Creative cities

Nov 25-27 | MediaCity, Salford, Manchester, UK

BEYOND 2024

NOVEMBER 25-27

MEDIACITY, SALFORD

City Stories. Influential Leaders. Bold Strategies. Game Plans. Creative Policies.

BEYOND 2024 came from MediaCity, Salford, where the last decade saw a transformation of Greater Manchester’s creative economy, now a key part of the north-west’s identity.

In 2024 we explored the innovative potential of Creative Cities, using MediaCity’s story as a launch pad amidst a new era in UK government.

What makes a world-leading creative city? We hosted compelling stories from the UK and around the world, exploring the building blocks and game plans that have brought creative cities to life.

We heard how innovation can flourish, and how technology is shaping future city regions.

We delved into the roles of creative networks, hubs, cultural and research institutions, talent pipelines, networks, policy and culture.

We learned about bold strategies placing creativity at the heart of urban growth, the rise of new creative cities, and how they navigated the challenges of change.

2024 Programme

Themes

BEYOND GLOBAL

The 2023 programme explored the global landscape of creative economies and the new forms they are taking. We took a look at big transformations led from the centre, and at grassroots-led movements gaining recognition for both the social and economic potential of the creative industries.

Globally new creative forms and formats are emerging at speed, but which will take hold, why and at what scale? We heard from the makers behind some of the latest innovations with global potential.

It was a diverse and exciting programme, with delegates and speakers joining us from the Philippines, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ireland.

We also explored where UK creatives are making their mark as part of international teams on some extraordinary projects. We asked what makes these partnerships successful and where the next big opportunities are to be found to work on ground-breaking international work.

Speakers

Anastasiya Volkova

Head of Art Programmes

Ukrainian Institute

Andy Burnham

Mayor of Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Ceri Hand

Founder and Managing Director

Ceri Hand Ltd

Fiona Kilkelly

Head of Enterprise & Commercialisation

CoSTAR National Lab

Hector (aka Xquizified) Dibakoane

Cultural Curator and Storyteller

Makers Valley

Hilary Knight

Cultural Consultant

Jahnavi Phalkey

Founding Director

Science Gallery Bengaluru

Keisha Thompson

Independent Artist / Producer

Melanie Woods

Chair of Creative Intelligence

University of Dundee

Moky Makura

Executive Director

Africa No Filter

Nadin Kokciyan

Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence

University of Edinburgh

Nihal Arthanayake

TV Presenter and Broadcaster

Sarah Ellis

Director of Digital Development

Royal Shakespeare Company

Tom Adeyoola

Tech Entrepreneur

Extend Ventures

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Showcase

AI Pride and Prejudice

Meet Lizzy Bennet, an AI interactive avatar showing the potential of AI for the heritage, museum and cultural sectors.
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ShapedSound®

ShapedSound® revolutionises the auditory experience in public settings such as museums, galleries, conferences, and foyers.
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OPUS – The Next Stage

The Next Stage for performing arts and cultural storytelling using reality capture and augmented reality.
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Democratising the development of complex games

The “Infinity Engine” that reduces game dev costs by up to 90%.
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DesignAI: the Branding and Graphic Design Assistant

DesignAI is an AI assistant that generates brand guidelines from existing assets and helps graphic designers draft and complete layouts faster.
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Our Heritage, Our Stories

Linking and searching community-generated digital content to develop the people’s national collection
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IN4 Group

Creative Solutions Immersive development projects
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EXPO

The BEYOND Expo, located in the Quay Bar throughout the conference, brought together organisations and programmes that support the creative industries. Expo attendees had the opportunity to learn more about each participant’s work and impact.

2024 Conference Partners

Programme Partner

Lead Local Partner

Event Partner

Network Partner

More Information

BEYOND YouTube
Press & Media
Sustainability
Contact

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