Futuresonic/FutureEverythingThe UK’s leading festival for digital culture, celebrated worldwide, and based in Manchester.

Est. 1995.

Our MissionOur mission is to position Manchester as a bright, contemporary, ultra-modern place of radical thinking.

AwardsFutureEverything was nominated for the prestigious Lever Prize 2009, and the Director, Drew Hemment, received an Honorary Mention at Ars Electronica 2008.

Scale3 days and nights300 artists100 events30 venues

What is it like?It is an urban festival of art, music and ideas

ArtThe world renowned Art strand presents astonishing artworks, including many world firsts. Themes include society, technology and the city plus this year Environment 2.0.

MusicThe festival takes over the finest venues in Manchester for a celebration of musicianship and a salute to those who perform on the cutting-edge. It encompasses many genres and spans generations, with a focus on the white heat of tomorrow.

ConferenceThe Social Technologies Summit is a leading international conference that explores the latest upgrade affecting today's digital culture. It presents pioneering ideas, which will transform the way you and your organisation operate, innovate and interact.

Why did we start it?Because we couldn’t live without it.It is creatively driven, artist led.

Why in Manchester?The festival has deep roots, and has been shaped by and shapes the city of Manchester.

If Original Modern is about "the now," Futuresonic is about "the next thing."

AudienceLast year it attracted an audience in excess of 50,000 people and its acclaimed conference, the Social Technologies Summit, attracted 900 people over three days, with 22% of delegates from outside the UK.

Stats51,000 people in 200853% were aged 16 - 245.5% of audience international 51.5% from outside Greater Manchester (based on sample)

Media Footprint£26 million (IPBC)

On the opening day of Futuresonic in 2007 there were only two items on regional TV news, Tony Blair's resignation and the Futuresonic exhibition.

ImpactFestivals have a disproportionate impact because they are the occasions when creatives and technology companies launch new updates and have maximum visibility.

An international communityThe festival is a destination for a world-wide community of creative visionaries in digital art and contemporary culture.

At Futuresonic everyone is a participant.

Rapid prototyping future cultureIt is the only festival in the world conceived as an accelerator and rapid prototyper for future culture. It creates a space where new ideas, technologies and forms of culture can be tested and presented.

World FirstsFuturesonic presented in 2006 the first fully realised live show using the TENORI-ON by Yamaha and Toshio Iwai. It was so successful that it led Yamaha to stage the worldwide launch exclusively in Manchester and London in partnership with Futuresonic.

World FirstsFuturesonic presented the first major art exhibition worldwide on mobile and locative media (Mobile Connections, 2004) and the first major art exhibition on social networking (Social Networking Unplugged, 2008).

Relationship to creative economyIt is an international hub for Manchester and the region, drawing visitors, inward investment and opportunities for local talent on a global stage.

Joined upThe festival is embedded in university research, and is increasingly embedded in business networks and support, so that there is seamless transition between the inspiration space of the conference and year-round support and engagement.

DelegatesArtistsSenior Management Directors Developers

Sectors: Media, Technology, Creative Industries, Science, Academia, Arts

Existing International Market GermanySwedenNetherlandsChinaSouth AfricaAustraliaUSA

Dr. Drew HemmentFounder and Director

His work covered prominently by New York Times, BBC and NBC, awarded an Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica 2008. A leading figure in the fields of Social Technologies and Locative Media.

Associate Director of ImaginationLancaster rated 4th in the UK in Art and Design.

In 2010 Futuresonic will return as FutureEverything

www.futureeverything.org

With thanks toFutureEverything has been awarded Pillar Status by Manchester City Council, Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO) status by Arts Council England, and three year funding by Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Thank you to all the partners, funders, supporters and participants, without you the event would not be possible.