Derby and Lyon, two cities that are more similar than you may think!
What could link Derby, a seemingly ordinary English city, with Lyon, France’s cosmopolitan third-largest city? Esker, of course! Derby is the location of Esker’s UK office and Lyon the location of Esker’s worldwide headquarters. But the two cities share another important link: each has a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of which was the venue for our Customer Conference!

^{[Esker’s HQ is situated in Lyon, France. A city with a history linked to the silk trade.]}

Both cities have histories dating back to Roman times, but it is Lyon’s Roman district which forms part of the Historic Site of Lyon. Other areas of the Historic Site include Fourvière, the Renaissance district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district on the slopes of Croix-Rousse, and the Presqu’île. Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse are both known for their traboules, or narrow passageways, the first examples of which were thought to have been built in the 4th century. These allow the Lyonnais to get from their homes to the River Saône and the canuts, or silk workers, to get from their workshops to the textile merchants at the foot of the hill. 

Silk is another link between Lyon and Derby. In 1716, John Lombe visited Piedmont in Italy and came back to Derby with the necessary knowledge (and some Italians) to build a mill on the west bank of the River Derwent. This mill, completed in 1721, is considered to be the first fully mechanised factory in the world, and cements Derby’s claim to be one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution. The Silk Mill, was converted to a museum in the 1970s, now the Museum of Making, and forms part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site – a collection of paper, cotton and silk mills and their communities built by Lombe, Richard Arkwright and others that pioneered the use of water power on such a large scale and provided the blueprint for factory production. Interestingly, the first cotton mill on the European mainland – based upon Arkwright’s mill in Cromford – was built in Ratingen, Germany, the hometown of Esker EDI Services. It too, is now a museum.

^{[Derby’s Museum of Making at the Silk Mill]}

Esker is a pioneer in the use of the cloud and AI technology to streamline business processes in today’s Digital Revolution. Though we continue to look forward, it’s fascinating to look back at where we’re from and the revolutions of the past.

Celebrating Our Customers at Derby’s Historic Silk Mill

On 5th June 2024, we held a Customer Conference in Derby’s Historic Silk Mill, now known today as the Museum of Making. The museum provided an inspiring backdrop to welcome our customers, with its stunning views of the River Derwent and heritage features.

^{[Breakfast networking at the Esker Customer Conference]}

Starting the day right with breakfast

A welcome breakfast buffet was available to our attendees. We were delighted to welcome UK and international customers, and prospective customers, and also many colleagues from our head office in Lyon, France. Senior Product Managers and the European Sales Director were in attendance to share the Esker vision, solution tips, tricks and insights during the day, as were Esker Account Managers and Customer Experience Specialists from the UK office. There were fantastic networking opportunities to be had! We were delighted to be sharing insights about our solutions to help our customers to maximise their investment!

^{[Esker Product Manager Catherine Dupuy-Holdich and European Director of Sales, Pascal Bivert presenting on stage]}

Sharing Our Vision

Esker Product and Sales Managers, including Alistair Nicholas, UK Managing Director, Pascal Bivert, European Sales Director, Aurélien Coq, Customer Service Product Manager, Maud Berger, I2C Product Manager and Catherine Dupuy-Holdich, S2P Product Manager, took to the stage to showcase our solution roadmaps and to share Esker’s vision of positive-sum growth.

^{[Lunch-time networking at the Esker Customer Conference]}

A time to refuel, reflect, network and explore!

As well as a time to eat, lunch-time provided further valuable networking opportunities for delegates and the Esker team. In addition, delegates were able to tour the museum, and even complete our fun quiz! It was a delight to present the deserving winner with her prize.

^{[Afternoon workshops at the Esker Customer Conference]}

Delving into the detail

Further opportunities abounded in the afternoon, when delegates broke into solution-based groups. Both Product Managers, Customer Experience and Professional Services team members led insightful workshops on each solution suite, providing practical presentations, tips and tricks, along with question and answer sessions.

^{[Just-Ice Ethical Ice-Cream provided afternoon treats]}

A well-deserved treat

The day was rounded off with a final networking session, along with a delicious ice cream from Just-Ice Ethical Ice-Cream, who create employment for people who have been exploited through trafficking and slavery, restoring their dignity and giving them hope and a future. 

^{[The Esker Marketing Team: Claire Barker, Amy Rees, Samuel Townsend, Jennifer Ball, Sosennah Every and Upnesh Grewal]}
 

It was a delight to welcome each and every attendee. Thank you to all who took part, and to all who contributed to such a wonderful event.