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The 16th to the 20th March 2009 saw the Greater Manchester Brussels Office host Manchester Week, MDDA were on hand to film, stream and tweet the event. MDDA also set-up a LIVE video conference to allow a remote participant to present & interact with one of the events taking place within the European Parliment.

This video gives a flavour of the many events that took place during Manchester Week 2009.

About Manchester Week:

The Manchester City Region is a city of firsts. Manchester was the first industrial city, it is where the first computer was built, where the atom was first split and the first test tube baby born. In the European Year of Creativity and Innovation Manchester Week is an opportunity to share some of Manchester’s latest firsts, via a series of discussions, debates, presentations and performances.

For more information & videos visit http://www.manchesterweek.com
To learn more about the Greater Manchester Brussels Office visit http://greater-manchester.eu/

All arts organisations, whether large or small, will have some kind of marketing strategy, whether through a leaflet drop, a brochure or local press advertising. Yet, as the arts audience begins to move online, the importance of a digital marketing strategy becomes ever more important – and it’s not just about your website and your email, important though these are.

When we were looking to put together a “one day” Digital marketing event for the Arts for AmbITion arts organisations our main challenge was to decide what to include and how to pitch it.

We wanted to put on a day that would appeal across art forms, for venue and non-venue based artforms alike, and which would cover all of the main aspects of digital marketing for the arts; we also had to encompass both the beginner and the expert.

So, quite a challenge – since you can at least a day learning about any one of the topics that we were hoping to cover.

In order to ensure that the day was relevant and up-to-date, we brought in eConsultancy, the leading eMarketing training consultancy, who developed a bespoke training day for us.

The day was built around developing a digital marketing strategy for an arts organisation – so that we could cover, in quickfire format, eMail Marketing, web analytics, Search Engine Optimisation and online PR, within a packed day.

The Bluecoat in Liverpool has recently undergone not just a large building programme and refurbishment but changes in its organisation and focus. At an early stage in its redevelopment, the Bluecoat’s chief executive Alastair Upton realised that digital development was a vital part of this change.

In this video, we have visited the Bluecoat to speak to some of the people who were involved in ensuring that digital development was a key component of the new Bluecoat. Consultants Hannah Rudman and Taylor Nuttall began working with the Bluecoat early in the process, taking account of changes to the building, staff and the organisation in recommending how digital technology could enhance the Bluecoat’s artistic vision.

The challenges that the Bluecoat faced are ones that are common to many organisations. By bringing in external experts, working closely with staff and management, AmbITion is currently working with 15 organisations to take them through a process of digital development. At the Bluecoat, some of the benefits of this approach are already clear, underpinning the artistic vision with the technology that can increase participation and enhance the audience experience.

This video was developed as part of AmbITion, which is an Arts Council England funded programme, working to develop 15 beacon arts organisations across the NW and East of England, using digital development across all aspects of their organisation.

The podcast is part of a wide range of dissemination activities looking at spreading good practice in digital development for the arts. For more case studies, and other examples of good practice visit http://www.getambition.com

As our organisations begin to implement a range of changes, to improve their digital capacity, we wanted to see where they – and their artform – were at.

Lantern House, Litfest and Ludus Dance are all North West based organisations that are using digital technology in different ways to engage with their audience, and support their artistic vision.

This video gives a snapshot of three thriving arts organisations as they begin to “develop digitally.”

The podcast is part of a wide range of dissemination activities looking at spreading good practice in digital development for the arts. For more case studies, and other examples of good practice visit http://www.getambition.com or contact Adrian Slatcher

Manchester is home to a wide range of user groups, run by and for the city’s vibrant digital communities.

From Geekup, to .Net, from Drupal User Group to the Free Software Foundation, Manchester is proving to be a thriving place for freelancers, coders, programmers and self-proclaimed “geeks.” This video takes a snapshot into the world of Manchester’s digital underground, what they do and why.

Looking to make contact? Here’s an ongoing list of users groups in and around Manchester.

Every year a wide range of arts organisations are faced with developing their new website. It can be a daunting prospect – and good websites can be expensive. Making the right decisions about what you want from your website and who you should get to develop it, can be critical. After all, a good website can help promote your brand, showcase your work, sell tickets and merchandise as well as providing an up-to-date, accessible source of information for your audiences.

As the first in a series of video podcasts for the arts, we thought we’d ask some Manchester based arts organisations how they went about doing it – and what their advice would be for any arts organisation who is looking to redevelop their website.

This video was developed as part of AmbITion, which is an Arts Council England funded programme, working to develop 15 beacon arts organisations across the NW and East of England, using digital development across all aspects of their organisation.

The podcast is part of a wide range of dissemination activities looking at spreading good practice in digital development for the arts. For more case studies, and other examples of good practice visit http://www.getambition.com or contact Adrian Slatcher at MDDA via our web comments form.

The Big Chip Awards are run for the industry, not for profit, by independent trade association Manchester Digital, with support and help from industry volunteers.

The awards are known for the highest standards of objectivity and integrity and are judged by a distinguished panel of experts from organisations such as New Media Age, Channel 4, Grey Worldwide and Index Ventures.

Ten years of excellence

Now in their tenth year, the awards were eagerly anticipated by the whole of the North West digital sector. Over the last few years the awards have celebrated some of the best work from the North West’s thriving digital sector. Big Chip Ten took place on 22 May 2008 in New Century Hall, Manchester.

Video produced by Lets Go Global, with support from the European Community European Regional Development Fund.