The Asia Triennial Manchester takes place in November, with a focus on the design and digital sectors.
Future Cities – Future Business Opportunities is a new strand for the Triennial, which is the only one dedicated to contemporary visual art outside Asia.
Conceived and curated by Alnoor Mitha, a senior research fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University, the goal is to exploit global links with Asian markets to promote Manchester’s digital expertise.
Among the speakers are Ajaz Ahmed, founder of Freeserve and chief executive of AKQA; Ismael Ertürk, an expert in banking at Manchester Business School; Mohammed Isap, director of group strategy at Hobs Reprographics plc; Professor David Crow, Pro-Vice Chancellor (internal communications) and Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design at MMU; Raomal Perera, tech entrepreneur and an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD; and Mike Emmerich, chief executive, Manchester New Economy.
Organisers say that the Triennial attracts more than £12m of economic activity and more than £5.9m of economic impact in the Manchester city region during its showcase.
Should the event prove successful, the team hope it will become an annual occasion.
It has been funded by Knowledge Exchange Innovation Fund (KEIF), and is in partnership with the Centre for Enterprise at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School.
