XpoNorth
XpoNorth is Scotland’s leading Creative Industries festival and provides year-round support for creative businesses in our region. The 2020 festival was delivered digitally earlier this year.
XpoNorth - the festival
Save the date - XpoNorth 2021
XpoNorth is delighted to announce that XpoNorth 2021 will take place on Wednesday 16 – Thursday 17 June 2021.
XpoNorth’s 2021 event will return as an interactive digital conference integrating a broader range of immersive experiences through its specially designed XpoNorth App. This year’s inaugural online edition attracted over 6,000 participants and the team is looking forward to extending the scope and range of this engaging and exciting delivery model.
XPONORTH 2020 goes ahead as a digital festival
An immersive digital edition of XpoNorth 2020 took place earlier this year across our original dates of Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June. Having re-imagined our physical delivery, we worked hard to design a highly immersive conference experience - offering attendees, partners and participants a host of interactive touchpoints across our content suite.
At a time where it’s essential the creative, digital and heritage sectors come together to discuss our common welfare through a short and long term lens, XpoNorth offers unique access to leading industry insights and discussions on the overriding theme of how we individually and collectively adapt to this unprecedented impact on our industry.
XpoNorth 2020 saw a host of leading regional, national and International voices unite to discuss the key themes emerging across the Creative Industries and offered unparalleled experiences for our delegates to join the conversation more directly.
Above the conference content, the virtual delegate experience included dedicated training spaces, networking opportunities, specialist advice sessions, showcasing hubs and social spaces.
Background to XpoNorth
Under normal circumstances, the festival attracts over 2,000 delegates from around the world. XpoNorth is the perfect opportunity to meet leading industry figures - as well as a wide range of businesses from across Scotland.
The annual Inverness-based event is Scotland’s leading creative industries festival and offers delegates access to an exceptional creative programme. The only festival of its kind in Scotland covering craft, fashion and textiles; writing and publishing; screen and broadcast; digital and technology; and music.
By day, XpoNorth hosts a packed programme of seminars and workshops featuring leading local, national and international professionals from across the creative sector. By night, the festival sets the city alight with creativity - from the event’s firmly established new music showcase sound tracking a host of city centre venues with over 60 of the hottest new acts around, to a specially curated short film programme and a range of relaxed networking events.
The magic of the festival is its unique atmosphere; events are all set against a backdrop of the beautiful Highlands of Scotland in midsummer.
XpoNorth is funded by HIE, Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and the Northern Innovation Hub and delivered by Ironworks Venue.
For me, the beauty in XpoNorth lies in how it can link across creative sectors and introduce talents and buyers who might never otherwise have engaged.Iain Hamilton, Head of Creative Industries, HIE
Fearless Business Week
XpoNorth recently announced its first ‘Fearless Business Week’. This will be a full range of practical business support workshops to address the unanswered questions surrounding the industry during the current Coronavirus pandemic. The workshops will run from 26-29 October.
LevelUp!
Students at the University of the Highlands and Islands with a desire to work in the creative industries will benefit from a range of opportunities to help them get their careers started thanks to the new LevelUp! initiative with XpoNorth.
OMMF!
As part of its ongoing commitment to provide specialist sector support to the creative economy, XpoNorth is proud to present OMMF! The one minute movie festival open to all aspiring filmmakers. With lockdown grinding the movie industry to a halt, OMMF! aims to be a celebration of storytelling online, providing a chance for filmmakers and film-enthusiasts alike to submit a 60 second movie from any genre from documentary to animation which will be screened at the two-day digital festival on the 26 and 27 November.
Find out more here
Creative Industries Network
XpoNorth is also a creative industries network that provides year-round business support and help on our behalf. This network supports creative businesses based across the Highlands and Islands to achieve their goals in the fields of screen, broadcast, gaming, writing, publishing, design, craft, fashion, textiles and music.
XpoNorth Digital
XpoNorth Digital is a dynamic new programme which offers clients specialist advice on how to progress the digital and technology elements of their business.
CUPIDO - Online Heritage Workshops
Following the success of the 'Heritage at Home' and 'Museums at Home' programmes, our next series of live virtual events began on Wednesday September 9. Learn how technology can help you reach your audience in new ways - find out about audio, video, virtual reality and much more.
More information
Learn more about Scotland's leading creative industries programme.
