Digital City Festival
The annual event series that brings together the digital and tech sectors from the North of England and beyond will return in April 2024
Over five days, across multiple venues in Manchester, the Festival features a series of anchor and fringe events. We invite the wider digital and tech sectors, from startups to global groups to get involved and host fringe events to help connect and inspire the community.
Fringe event applications close on Friday 16 February 2024.
You can also get in touch with our team to find more about sponsorship and speaking opportunities!
ABOUT DIGITAL CITY FESTIVAL
Brought to you by Prolific North, the purpose of the Festival is to showcase the North’s thriving digital and tech ecosystems, and support further growth and investment. Home to the leading tech hub outside of London (Greater Manchester), and with a combined £28bn digital ecosystem, the North is a hotbed of innovation and talent – attracting global companies, like Amazon, Booking.com and Roku, whilst developing home-grown startups and scale-ups.
The North of England makes a compelling offer – with access to a globally competitive workforce, supported by graduates from across 25 universities each year, excellent support networks and collaboration across a robust digital infrastructure.
Companies based here raised more than £500m in 2022, further evidence to validate the North as a tech hub of international significance. In order to continue this fantastic story of success and innovation, we know businesses, support organisations, as well as the education and public sectors in the North need to continue to collaborate and share ideas. The 35+ events across the Festival week are the perfect opportunity for businesses to:
- Share and explore trends and research
- Reach a dedicated professional audience
- Shape the future of our digital industries
- Highlight the region’s innovation on a global stage
A HISTORY OF DIGITAL CITY FESTIVAL...
2020
Launched with an exhibition at manchester central
2021
broadcast live from media city with 2 weeks of digital events
2022
back in person at manchester central
2023
pivot to content focused festival – 10 partner & 3 anchor events
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024...
Now in its fifth year, the 2024 Festival will feature six anchor events that will provide an opportunity for sponsors to directly engage with the Festival’s core audience and other Festival partners.
From 15 – 19 April, across Manchester & beyond – prepare to be inspired as we bring together the leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers and brands that make up the North’s thriving digital ecosystem.
There are a range of sponsorship and speaking options available – from speaking slots to headline partnerships – all designed to help you engage with your audience and make your mark. Reach out to the team today for more details.
"Events of this kind are key to delivering our ambition to be recognised as a world-leading digital city region and more importantly will unite the digital sector, create new partnerships and celebrate the people, businesses and organisations so instrumental to growing our influence on the world stage."
Andy Burnham, Mayor for Greater Manchester
2023 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
We're now accepting applications to host fringe events as part of digital city festival!
Have you got an idea for an event in the tech or digital space? Get in touch today to become part of the program for Digital City Festival 2024.
