A new week-long festival celebrating the North’s booming digital sector is to take place in Manchester next year.

Brought to life by publishing company Prolific North and events organiser Don’t Panic, Digital City Festival will take place in venues across Manchester between March 9th and 13th 2020.

The festival’s centrepiece event will be Digital City Expo, a two-day exhibition taking place on March 11th and 12th and hosted at Manchester Central Convention Complex.

Digital City Expo will unify Marketing Show North, eCommerce Show North and Tech Show North, three industry expos that have been successfully hosted by Prolific North for a number of years.


The Expo will be completed by the new Media Zone, which will be dedicated to celebrating the North’s thriving media companies, independents, boutique agencies, disruptive start-ups and scale-ups.

Other events will include networking events, a dedicated awards ceremony, reception drinks, masterclasses and more, bringing together digital leaders from across the UK.

Digital City Festival is supported by a steering panel made up of influential Northern business figures, including Tim Newns, Chief Executive of MIDAS; Herb Kim, TEDxManchester founder; Liz Scott, Head of Entrepreneur Engagement at Tech Nation; and Jon Corner, Chief Digital Officer of the City of Salford & CEO of The Landing, MediaCityUK.

Digital City Festival will form a significant part of Manchester City Council’s ambition to become a “leading digital city-region”.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said he and the city are “committed to taking an open, innovative and connective approach” to becoming a digital world leader.

Martyn Collins, Festival Director, said: “Digital innovation is a defining feature of the North of England, and Manchester is at its heart. Digital City Festival will highlight the very best of such an exciting industry, providing unmissable opportunities for businesses and brands across the country.

“Collaboration between digital businesses is vital to the success of the sector, and that’s where we come in. For one week, Manchester will explode with digital innovation, learning and connectivity – and everyone is welcome to be part of Digital City Festival next March.”

Register to attend the Digital City Expo on 11-12 March 2020 here