MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Interactive Futures will return in January 2020.
The two-day event – which is funded by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), Warwickshire County Council, and Warwick District Council along with the support of local industry – will return to the Royal Spa Centre Leamington in early 2020 following the success of the inaugural event earlier this year. Highlighting “the region’s heritage within the UK video games industry” the conference will “showcase to the industry and to the general public the rich seam of talent within the Leamington Games Hub”.
On Friday, January 31st, 2020, Interactive Futures will host to an Indie Investment Forum, a special ‘speed dating’ event where studios will have the opportunity to meet investors, publishers, and advisors, along with a conference which aims to highlight key issues relevant to the region and the wider games industry.
On Saturday, February 1st, Interactive Futures open its doors to the public and students to “inspire the next generation of talent with career opportunities the key focus for the day”.
“Conference topics will include Levelling Up: What skills and qualifications are required for a career in games, How we made it: Young indie developers discuss their careers, Beyond coding: Why there’s a career in games for everyone and much more,” a press release stated. “The day will also feature practical activities for all, the chance to try out the best of the games created in Leamington, competitions and esports challenges plus a CV clinic and portfolio reviews for students.”
Stacy O’Connor, digital creative lead at the CWLEP, said: “The first Interactive Futures was a major success with over 1,700 games enthusiasts, students and industry professionals attending.”
“This is one of the key sectors that the CWLEP supports and there will once again be a vast range of content to appeal to a cross-section of the community to become involved,” added Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council. “We look forward to welcoming back the Interactive Futures games festival in 2020. Last year’s event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the world-class talent we have in the region, and really put Warwickshire on the map as a career destination for the fast-moving games industry.
“We are proud to be the home of Silicon Spa which plays such a key role in our thriving economy. The range of activities planned will appeal to a wide audience, from games developers to young gaming enthusiasts, and we are confident it will go from strength-to-strength as a flagship event in the UK gaming calendar!”
“We are so proud to once again be holding this event in Royal Leamington Spa,” added Joanne Randall, strategic economic development officer at Warwick District Council. “This is an opportunity to build on the momentum we achieved in 2019 and continue to help this important business sector to thrive and grow in the area. In particular, we are excited to be hosting the Indie Investment Forum to help individuals and organisations taking the next steps to develop their ideas and plans.
“We’d urge people to come along to find out how significant our growing Leamington Games Hub is to our local economy and how they can be a part of it.”
