NI Firms To Take Part In South By Southwest

NI firms will be demonstrating how they're at the cutting edge of the development of immersive technologies when they take part in the world's biggest showcase for the creative digital industries next week.

A total of 23 local companies – four early starts supported by Belfast City Council alongside 19 supported by Invest NI – are travelling to Austin, Texas this weekend, to take part in South By Southwest (SXSW).

"Belfast City Council plays a key role in supporting the development of the creative digital industries in Belfast, with a key focus on the film, television, digital content and music sectors," explained Alderman Guy Spence, who is leading the council element of the delegation.

"South by Southwest is a key business development initiative as part of the council’s wider support for the growth of the sector. Our participation - a collaborative project between Belfast City Council, Generator NI, Invest Northern Ireland, Digital Catapult NI and the Department for International Trade in Westminster - is designed to showcase the wealth of expertise, innovation, economic value and investment opportunities available in Belfast's creative digital sector to a targeted audience in the USA."

The 23 companies are drawn from a wide range of sectors within the creative industries, including film and music production, analytics, app development, healthcare and virtual reality projects. During their stay in Austin they will take part in a range of workshops, showcase events and demonstrations.

The delegation will also be accompanied by six local music acts - Ciaran Lavery, Jealous of the Birds, Silences, Ryan Vail, New Portals and Robocobra Quartet – who will participate in a special St Patrick's Day showcase event.