Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford, welcomes delegates to BEYOND 2025 at The Lowry, celebrating its 25th anniversary as the catalyst for the Quays’ transformation. He highlights Salford’s creative sector contributing £1.8 billion in gross value added and accounting for 9% of employment, while emphasising how creativity drives skills, wellbeing and inclusion beyond economic impact, shaping a fairer and more prosperous future.

Nihal Arthanayake, TV Presenter and Broadcaster

Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford, Salford City Council

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, welcomes delegates to BEYOND 2025 and outlines the region’s creative ambitions as one of five key industrial strengths. He discusses the Manchester Baccalaureate pathways for young talent into creative industries, the need to maintain regional balance against London’s dominance, and the importance of embedding creativity across education and everyday life to support inclusive growth.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

UK creators are poised to become the powerhouse entertainment franchises of the future – but the full scale of their economic, social and cultural impact upon UK consumers is rarely credited. MIDiA Research outlines their research into the real impact of this growing sector, and ways traditional entertainment industries can collaborate.

Ben Woods, Creator Economy Analyst, MIDiA Research

Alison Lomax, Managing Director of YouTube UK, is joined by Content Creator Rick Shiels, Phil Hughes (Digital Creator Association) and Grace Miller (FlightStory & Diary of a CEO) to discuss the economic and cultural contribution of the Creator Economy to the UK. Building on the Creator Consultation, a landmark report capturing insights from almost 10,000 UK creators, they’ll explore the challenges, opportunities and support needed to help the sector flourish.

Alison Lomax, MD UK and Ireland, YouTube

Grace Miller, Head of Failure and Experimentation, FlightStory

Philip Hughes, Founder & CEO, The Digital Creator Association

Rick Shiels, PGA Golf Professional and Founder, Rick Shiels Golf

A candid, human-first conversation that demystifies the creator economy by spotlighting the lived realities, ethical dilemmas, and creative values of influencers, streamers, and content makers. This isn’t about brand deals or follower counts – it’s about what it actually means to work in this space in 2025.

Presented in cooperation with MITIH (MediaCity Innovation and Immersive Technology Hub)
https://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/immersive-technologies-innovation-hub/
https://www.youtube.com/@MediaCityImmersiveTechnologies

Amy Stuart, Head of Innovation and Ideation, MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH)

Joel Mawhinney, Magician / Content Creator, YouTube / Blue Peter

Zara Beth, Content Creator, Zara Beth

In a volatile world where authoritarian governments and tech bros seek to manipulate and weaponise culture, and the impact of AI remains uncertain, what is the role of institutions in sustaining an open and healthy cultural life, and how can we foster social solidarity while staying rooted in reality?

Elene Toidze, Co-Founder and Director, Creative Clusters Alliance (CCAL)

Gus Casely-Hayford, Director, V&A East

John Newbigin, Chair, World Conference on Creative Economy International Steering Committee

Today’s cultural designations go beyond spectacle. They turn cities into testbeds where creativity drives regeneration, inclusion and policy. This session brings together global cultural leaders to explore how – with climate action, digital innovation and community at their heart – these projects are reimagining how culture can build civic resilience and catalyse lasting change.

Hilary Knight, Director, Change&

Marta Foresti, Founder and CEO, LAGO Collective

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

Dr. Shama Rahman, founder of Neurocreate, explores how wearable brain-sensing technology and AI can detect and enhance creative flow states. She discusses her neuroscience research into creative processes, demonstrating how off-the-shelf devices combined with deep learning models track real-time brain activity during collaboration. The session examines implications for learning, expression and creativity, addressing questions about neurodiversity and the future of human-machine collaboration.

Katie Popperwell, Chair of Manchester City of Literature, CET / Freelance

Shama Rahman, CEO and Founder, Neurocreate

In Show. Tell. CreateTech, BEYOND highlights four projects at the cutting edge that showcase how creativity is driving technology innovation across entertainment, health, theatre and music.

Richard England from Reflex Arc shares the journey of building VR-piloted fighting robots with REK, taking a team with no robotics experience from complete unknown to live events. Working remotely from the UK, they developed a hybrid approach using mixed reality headsets and pre-trained punch policies to control Unitree H1 robots, culminating in their first live crowd event in September and subsequent US tour.

Richard England, Engineering Director, REK

In Show. Tell. CreateTech, BEYOND highlights four projects at the cutting edge that showcase how creativity is driving technology innovation across entertainment, health, theatre and music.

Jane Ollis explores how stress affects the brain and introduces SONA, a wearable device that stimulates the vagus nerve to improve nervous system balance. By pairing vagus nerve stimulation with immersive audio and virtual reality experiences, the technology not only reduces stress but opens the brain to accelerated learning. Clinical trials are exploring applications in stroke rehabilitation, with potential implications for enhancing creative experiences and learning rates.

Jane Ollis, Founder, SONA

In Show. Tell. CreateTech, BEYOND highlights four projects at the cutting edge that showcase how creativity is driving technology innovation across entertainment, health, theatre and music.

Tom Keane, Creative Director of Meaning Machine, explores turning conversation into meaningful gameplay through authored AI. He introduces Lander 23, a collaboration with Punchdrunk opening in London, where 80 audience members navigate a hostile alien world with half guiding from spaceships and half surviving in the wasteland. The experience blends multiplayer stealth gaming, LARP and immersive theatre, pointing towards a bold new form of storytelling.

