20 - 21 OCTOBER 2021
BEYOND - where creativity meets R&D
A two day conference in October 2021, where thinkers, makers, investors and researchers across the creative industries come together to explore the relationship between creative research and business innovation. The 4th annual BEYOND was hosted in Belfast and online.
BEYOND 2021
BEYOND 2021
Belfast, 20 – 21 October 2021
BEYOND 2021 took the theme of place to look at how the Creative Industries are forming the heart of new vibrant cultural and creative economies.
The 4th conference explored the role of creativity and creative tech in forming and navigating new places. There is a big space opening for the Creative Industries to lead the way with mission driven research and innovation to reimagine, reinvent and reinvigorate place.
BEYOND 2021 was a hybrid conference in partnership with Future Screens NI and supported by Belfast City Coucil and Matrix NI, offering live and catch-up sessions online or in person. Delegates and speakers in Belfast enjoyed a bespoke programme of activities, with location-based immersive experiences, networking, receptions and more, plus of course lots of fine Northern Irish hospitality.
Titanic Belfast, BEYOND venue for 2021
A lively two day programme of 60+ expert speakers, with keynotes, panel discussions, think pieces and provocations, Q&As and a showcase of leading projects and research.
Stay tuned to the BEYOND newsletter for updates on the on demand sessions from the latest conference and keep your eyes peeled on @BeyondCnf for all BEYOND news.
Themes
Themes
The BEYOND 2021 programme explored questions and ideas around the theme of Creative Places.
Old certainties are breaking down. In places where we used to make things, we must now make decisions. Political centres are paying attention to those on the margins and a place-based agenda is taking hold to drive economic development.
CREATIVE PLACES
There is a big space opening for the Creative Industries to lead the way with mission driven research and innovation to reimagine, reinvent and reinvigorate place.
The BEYOND 2021 theme of place looked at how the Creative Industries are forming the heart of new vibrant cultural and creative economies.
BEYOND convenes Creative Industry leaders, researchers, policy makers, creators and artists to understand:
》How place influences the shape these economies take
》How the success of creative places can be locked in for the long haul
》How we build talent pipelines to meet the ambitions
》The role of imagination, risk-taking and research
》How creative technologies augment and connect places both real and virtual
》The roles of identity and diversity in places and spaces
》How these place-based creative economies link to each other and the wider world
BEYOND IN BELFAST
BEYOND 2021 comes from Belfast, Northern Ireland, a region that knows just how intricate the ties between place, identity and power can be. It is also where exciting experiments and ideas are playing out with the expansion of the screen industries right at the heart of a plan for economic renewal. It is a uniquely useful location to be thinking about the place-based missions for the Creative Industries.
What’s On
What’s On
BEYOND 2021 offered a hybrid programme of in-person, live and catch-up sessions, showcase and an early-career researcher poster exhibition, plus a programme of location-based immersive experiences and activities for those in Belfast.
Conference Programme
Building on the success of the previous three BEYOND’s, the 4th annual conference offered a hybrid experience from Belfast. A two day conference schedule (20-21 Oct) featured expert speakers, keynotes, panel discussions, think pieces and provocations, Q&As and plenty more. Plus two exhibitions showcasing UK excellence in research-driven creative innovation with a showcase and poster exhibition of innovative projects and research.
Poster Exhibition
Doctoral Candidates and Early Career Researchers were invited to submit abstracts to feature their work in this years’s Poster Exhibition at BEYOND. In line with the main focus of the conference, submissions centred on the concept of place as a central theme, reflecting on the role and influence of the Creative Industries over the formation of creative and cultural economies in a place.
Immersive Futures Lab
The Immersive Futures Lab at BEYOND 2021 offered delegates the chance to experience cutting-edge creative projects demonstrating innovative ideas, new types of content and novel uses of technologies – to include early-stage prototypes utilising technologies including Virtual Reality, Haptics, Spatial Audio and more.
Special Events
A variety of exclusive activities took place on the 19 & 22 October in Belfast, including two tours showcasing HBO’s incredible Game of Thrones! All of these events were included in the price of an in-person ticket to BEYOND and details of how to book were provided to ticket holders.
Lucy Hammond
Pilot Theatre
Projects Producer
Martin Green CBE
Festival UK* 2022 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Chief Creative Officer
Parag Khanna
FutureMap
Founder and Managing Director
Peter Bazalgette
ITV plc
Chairman
Sinead O'Sullivan
Harvard Business School
Senior Researcher
Susan Hayes Culleton
HayesCulleton Group
BEYOND MC
Showcase
Showcase
The Immersive Futures Lab at BEYOND is a digital showcase for creative projects that demonstrate innovative ideas, new types of content and novel uses of technologies. BEYOND ticket holders had access to the online showcase and joined Meet the Makers sessions during the conference, offering more details on these exciting projects.
