Partner with BEYOND 2026
Why Partner with BEYOND 2026?
BEYOND 2026 is a gathering of the people who shape where the creative industries and technology go next – researchers, industry leaders, policymakers and funders from 35 countries and five continents. If you want your work or your organisation in that room, here is where you start.
1,025 delegates in 2025 — up 130% year on year
131 speakers across 44 sessions
81% Delegates rated the programme very good or excellent
98% Delegates made new and valuable connections
Past editions have brought together people from YouTube, Channel 4, Google DeepMind, V&A, the British Council, BBC, Arts Council England, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the UK Research and Innovation — alongside independent researchers, studios and startups from across the UK and internationally.
Partnership opportunities
There are several ways to partner with BEYOND 2026. Each is designed around a different objective - find the one that fits yours.
Showcase your R&D
Put your work in front of the people who can take it further. The BEYOND 2026 Expo gives organisations a space to present prototypes, live technology and creative projects directly to funders, investors, collaborators and commissioners. Three options and early bird prices available.
Support New Talent
BEYOND Emerging Innovators spotlights early-career talent from the UK's creative research community — individuals forging new paths where creativity, research and innovation meet. If you are a studio, institution agency or industry body with a stake in the next generation, this is a direct and visible way to back it.
Speak & lead sessions
Position your people and your thinking at the centre of the conversation. BEYOND 2026 opens the programme to partners across all three days. Host a workshop, short talk, performance or live demo — share your expertise, test an idea and connect directly with the BEYOND community. Supported throughout by the BEYOND production and comms teams.
Bring a delegation
Bringing a group to BEYOND 2026? Discounted rates are available for group bookings. For international delegations we also offer a bespoke programme of activities and local visits, designed around your group's interests and objectives — giving your delegates a more structured and purposeful experience of the conference.
Sponsor BEYOND
Commercial sponsorship packages give your organisation sustained visibility across the full BEYOND 2026 programme — from announcement through to post-event content. Packages include brand integration and marketing reach across our 48,000 strong community. Multiple tiers are available.
something bespoke?
Build something bespoke. If none of the above fits what you are trying to achieve, we will work with you to create something that does. Tell us your objective and we will find the right way to bring it into BEYOND 2026.
Our Audience
BEYOND Conference and Festival delegates span research institutions, creative industries, government and the private sector — connected by a shared investment in where creative research and innovation take us next.
Community REACH
48,000-strong BEYOND community across the conference, partner networks and mailing lists.
21,000 subscribers. 57% open rate — nearly three times the industry average.
Delegate Feedback
98% of 2025 delegates said they would recommend BEYOND to colleagues or friends and 98% made new and valuable connections.
WHAT OUR PARTNERS & Delegates SAY
BEYOND Conference and Festival brings together people with very different reasons for being there. Here is what some of them took away.
Our local impact
BEYOND Conference 2025 delivered significant economic value for Greater Manchester - generating over half a million pounds in regional impact and bringing substantial new money into the local economy.
£547K
TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT IN GREATER MANCHESTER
£305K
NEW MONEY BROUGHT INTO THE REGION
760
BED NIGHTS GENERATED
1,025
DELEGATES (+120% INCREASE)
60
INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES
£365K
BED NIGHTS GENERATED
£356
AVERAGE DELEGATE SPEND
£457K
ADDITIONAL IMPACT (WITH MULTIPLIER)
How we calculated this:
- Based on EventIMPACTS methodology (endorsed by UK Sport, VisitBritain, EventScotland)
- Benchmarked against Marketing Manchester Conference Value & Volume 2024
- Conservative 1.5 regional economic multiplier
- Local spending discounted to avoid overstating impact
2026 Conference and Festival Partners
Programme Partner
Festival Partner
Production Partner
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More Information
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The team at BEYOND are so good at gathering all of the key thinkers and doers in the sector together — they always pull in the right crowd. The creative industries evolve rapidly, and BEYOND enables you to be part of that conversation
Rehana Mughal
Director – Creative Economy
British Council
"The BEYOND Conference created exactly the kind of high-level, future-focused platform our sector needs... The event was expertly curated, bringing the right partners into the room to spark new collaborations and deepen international connections. It offered a much-needed space where policy, industry and research could meet meaningfully around shared creative innovation priorities."
DR. NANA YU-I LEE
SENIOR RESEARCHER
TOM FLEMING CREATIVE CONSULTANCY
“ BEYOND 2025 in Salford Quays was one of the most informative and inspiring 3 day conferences I have been to in many years, giving a national and international focussed round up of emerging technologies, inventive methodologies and creative endeavour at scale in the immersive tech and media sector.”
CARL GRINTER
THREE WISE MONKEYS STUDIO
“...This was honestly one of the best conferences I have been to. Meeting so many new people with aligned interests reminded me why I do what I do.”
TIA-MONIQUE UZOR
THE ROYAL CENTRAL SCHOOL OF SPEECH AND DRAMA
“Just reflecting on two brilliant days at#Beyond25 in Salford - and a reminder if needed of how much creative & digital innovation is driving change across the UK.”
DAN WALLMAN
Ceo
TECHNATIVE