The Tech Event for Everyone
27 AprIL - 29 APRil
20 SepTEMBER - 1 OctOBER
The Tech Event for Everyone
19 April - 30 April 2021
Leeds - The Digital Capital of the North
Digital GVA of £1.3bn
The largest centre outside London for digital, financial and business services
The largest number of data scientists outside London
The highest number of ‘scale up’ digital companies in the North
4,100 digital companies in Leeds (9,000 in Leeds City Region)
102,000 people employed in the tech sector in the Leeds City Region
Home of Channel 4’s new national headquarters
Leeds as a Digital City
Leeds is a dynamic creative hub with a thriving digital economy, the fastest growing outside of London. We have recently been able to attract and provide a home to some of the best and most innovative businesses of the digital age. Channel 4 has chosen to base their national headquarters in Leeds, joining Burberry, Sky and many others in our booming and exciting media, digital film, gaming and creative sectors. The Leeds City Region’s versatile tech sector is one of our greatest strengths, generating £6.5bn to the UK economy.
Leeds City Region is educating new generations of local digital talent and leaders. Our nine universities boast an annual output of 17,800 STEAM graduates. Our achievements and ambition have been recognised by our selection to participate in the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme. This will help us develop an innovation ecosystem to match the best offered to entrepreneurs and digital disruptors anywhere in the world.
Collaboration is “hard-wired” into the way we do business here. We believe that the best, most inclusive answers are those that are arrived at by bringing people together to extract a brilliant diversity of perspective and experience. We want to share our successes with like minded partners from around the world.
Our story so far
The Leeds Digital Festival has gone from strength to strength since it was first established in 2016, with each year seeing the Festival grow in scale and visibility. The Leeds Digital Festival had fairly organic beginnings, starting from a few big ideas from leading tech organisers in the City and a small grant, which set the Festival on its way.
The Festival has expanded year on year, starting with 56 events in 2016, and our new Festivals in 2020 saw 428 events and over 45,000 attendees, becoming the largest tech event in the UK.
Our pandemic-affected festivals in 2020 saw us further develop into an international event, as our virtual nature welcomed attendees and speakers from six different continents across the globe.
With an ever-growing voice and reach, Leeds Digital Festival will continue to celebrate the digital enterprise and innovation that is happening in the City on a regional, national and international level.
A Virtual 2020
Before the government restrictions around Covid-19 were put in place, we were preparing to announce the line-up for our fifth annual Festival, with over 240 physical events confirmed to take place in March 2020. When it became apparent that this would no longer be possible, we made the decision to run the Festival virtually – if anyone can put on a successful online festival, it’s the digital and tech sector!
We were overwhelmed by the amazing response we received from the Leeds tech community, who came together to continue learning, sharing and celebrating throughout this strange time. Thanks to this support, the Festival was able to go ahead with an incredible 134 online events.
The next Festival was planned for September 2020, at a time when we all thought normality would have resumed! Restrictions of course remained in place but the community learned from the successes of the first virtual Festival and the autumn edition grew to an astounding 294 online events.
Not only did the regional community continue to celebrate the innovation and talent we have here in the Leeds City Region – we also truly became a global event, with attendees from over 60 countries and six continents around the world!
Thanks to our 2020 sponsors
The 2020 Leeds Digital Festival was made possible by the generosity and support of these organisations.
Thanks to our 2020 sponsors
The 2020 Leeds Digital Festival was made possible by the generosity and support of these organisations.
#LeedsDigi21
Bigger, bolder, and a wider reach
This year, we will continue to celebrate the people and organisations who make Leeds and the North such a vibrant digital hub as the Festival returns for its 6th year.
For 2021, we’ve decided to keep our main festival event in September. Running from 20th September to 1st of October, we’ll be hosting our usual two-week programme packed full of tech and digital events.
However, In light of the current circumstances, we still wanted to bring a few days of positivity to our audience this spring. So, we’ll also be sharing a free, curated line-up of exciting online content to tune in to from the 27th to 29th of April, meaning that sponsors will once again be able to enjoy the benefits of two festivals in 2021.
While it is impossible to know exactly what position we will be in regarding Government restrictions during 2021, we hope we will be able to welcome at least some attendees back to the city for a number of in person events in September.