Curatours - Museum of Plastic 2121
Cooperative Innovations
Dragon Legends
Play Well For Life
Project XO Remote
New Movement Collective
Special Events
Special Events
Tuesday 19 October, BELFAST
A limited number of tickets were available to in-person ticket holders to join…
》Hidden Heritage of James Connolly’ walking tour
》Guided walking tour of Belfast’s street art
》Big Telly World Premiere of Department Story
》Speakers and Delegates dinner (for all ticket holders)
Friday 22 October, BELFAST
A trip to Belfast would not be complete without a Game of Thrones themed tour – and there was TWO to choose from:
》VIP ‘Hang out with Hodor’ Tour with Flip Robinson, body double for “Hodor” and “The Mountain”.
》Winterfell Tour & Castle visit taking you to the castle and Demesne. Not for the faint hearted: axe throwing, sword sparring included!
BLOG
BLOG
SIR PETER BAZALGETTE KEYNOTE @ BEYOND 2021
"To start with, let me take you back to 1997. That was the year we had the happy news of a brand new birth…" It was a pleasure and honour to welcome Sir Peter Bazalgette (non-executive Chair of ITV) to the BEYOND 2021 stage, as the opening keynote. Watch the video of...
BEYOND Poster Exhibition & Meet the Researchers
Each year at BEYOND the Poster Exhibition features the work of Doctoral Candidates and Early Career Researchers, showcasing their innovative projects and ideas. In line with the main focus of this iteration of the conference, the research showcased by this year’s...
What to Expect at the BEYOND 2021 Digital Showcase!
The Immersive Futures Lab at BEYOND is a digital showcase for creative projects that demonstrate innovative ideas, new types of content and novel uses of technologies. BEYOND delegates can view the 2021 showcases online and can join the Meet the Makers sessions during...
About
About
About
About
BEYOND is a unique, annual gathering of current and future innovators focused on Research and Development across the Creative Industries.
In its fourth year, BEYOND 2021 (20 – 21 October) is a hybrid conference offering our global community the chance to join us online for live and catch-up sessions, as well as welcoming delegates and speakers to Belfast, Northern Ireland in person from 19 October.
Due to the pandemic, BEYOND 2020 became a virtual conference, offering its global community a flexible programme of live and catch-up sessions. The main stage offered provocations and insights from over 175 expert speakers from the worlds of theatre, music, gaming, TV and film, and visitor attractions. A showcase of industry leading projects and a poster exhibition offered atttendees access to cutting-edge work and researchers – before, during and after the conference.
ON-DEMAND
ON-DEMAND
2020
2019
Attend
Attend
Attend
Attend
Through a period of absolute disruption, BEYOND 2020 considered what we learnt about the adoption of new and emerging technologies and audiences across the creative industries, and how it’s influencing future developments around the globe.
For 2021, BEYOND focused on Creative Places as a hybrid conference, offering an international community the opportunity to join online, as well as welcoming delegates and speakers to Belfast in person for a programme including location-based immersive experiences, access to view the new Screen and Media Innovation Lab facilities, networking and VIP receptions, and lots of fine Northern Irish hospitality and possibly a few swords and dragons…
WHERE CREATIVITY MEETS R&D
CONNECT with future collaborators, researchers and funders
EXPLORE pioneering R&D projects across the UK’s Creative Industries
ENGAGE with the global conversation on innovation, creativity and opportunity
From economists to cultural theorists and right across the political spectrum place is the new driver of policy, and place-based solutions a must have for any idea. The Creative Industries have always been central to making our physical places and emotional spaces ones where we want to live.
This year’s BEYOND explores the role that Creative R&D can play in creating the culturally dynamic and resilient places of tomorrow, in augmenting real spaces and connecting digital places, in developing talent with a sense of geography and maybe even exploring what ‘levelling up’ might mean.
For Business
- Connect with creative innovators, thinkers, experts and researchers
- Discover the latest innovations and creative technologies shaking up and redefining our sector
- Case studies from groundbreaking projects
- Experience first-hand demos from pioneering projects
- Find collaborators, researchers and funders to build your organisation’s capabilities
- Explore international inward UK investment opportunities
For Researchers
- Discover recent developments in the creative arts
- Connect with creative industry pioneers
- Experience and engage with practice-led research projects
- Connect and collaborate with leading creative tech businesses and industry stakeholders
- Indulge in a core programme of thought-provoking panel debates and roundtables
- Interact with local and international tech enthusiasts and experts
BEYOND 2021 partners
Supported by
