January's cluster manager portrait: Berit Brendborg, BrainsBusiness

”I’m not into the modesty that characterises Northern Jutland. I’m a fan of drawing attention, and we are quite capable in Northern Jutland, so why not tell the world about it.”

Berit Brendborg makes a gesture. She was always interested in communications and loves doing things in an untraditional way. In BrainsBusiness she has found the perfect playground. But when she and her colleagues first mentioned that they were trying to get John Cleese to kick start the cluster’s award show, the reactions to the odd idea were not all positive.

But the day after, the critical voices died down.

”John Cleese became one of our turning points and made us even more famous overnight. It clearly helped us brand the name BrainsBusiness – and now we just say that we are from BrainsBusiness, and people know what it is”, says Berit Brendborg and mentions that the branding strategy also entails new members for the ICT cluster.

”It’s much more fun to be a part of something, when it’s filled with action. Today, people often ask if they can enter their networks and events under BrainsBusiness, because they see that our name works. It’s pure synergy”, Berit Brendborg says and smiles.

She grew up in Northern Jutland and even if ”modesty” is not a word you would use to describe her, she does not brag – she just speaks objectively and honestly of her ideas and of how she works.

She studied Language and International Relations at Aalborg University. Shortly after, she moved to Copenhagen to work in the private sector, e.g. in the marketing division of the telephone company Sonofon. In 2003 she returned to Northern Jutland and a job at Aalborg University with the business oriented centre called CISS (Centre for Embedded Software Systems). Since then, BrainsBusiness was added to her field of work.

Publicity for over DKK 4 million

It was in no way a coincidence that the first star to hit the spotlight at the BrainsBusiness Award was John Cleese. The world famous comedian knows a lot about innovation and creativity and also wrote a lot about the two fields. 

”Banking on him was the evident thing. We did not just want a celebrity as the attraction; we also wanted someone who had something on his mind. We wanted people to get an experience – and furthermore, John Cleese actually thought it was funny that the subject was his ”other professional competency”, and that he was able to contribute on that level as well”, says Berit Brendborg.

The same applied to Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who was the attraction of the award show of 2011. The main reason for choosing him was that he handles the international scene exceptionally well, and according to Berit Brendborg, the 300 participants were given a lot of good advice.

How much it cost to be in business with Cleese and Mikkelsen remains a trade secret.

”It is far more interesting to talk about the value of the publicity we received by involving John Cleese. It has a continuous impact. Among other things we had a full page in the Danish business paper, the Børsen, and went on primetime national television. Our calculations indicate that the publicity we received from the first award show featuring John Cleese amounted to more than DKK 4 million”, Berit Brendborg says.

In addition, she says, internally, the success created a ’yes we can-feeling’, which is important in cluster collaborations and in the region. And the strategy is unmistakable.

”Become famous, otherwise you cannot profit from the other things that you do. It is not just about being famous, though, there must be coherence. But it is very much about having the courage to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Pranav Misty in the spring

Right now BrainsBusiness is planning a brand new event, BrainMatch, which will become a reality in the spring of 2012. 

”Among other things, there will be speed dating between companies and PhD students. We’ve made a white paper with the competencies of more than 175 PhD students, and on the BrainMatch day, there will be targeted matchmaking between them and the Danish business community. Furthermore, there will be a conference and workshop track”, Berit Brendborg says and adds:

”And of course there will be a celebrity present… Pranav Misty, the inventor of the sixth sense of the computer. I believe that both companies and researchers will appreciate that.”

Berit Brendborg smiles. Of course she is busy up to the major events. But it is great fun when it works – and especially when it is untraditional. If people say that it can’t be done, it just motivates her even more.

The celebrity of this year’s award show is not quite in place.

”But if we manage to get the person we are going for, it will be great”, says Berit Brendborg secretively and adds that the form might be slightly different this year.

”Continuous renewal is the key. A success like the award show must not turn into an operation.”

FACTS

Berit Brendborg is a communicator at BrainsBusiness for approximately 40 % of her working hours. The rest of the time she works for the IT network InfinIT and CISS (Centre for Embedded Software Systems).

BrainsBusiness has an untraditional cluster organisation. There is not one manager, as such. Instead there are work packages, of which the three main packages constitute: ”Branding and Visibility”, ”Network” and ”Innovation projects”, and according to Berit Brendborg this is an advantage, as it entails specialisation and contemplation. 

BrainsBusiness ICT NORTH DENMARK is a private/public partnership in the ICT area. The general objective is to contribute to the recognition of the ICT cluster of Northern Jutland as one of the most attractive and competitive ICT clusters in Europe.

The cluster was founded in 2008 and today it has 126 members and five employees, two full-time, two 40 % and one 25 %. 

The core actors behind BrainsBusiness are: ICT Aalborg University, ICT NorCOM Business Forum, Region Northern Jutland, Aalborg Municipality and the Aalborg Collaboration.

Other than speed dating between companies and PhD students, the BrainMatch event will consist of a conference and workshop track, on which two international keynote speakers and several Aalborg University ICT researchers and company VIPs will be giving presentations. Furthermore, the exhibition Aalborg University Walk of ICT will be launched, illustrating Aalborg University’s main competencies within the ICT area.

Read more at: www.brainsbusiness.dk