University of Salford set to play key role at Digital City Festival

Students from the university will be hosting interviews with keynote speakers and leading leaders in a pop-up studio.

The University of Salford has expertise in the rapidly developing business of esports, and its relationship and synergies with the changing nature of more traditional sports. Attendees will be able to experience a special virtual reality esports gaming showcase, hosted by academics and students from the institution.

They will also be showcasing the work of their Digital Curation Lab, based at MediaCityUK. The lab explores the intersections of digital technology, creative arts, information management, humanities and social sciences.

The event is at the heart of the broader Digital City Festival week which takes place across various venues and will include a festival launch, leader’s reception, awards dinner, and fringe and networking events.

The festival celebrates the North’s booming digital economy, creating opportunities for organisations to connect, innovate and grow together.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, will formally launch the five-day event which will attract digital specialists from around the world to the city, which will transform into a hub for digital - celebrating marketing, tech, eCommerce, media and more.

Sitting on the steering team for the high-profile festival are The University of Salford’s Dr Kirsty Fairclough, Associate Dean of Research and Innovation, and Professor Andy Miah, Chair in Science Communication and Future Media.

They sit in good company among some of the best digitally-savvy minds in city, including Jo Graham, CIO Boohoo Group, Tim Newns, Chief Executive MIDAS and Katy Leeson, Managing Director, Social Chain.

Dr Kirsty Fairclough said: “Greater Manchester is a place of innovation and inspiration and I am delighted to be joining the Digital City Steering Panel to bring together the digital community in all of its forms.”

“Through my experience in arts and cultural leadership across the city region I hope to bring a diverse perspective and connectivity to the Festival. The Digital City Festival will no doubt reflect the city’s digital community; vibrant, ambitious and inspiring.”

Professor Andy Miah adds: “I’m very excited to be supporting the festival’s ambitious plans. Greater Manchester is fantastically experimental and hosts some of the most adventurous artists, business leaders, researchers, and cultural institutions, whose international impact is second to none.”

“I hope that the festival will bring us all closer together as a creative, innovative community, and I will work hard to bring a spirit of inclusive, diverse, and alternative approaches to a world where there are so many fantastic opportunities.”