From Saville Row to Rock and Roll: XpoNorth 2021 Conference Line up Grows with Addition of Stellar Speakers
A fashion designer, a rock band tour manager and a renowned TV historian have just been confirmed to join the talent in the already thrilling line up speaking at XpoNorth’s annual conference which is taking place in June. ‘New ways of working and storytelling’ will be the theme of this year’s event which will return as an interactive digital conference, and delegates can look forward to an exciting, dynamic programme of national and international speakers from creative, digital and heritage sectors.
In addition to the event’s headline panel talk including historian, author, broadcaster and award-winning professor of history, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, conference delegates attending the two-day event will also hear from historian and broadcaster, Professor Kate Williams. A specialist in modern history, royal and constitutional affairs, she's professor of modern history at Reading University and has presented and contributed to many historical TV shows, including BBC 2’s Young Victoria and Inside Versailles, which delved deeper into the history of the French court as well as being a successful author of historical fiction. Kate will discuss the joys and challenges of writing historical fact and fiction.
True experts in their field, many of the conference’s presenters have authored books, including music industry pioneer, Kim Hawes, who, as one of the first female tour managers, toured with some of the most notorious rock bands including Black Sabbath and Motorhead. Now an author, she is also an educator and life coach helping others achieve their goals within the music industry. Diane Mulcahy, gig economy expert and author will also join this year’s line-up, as well as scientist, inventor and author of ‘Creating Things That Matter’, David Edwards. Sam Delaney, BBC London, Talk Sport and Talk Radio presenter as well as former editor of Heat Magazine, has written three books and will take part in the digital conference alongside Outlander producer, Michael Wilson.
An inspirational line up, also recently confirmed to present at XpoNorth’s conference is Scottish designer, Patrick Grant. Director of bespoke tailors, Norton & Sons of Saville Row, Patrick is a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee and has been recognised at the British Fashion Awards for his work. Ex-International rugby star turned theatre, TV, radio and drama producer, Edward Crozier, will also speak about his experiences of switching from competitive sport to the creative industry.
The international narrative of the Highlands and Islands creative economy, this year’s XpoNorth digital conference will open with inspiring landscape scenes from across the region to evoke a true sense of place for attendees and to bring a little bit of the area to speakers and delegates. Delivered via the XpoNorth app, the conference will offer dedicated training spaces, networking opportunities, specialist advice sessions and a focus on wellbeing and mindfulness. New for this year will be the addition of digital trade stands and applications are now open for companies looking to take a virtual space at the conference.
As the conference draws to a close, Highlands based Neo-trad quintet, Elephant Sessions will be performing songs from their multi award winning albums live at the official afterparty at The Ironworks on Thursday 17th June.
Talking about their involvement Alasdair Taylor from Elephant Sessions said: “The band is originally from Inverness and the surrounding area. We have grown up attending XpoNorth over the years and know how important the creative industry is to the Highlands. There’s a thriving music scene up here with some amazing festivals and venues like the Ironworks which are such a great asset to the area. We are buzzing to be involved!”
Alex Smith, Project Manager at XpoNorth, said, “Last year, our first digital edition of the conference was attended by over 6,000 people making it Scotland’s largest conference at the time. With the superb calibre of speakers we’ve got lined up for this year coupled with much improved interactivity and a wider scope of sessions incorporating wellbeing and practical business support, I have no doubt this year’s conference will be our best attended yet. The opportunities available to learn from some of the best in the creative business, network with peers and unite to discuss new ways of working in this period of accelerated change is not to be missed. I urge everyone in the creative industries from those just starting out to industry veterans to join us on June 16th and 17th.”
