Introducing the programme for the day is our host this year, broadcaster Samira Ahmed.

Andrew Chitty, Creative Research and Innovation Centre (CRAIC), Loughborough University London

Samira Ahmed, Broadcaster and Journalist, BBC

The opening in March of Oman Across the Ages marked the extraordinary culmination of over a decade of work. The museum project was commissioned by the late Sultan with the brief to create an immersive, narrative-led experience that would absorb a new generation and uncover the nation’s history. We will hear from the creative team behind the work to tell us about the collaborations and partnerships that brought the deep past to life for the 21st century.

Amanda Dimmock, Senior Content Designer, EVENT Communications

Esteban Botero, Creative Director, EVENT Communications

Generative AI is having a huge impact on the creative industries, for good, bad, and often somewhere…unknown. A panel with a variety of perspectives on GenAI will take part in an audience Q&A session exploring the challenges and opportunities for the creative sector, from questions of authorship, copyright and fair reward, to the potential for new tools and co-creation.

Chris Speed, Director, Edinburgh Futures Institute

Lara Carmona, Director of Policy and Engagement, Creative UK

Oliver Bown, Associate Professor, The University of New South Wales

Rachel Lyske, Chief Executive Officer, DACCI

In Saudi Arabia, (and across other states in the region) a resurgence is taking place within the creative industries, with big ambitions to create a sector that drives both social and economic change. We will hear how some large-scale initiatives are taking shape, and explore the role of creative international collaboration in these transformations.

Hala Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, Nuwah Foundation

Miguel Blanco-Carrasco, Advisor, Royal Commission for Riyadh City

Paul Owens, Co-Founder and Director, BOP

Vilma Jurkute, Executive Director, Alserkal Initiatives

Working with textile mills and garment makers in Bangladesh, Bureau 555 are introducing virtual fabric sampling, a tool with the potential to significantly reduce carbon footprints in the fashion industry. We will hear from founding partners Gabrielle Shiner-Hill (UK), and Nusrat Mahmud (Bangladesh) on how Bureau 555 grew out of an R&D programme to become a company on a mission to make digital tech accessible within the fashion supply chain.

Gabrielle Shiner-Hill, Co-founder, Bureau 555

Nusrat Mahmud, Co-founder, Bureau 555

Some of the fastest growth and most radical thinking in the creative economy is in the Global South, where the possibilities of the digital world are being applied to social and cultural issues such as women’s empowerment, youth unemployment, the celebration of indigenous cultures and the impact of climate change. But the COVID pandemic has highlighted the precariousness of people working informally in the creative sector in countries of the Global South – from traditional craft artisans to TV script writers. This session explores some of the responses.

Daniar Amanaliev, Co-founder and Band Master, ololo Group

John Newbigin, Chair, PEC International Council

Samira Ahmed, Broadcaster and Journalist, BBC

Tita Larasati, Executive Committee, ICCN

Both Glasgow-based ISO Design and global agency EVENT Communications specialise in design-led cultural projects, devising and building large-scale interactive and immersive experiences. Their collaborations on museum works have included Bletchley Park, EPIC (the Irish emigration museum) and the Oman Across the Ages museum. This session will explore their collaborations work, as well as the global market for UK design, and how worldwide, museums are embracing digital and immersive exhibition design.

Amanda Dimmock, Senior Content Designer, EVENT Communications

Chris Michaels, Founder, Digital Advisory

Damien Smith, Partner, ISODESIGN

Esteban Botero, Creative Director, EVENT Communications

Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are home to rich, diverse and dynamic arts and technology ecosystems. In all three, digital innovation in the arts is becoming a government policy priority, leading to new programmes, infrastructure and R&D. Launching at BEYOND 2023, this report from the British Council explores the ‘Arts & Technology’ landscape of each place, and the potential for future partnerships and exchange.

Manami Yuasa, Regional Arts Director, East Asia, British Council

The Panasonic XR Lab in Tokyo is a big co-creation space that uses hardware and technologies including hologram, spherical mapping, AR and VR, working with creators and commercial clients on R&D for immersive experiences. Chad Kunimoto from the lab will introduce how they work with designers and artists, and how new technology is being used in these collaborations.

