Today saw the first day of the Global App Economy Conference (GAEC) 2026 taking place at the Marriott Hotel County Hall.

This huge conference for tech start-ups and entrepreneurs is in its second year and was the culmination of several months work by the Barndoor team alongside the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) team in the UK, Brussels, and Washington DC.

It saw more than 50 small business representatives from right across the UK, from Aberdeen and Newcastle to Wales and (of course) Milton Keynes head to London for an epic three-day event.

Day 1 is known as briefing day and saw participants take part in a series of briefings and discussion on relevant policy issues. The Barndoor Strategy team was there in force and were delighted to be joined by Lord Evans of Guisborough to deliver a session on the importance of public affairs and how to make the most of the meetings coming up the following day.

The evening saw a successful Parliamentary Reception take place in the House of Commons. Alongside speeches by ACT’s Executive Director, Chelsea Thomas, and UK Country Manager Stephen Tulip, we were also delighted to welcome Gordon McKee MP (Lab, Glasgow South) who also hosted the event, Victoria Collins MP (Lib Dem, Harpenden and Berkhamsted) who is the party’s Science and Technology spokesperson, and Lord Evans of Guisborough (Con).

MPs and Peers from all sides were present and some extremely interesting and valuable discussions were had during what everyone agreed was an excellent event to cap off a fantastic first day.