BEYOND 2021: More Speakers & Sessions Revealed!

With less than three weeks until BEYOND 2021 kicks off online and in Belfast, we wanted to share more of our fantastic speakers and sessions with you. We have a wide range of innovators and creative industry experts joining us to share their knowledge and insight, providing an opportunity for delegates to join other thinkers, makers, investors and researchers, as we come together to explore the role of creativity and the creative industries in forming and navigating new places.

Photo by Tobias on Unsplash

Augmenting Places: AR for the People

As the medium becomes more popular, what responsibilities do AR makers have to place – and the communities that live there? Angela Chan, an expert in innovative inclusion in storytelling, talks to leading AR makers to find out how it can be used to open up both places and our imaginations for new encounters with history, our environment and each other – before questioning how we should address the potential issues around accessibility, inclusion and ownership that this opening up of place can unlock.

Join us for this discussion panel and Q&A with: 

Angela ChanHead of Inclusion / Doctoral Researcher at StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London

Charles GoldingCreative Director of CARGO Movement

Rob MorganCreative Director of Playlines

➤ Dr. Paul Clarke – Senior Lecturer in Performance Studies at ​​University of Bristol &  Artistic Director at Uninvited Guests

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

The New Heavy Industries: Building Belfast’s Creative Economy

The Screen Media Innovation Lab (SMIL) is bringing Virtual Production facilities to support the fast growing creative economy of Northern Ireland, but the vision goes beyond physical infrastructure. This session tells the story of how SMIL came about and asks what is the real value and true potential of both Virtual Production and SMIL.

Join us for this discussion panel and Q&A with speakers: 

➤ Dr. Declan Keeney – Director of the Ulster Screen Academy at Ulster University

➤ Professor Anthony Lilley MBE – CEO of Scenario Two

➤ Eric Carney – Founder of The Third Floor  (Game of Thrones VFX company!)

Photo by Kayvan Mazhar on Unsplash

Materiality in the Metaverse: Tools to Thrive in the New Spaces of Fashion

Fashion experts from academia and industry explore the distinctions between the three levels of the new Fashion Metaverse, the opportunities and issues presented by each, and the tools required to support the next generation of designers and fashion entrepreneurs as they navigate these new worlds and markets.

Join us for this discussion panel and Q&A with: 

Jade How – Head of Fashion at Lockwood Publishing Ltd

➤ Professor Jane Harris – Professor of Digital Design and Innovation at University of the Arts London

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

Wide Open Spaces: Building Rural Creative Networks

A third of creative business hubs are outside of the UKs big cities. Beyond them lie thousands of small innovators and entrepreneurs, many in remote places. Geography sets unique challenges as they grow, but these places are also ideally placed to reinvent themselves for the digital age. This panel looks at how networks are being built that will drive innovation and growth, with: 

Joanne EvansCreative Industries Impact and Partnerships and Development Manager at University of Exeter

Dr. Karen CrossAcademic Strategic Lead for Fashion Management, Events, Tourism and Hospitality at Robert Gordon University

Emily SorrellInnovation Designer

➤ Dr. Josh Siepel – PEC Work Strand Lead for Creative Clusters, Innovation and Access to Finance at SPRU, University of Sussex and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre 

More Session to be Confirmed in the Coming Weeks

Make sure you check out the BEYOND schedule for the full rundown of events over the two days of BEYOND (20-21 October), plus all the details on the extra special events taking place on the 19th & 22nd of October in Belfast.

See you there!