Leeds Digital Festival set to double in size for 2017

The 2017 Leeds Digital Festival is set to see a significant increase in the the number of events compared to its first year in 2016.

Last year’s festival saw 56 events take place during the week across 28 venues, whereas this year’s will see around 115 events take place, with over 10,000 people expected to attend.

Taking place over 22-29 April, hundreds of Leeds-based firms and speakers will be taking part in the festival, including large employers such as NHS Digital and Sky Betting & Gaming, as well as agencies such as Bloom and Epiphany.

Events cover a number of categories from data to coding to fintech and sports tech. There are also a number of events aimed at encouraging girls and women to choose careers in the digital sector.

Goal, the most-shared brand on social media worldwide, will be running a digital review of football. Other international brands represented include Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo, with speakers flying in from the US, Canada and Estonia.

Col Needham, the CEO and founder of IMDB, will be presenting the inaugural Leeds University Cultural Institute Short Film Prize, and Andrew Percy MP, the Northern Powerhouse Minister, will be speaking on a panel discussing the importance of digital in the northern economy.

Stuart Clarke, festival director, said: “It’s great to see the digital community of Leeds come together to build the Leeds Digital Festival. The Festival is an open platform which truly belongs to the city, not to any one particular group or individual. This year firmly establishes Leeds as the Largest Digital Festival in the North”.

Rob Shaw, CEO of NHS Digital, the city’s largest digital employer, added: “As one of the city’s major technology employers, we are delighted to support Leeds Digital Festival.

“We look forward to being part of this week of events which will showcase the city’s impressive digital credential and to opening our doors to show a little bit more of what we do and why we do it.”

Louise Handley from lawyers 3volution also commented: “The line up of events is fantastically varied and there’s pretty much everything from showcasing the latest digital innovations to practical advice on how to run a successful tech business”.