneurs from the region – Paul Evans, chief executive of Ipswich-based Shareband, which combines cable and wireless connections to deliver faster and more reliable internet access, and Jerry Walker, chief executive of Norwich-based Intelligent Fingerprinting, which is developing a hand-held fingerprint capture and drug-testing device.

Also on the agenda for the event, which is taking place at the East of England Co-operative Society’s Wherstead Park complex, will be interviews and question-and-answer sessions with Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon and New Anglia LEP chairman Andy Wood.

These sessions will be chaired by Johnny Hustler, managing director of media company Archant Anglia, whose East Anglian Daily Times and Eastern Daily Press titles are joint media partners for the conference.

Completing the line-up of speakers will be Doug Field, executive officer for finance and technology at the East of England Co-op, and Kevin Warden, its local sourcing manager, who will explain the society’s recently-launched Regional Investment Fund and its approach to sourcing local products.

For further details about the conference, visit www.newangliabooking.co.uk .