‘Leeds 2023 provides the perfect playground for connecting culture with tech’

Emma Beverley, Executive Producer for Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, writes here for the YEP.

Leeds is home to some of the world’s most innovative digital companies and networks.

ARE YOU PLUGGED IN? Leeds Digital Festival panel discussion. From left, Greg Wright (Deputy Business Editor Yorkshire Post), Anna Doble (Editor Newsbeat Online BBC), Kate Nash (Director Of Education Leeds University School of Media & Communication), Ana Jakimovska (Head of Product Sky News) and Tom Philips (UK Editorial Director Buzzfeed).
PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe — ARE YOU PLUGGED IN? Leeds Digital Festival panel discussion. From left, Greg Wright (Deputy Business Editor Yorkshire Post), Anna Doble (Editor Newsbeat Online BBC), Kate Nash (Director Of Education Leeds University School of Media & Communication), Ana Jakimovska (Head of Product Sky News) and Tom Philips (UK Editorial Director Buzzfeed). PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

placeholder image — ARE YOU PLUGGED IN? Leeds Digital Festival panel discussion. From left, Greg Wright (Deputy Business Editor Yorkshire Post), Anna Doble (Editor Newsbeat Online BBC), Kate Nash (Director Of Education Leeds University School of Media & Communication), Ana Jakimovska (Head of Product Sky News) and Tom Philips (UK Editorial Director Buzzfeed). PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Gaming, virtual reality, data, artificial intelligence – you name it we’ve got it. Events like Leeds Digital Festival highlight their significance with over 45,000 people from over 60 countries experiencing the annual virtual festival last year and I can’t wait for the 6th edition to kick off next week from April 27-9. It’s all online, and it’s all FREE. Leeds 2023 provides the perfect playground for creating stronger connections between culture and technology and we’re going to harness the immense power in both. Whether that’s by creating extraordinary digital experiences that are easily accessible for our audiences, inviting people to reimagine the city or generating creative digital solutions to global problems.

We’ll be exploring what ‘A Digital Leeds’ looks like with a group of incredible people during

Leeds Digital Festival and I would love for you to join us. Come and investigate the hidden ecosystems found in forests with artists Invisible Flock or join talks with leaders in digital art and gaming. Have a walk around the new online world created by Closed Forum and try the playful possibilities that open up when we look at our city as a virtual world.