Chad Kunimoto, Global Business Development Manager, Immersive Experiences & Themed Entertainment, Panasonic Connect

Preevue specialise in LiDAR scanning and producing photo-realistic digital twins for the creative industries, providing ‘event visualisation’ services that can transform planning for venue-based events and screen production. Managing Director, Ryan Metcalfe will give an inside view of their tech, the organisations they are working with, and the future projects and products they are working on.

Ryan Metcalfe, Founder & Managing Director, Preevue

A handful of letters, a chest of drawers and a sketched floor plan are all that bear witness to the life of Felix Ganz and his wife Erna in a so-called “Judenhaus” in Mainz.

A UK/German co-production, Felix’s Room premiered in Berlin in June. Projected holographic effects and high-resolution 3D scans immersed audiences in this one room that moves between prison and a memory palace. We will hear from writer, Adam Ganz (Felix’s great-grandson) and Matt Shaw (Scanlab).

Adam Ganz, Professor of Media Arts, Royal Holloway University of London

Matthew Shaw, Director and Co-Founder, ScanLAB Projects

Joining us for her first conference appearance talking about ABBA Voyage will be Svana Gisla, the producer behind this extraordinary multidisciplinary show. Svana will be taking us behind the scenes, telling us how the show unfolded, and how one of its legacies can be to engage the next generation of creative talent.

Andrew Chitty, Creative Research and Innovation Centre (CRAIC), Loughborough University London

Svana Gisla, Producer, Abba Voyage

Rematch have set about recreating iconic sporting moments as big scale immersive events. Their latest production, ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ launched in London in September and has just extended its run. We will hear from CEO Les Seddon-Brown how Rematch are bringing together a clever combination of festival format and performance formats with legacy sport IP to create a unique audience experience.

Les Seddon-Brown, CEO, Rematch

Tech-driven visual shows are booming – and it’s not just more Van Gogh. Driven by powerful projection and audio technologies, new types of cultural and heritage experiences are appearing. This session looks at the diverse forms they are taking, the venues (from purpose-built to under-used urban spaces), production and business models that underpin them, and where they are heading next.

Hilary Knight, Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Mark Grimmer, Company Director, 59 Productions

Michael Couzigou, CEO, NEW ART EXPERIENCES / Big incredible

Samira Ahmed, Broadcaster and Journalist, BBC

The CoSTAR network, which will provide the UK’s screen and performance sector with the state-of-the-art facilities and expertise they need to conduct world-class R&D, is being launched at the BEYOND Conference on 22 November. CoSTAR is formed of five Labs, based across the UK and bringing together a diverse range of partners across academia and the creative industries.
 
Supported by UK Research and Innovation through the Arts and Humanities Research Council, this transformative £75.6m programme will drive innovation in emerging technologies across screen and performance, utilising technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual production.
 
Hosted by AHRC, the launch event is the first chance to find out more about the network and meet the Labs. The session features keynotes from industry experts, plus a panel session and networking.

Chris van der Kuyl, Principal, Chroma Ventures

Christopher Smith, UKRI Creative Industries Sector Champion/AHRC Executive Chair, Arts & Humanities Research Council

Laura Partridge, Strategic Lead, CoSTAR, Arts and Humanities Research Council

Peter Bazalgette, Pro-Chancellor & Chair, Royal College of Art

Sara Coppola-Nicholson, Head of Research Programme, disguise

Sarah Ellis, Director of Digital Development, Royal Shakespeare Company

Sol Rogers, Global Director of Innovation, Magnopus

Sue Lyster, Executive in Charge, London Studio, Industrial Light & Magic

Tateo Nakajima, Arup Fellow, Arup

White Light – a d&b solutions company, will be hosting an interactive panel session with special guests. Join them as they explore themes of how existing and emerging technologies are unlocking a wealth of potential for increasing visitor engagement in the Creative Industries. From virtual production and extended reality (XR), to immersive audio, the experts will deep dive into some trailblazing projects and the technologies at the pinnacle of innovation, before opening up the floor to questions.

Andy Hook, Technical Solutions Director , White Light ltd

Jason Larcombe, Senior Project Manager, White Light