Beyond Conference

BEYOND’s Growth day on November 25 explores how we fund and scale creative innovation sustainably, bringing together investors, founders, policymakers and cluster leads working to unlock the creative industries as one of the most dynamic investment frontiers of our time.

This breakfast opens that conversation at 8-9.30am - explore good, sustainable growth in practice, from grants and seed investment through to venture capital, debt and accelerator support, including GM Business Growth Hub’s Creative Industries Accelerator. Join funders and founders working across CreaTech and IP-driven growth, offering a practical guide to the investment landscape shaping Greater Manchester’s creative economy.

The breakfast is open to both BEYOND Conference and Festival ticket holders.

Explore the schedule: https://beyondconference.org/b26/schedule/?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Beyond+Conference&utm_campaign=publer

📷 Stuart Jenkins

BEYOND Conference is pleased to announce Prolific North as its Media Partner for BEYOND Conference 2026, taking place at MediaCity, Greater Manchester, on 23-25 November, for the third consecutive year.

BEYOND Conference, now in its 9th year, is the UK’s leading R&D conference for the creative industries, bringing together researchers, industry leaders, policymakers and investors from across the globe.

Ben Waterhouse, Commercial Director said:

“Prolific North is delighted to be a media partner for BEYOND Conference. For nearly 15 years, we’ve championed the people, businesses and ideas driving the North’s creative, digital and technology sectors. BEYOND shares that ambition, bringing together creative leaders, technologists and innovators to explore how the industry is changing and where the opportunities lie. With the North playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s creative economy, we’re looking forward to helping amplify the conversations, ideas and developments that will impact its future.”

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BEYOND Conference names Prolific North as Media Partner BEYOND Conference has announced Prolific North as its Media Partner for BEYOND 2026, taking place 23–25 November at MediaCity, Greater Manchester. Now in its ninth year, BEYOND is the UK’s leading R&D conference for the creative industries, bringing together researchers, industry leaders, policy...

What does the experience economy look like in 2026, and where is it going next? Professor Andy Miah sets the agenda for the first day of BEYOND Conference on November 24 (Experience) by examining forces redefining how experiences are created and valued.

From audience behaviours and AI-driven discovery to participatory culture and the convergence of physical and digital space, he reveals a sector in transition. Drawing on events, festivals, sport and place-based innovation, this session identifies the shifts that policymakers, researchers and producers need to understand and act on now.

Andy is Chair of Science Communication & Future Media at University of Salford.

Explore the schedule - Experience (November 24) and Growth (November 25) and secure your ticket today https://beyondconference.org/b26/schedule/?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Beyond+Conference&utm_campaign=publer

We're pleased to welcome Nihal Arthanayake back to BEYOND as our host for Experience Day on November 24.

Nihal is an acclaimed broadcaster, presenter, interviewer and author, with over 25 years’ experience across radio, television and journalism.

He hosted BBC Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Show for eight years and later fronted Headliners, featuring in-depth interviews across art, books, sport, music, film and TV. He won Interview of the Year at the BBC Radio & Music Awards and has also presented the Penguin Podcast.

We look forward to welcoming Hannah Long, Portfolio Manager at Creative UK, to BEYOND Conference, where she joins Wake the Tiger's Lucy Jarjoura for a session on 'Scaling up, staying weird', on November 25 (Growth).

Wake The Tiger transformed the storytelling ambition of Boomtown Festival into Bristol’s permanent, artist-led Amazement Park. Now the team is taking its original concept to London.

Hannah and Lucy will share the realities of building a category-defying business without a blueprint. Together, they examine the choices, pressures and partnerships behind its growth, from protecting creative integrity to securing investment and expanding at speed. The conversation considers what productive relationships between founders, leadership teams and funders look like, and what it takes to grow an ambitious creative business without losing its distinct identity.

Explore the schedule and buy tickets:
https://beyondconference.org/?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Beyond+Conference&utm_campaign=publer