We are prepared to embrace ‘hybrid’ style events once again, looking to the future of combining physical and online conferences and the exciting opportunities this can offer. We will also be working to extend the reach of the Festival across the wider Leeds City Region and around the world. Working with our sponsors, we will continue to transcend geographical barriers and allow event hosts, speakers and attendees to connect through the Leeds Digital Festival.
We’ve always had an international element to the Leeds Digital Festival, with visitors and delegations from across the globe. In 2019, the Festival welcomed delegations from the Netherlands, China, Estonia and Saudi Arabia. In 2020, our virtual Festivals saw this reach widen – with attendees from over 60 countries including Australia, South Korea, Argentina, Nigeria and Russia.
Crisp stops toxic, harmful and fake online content from damaging enterprises, social platforms and society across the globe, but our roots are firmly in Leeds. The Festival has played a huge part in highlighting the incredible talent and innovation in Leeds and we’re proud to play a part as Premium Sponsors.
Supporting the Leeds Digital Festival
LEEDS DIGITAL FESTIVAL IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION SUPPORTED BY THE DIGITAL COMMUNITY OF LEEDS.
Without sponsors, The Leeds Digital Festival would not be possible. We need sponsorship to help us celebrate the digital sector in Leeds and show the world the amazing talent and innovative companies we have in the Digital Capital of the North.
Every penny we raise through sponsorship goes into making the Leeds Digital Festival the largest and most inclusive tech event in the UK.
THE BENEFITS OF SPONSORSHIP
SPONSORING THE 2021 LEEDS DIGITAL FESTIVAL WILL CONNECT YOU WITH THE DIGITAL SECTOR IN LEEDS, THE WIDER REGION AND ON A GLOBAL SCALE
THE BENEFITS OF SPONSORSHIP
SPONSORING THE 2021 LEEDS DIGITAL FESTIVAL WILL CONNECT YOU WITH THE DIGITAL SECTOR IN LEEDS, THE WIDER REGION AND ON A GLOBAL SCALE
2021 Sponsorship packages
There is a choice of several different packages available to suit most budgets.
If you need more flexibility or have something special to offer then our team would also be delighted to discuss bespoke options to suit your needs. We also offer advice on how to target your audience during the Festival and throughout the entire activation period.
We will work with you to determine your main goals for sponsorship, whether it be driving talent acquisition or simply raising your profile within the local tech community, and how we can best support you in achieving this.
PREMIER SPONSORS
Activation period: February 2021 - October 2021 Cost: £18,000 +VAT
As one of Leeds Digital Festival’s Premier sponsors your brand will be positioned across all sites, marketing material and digital assets. *
These include:
Logo on LDF website
Logo on all street level and venue posters
Logo on Millennium Square big screen
Logo on Digital Billboards
In addition, you will also receive:
Branded Content Hub on LDF website
Branded content opportunities online and in print
Comment opportunities in press activity
Support to develop bespoke Festival events
Speaking opportunities at key events
Event promotion
EXECUTIVE SPONSORS
Activation period: FEBRUARY 2021 - OCTOBER 2021 Cost: £12,000 +VAT
As one of Leeds Digital Festival’s Executive sponsors your brand will be positioned across sites, marketing material and digital assets. *
These include:
Branded Content Hub on LDF website
Logo on LDF website
Logo on all street level and venue posters
Logo on Millennium Square big screen
In addition, you will also receive:
Support to develop bespoke Festival events
Speaking opportunities at events
Event promotion
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
Activation period: FEBRUARY 2021 - OCTOBER 2021 Cost: £2,500 +VAT
As one of Leeds Digital Festival’s Associate sponsors your brand will be positioned across our website and printed materials. *
These include:
Logo on LDF website
Logo on all street level and venue posters
* This is the current planned promotion schedule, which may change depending on Covid restrictions. We will remain flexible and be able to discuss bespoke options to ensure the relevant coverage for each sponsorship package under the circumstances.
We are a digital health company that works across the UK and overseas but Leeds has always been our home. Leeds Digital Festival highlights what a fantastic city this is to work and live in and the number of excellent tech companies that are based here are testament to that.
WE’D LOVE TO TALK
To start the conversation please contact our Festival Director, Stuart Clarke
Email: stuart@paceline.digital
Call: 07789 845 799