Thomas Keane, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Meaning Machine

In Show. Tell. CreateTech, BEYOND highlights four projects at the cutting edge that showcase how creativity is driving technology innovation across entertainment, health, theatre and music.

Copper Candle presents their project with CoSTAR Live Lab testing nine markerless motion capture systems to bring emerging musicians into Fortnite. Working with artist Michael Aldag, they evaluated capture methods across three environments: home recording, controlled studios and live performances. The team successfully captured performances in full stage lighting conditions previously thought impossible, with results and data to be published open source for the creative community.

James Simpson, Director, Copper Candle

As Director of Research and Innovation at the British Film Institute (BFI), Rishi Coupland is no stranger to the intersection of creativity and technology. Join Rishi as he reflects on the second part of our highlights stage programme, dedicated to showcasing the latest innovations in CreaTech.

Rishi Coupland, Director of Research and Innovation, BFI

The UK’s Digital and Creative Industries are increasingly looking Eastwards, where Korea’s global K-Wave and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) diverse cultural archipelagos present new opportunities for growth. This session explores how international collaboration can amplify talent, innovation and storytelling across borders, creating partnerships that will shape the next phase of the global creative industries.

Irene Umar, Vice Minister of the Creative Economy, Ministry of the Creative Economy

Nana Yu-I Lee, Senior Researcher, Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy

Taejun Lee, Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

As immersive storytelling evolves, temporary worlds are becoming ever more intricate, ambitious, and unforgettable – disappearing in days but lingering for years. This panel examines how creative technology can elevate festival experiences while designing for sustainability and cultural legacy, setting new standards for the future of live experience design.

Alex Rowse, Executive Producer, Marshmallow Laser Feast

Angie Bual, Creative Director, Trigger

Mair Morel, Creative Director, Boomtown Fair

Sarah Ellis, Director of Digital Development, The Royal Shakespeare Company

Flipping the script on CreaTech innovation, this session explores how artists and cultural institutions shape technological development. Through global research and practitioner insight, we explore how artist-led interventions embed human values, accountability, and diversity into emerging technologies, ensuring they serve people, inspire creativity, and drive sustainable innovation.

Aurora Hawcroft, Programme Manager, Digital Innovation (Arts), British Council

Piotr Mirowski, Senior Staff Research Scientist, Google DeepMind

Sougwen Chung, Artist and researcher, Studio Scilicet

Creator businesses that are scaling into international, multi-faceted media companies are now offering legacy media companies a new framework of development. This session explores the evolving role of media producers, content creators, and the changing behaviours and roles of audiences, to begin to answer the question: how will creator-led models reshape established media?

Janine Smith, Interim Co-MD, 4Studio, Channel4

Jen Topping, Writer, Business of TV

Nihal Arthanayake, TV Presenter and Broadcaster

Josie Durant introduces BEYOND Studio’s Emerging Innovators program, designed to support under-30s across the creative sector through nominations and mentorship. Cohort members Emmanuella Morsi and Noelle Nurdin discuss how the program provides networking opportunities, strategic guidance and platforms for fresh perspectives on innovation. They explore questions around creativity’s role in addressing climate and structural challenges, while emphasising the importance of genuine mentorship that values reciprocal learning and long-term sustainability.

Josie Durant, Project Manager, BEYOND Studio

Nihal Arthanayake, TV Presenter and Broadcaster

Discover two R&D projects supported by XR Network+ in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of an industry-led challenge. The projects showcase how technology is transforming both the creative process and the audience experience, blurring the line between live and digital theatre. Discover the virtual rehearsal room prototype from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and a real-time, artist-centred virtual production project led by CAMERA at the University of Bath.

Presented by XR Network+
https://xrnetworkplus.xrstories.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/@UC70y7oE2NjZw0sZA0qo_PLA

David Gochfeld, Performance Lab Fellow, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Eva Martino, Innovation Lead, University of Bath

John Rose-Adams, Associate Director, Innovation and R&D, The University of York

Sarah Ellis, Director of Digital Development, The Royal Shakespeare Company

This session explores innovation at the intersection of wellbeing and technology. Discover how The Mindset Programme is transforming mental health innovation and what’s next for DTx funding. Then, learn how Innovate UK’s BridgeAI initiative helps businesses harness trusted AI solutions through funding, collaboration, and upskilling across high-growth sectors.

Presented by BridgeAI
https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/programme/bridgeai/

Alex Boyd, Found Director, EcoGPX

Julie McCarthy, Strategic Lead for Creative Health, GMCA

Sean Carroll, Business Development Manager, TEND VR

Tony Steffert, Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, SONA

MyWorld launched in 2021 with £30M to transform the West of England’s creative tech sector. This session explores its impact—jobs, IP, research, investment—and lessons learned. A panel spanning funding, skills, infrastructure, and research will share what worked, what didn’t, and what MyWorld would redesign if starting today.

Presented by MyWorld
https://www.myworld-creates.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@xrstoriesandxrnetworkplus

Ben Ackland, Co-Founder, Meaning Machine

Gabby Shiner Hill, Director, shinerhilldesign

Katie Martin, CEO, Audience Insights

Mark Leaver, Mark Leaver Consulting

Rob Hifle, Creative Director, Lux Aeterna