Bath Digital Festival returns next month with a focus on three impactful themes reflecting the city’s historic foundations and its modern global reach.
Sport, space and cities will act as the cornerstones for the three-day festival, which takes place between 14 and 16 May.
TechSPARK, the information hub for all things tech in Bristol, Bath and the West of England which curates the festival, selected the themes not to explore Bath’s heritage but to challenge and change perceptions of the city as it is today.
Bath Digital Festival’s launch day on Tuesday, 14 May will be dedicated to sport and life sciences, with attendees able to interact with the latest tech innovations in sport, as well as meeting the teams behind these developments.
Topics for the sessions throughout the day will range from psychology, technology and sport; including augmented humans, the role and business of e-sports, leadership, the future of the Olympic Games, and how tech is driving the world of sports and life sciences.
Wednesday, 15 May will take cities as its theme, with events at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution showcasing the cutting-edge developments that are being woven into our cities.
While Bath may be one of the UK’s oldest and most historic cities, Bath Digital Festival will explore how its businesses are using the latest advances in extended reality, the Internet of Things, new energy sources and materials science to preserve its heritage and build communities fit for the future.
The final day - Thursday, 16 May – is devoted to space. Long home to the UK’s largest aerospace cluster, the West of England’s expertise in materials science, electronics, and data is now being utilised in space to forecast climate change, connect remote communities and protect critical satellites from hazardous space debris.
As a result, Thursday will kick off with a showcase at Newark Works of the tech helping humanity take its place among the stars.
Sessions throughout the day will ask big questions, such as ‘What right has Bath got to talk about Space’ and ‘What has NASA ever done for us?’ The role of Women in STEM and innovation, opportunity and ownership will also be explored.
TechSPARK managing director Ben Shorrock said the festival reflected the city of Bath, but not as most people know it.
“Forget about Jane Austen, this is all about cutting-edge tech,” he added.
“Bath has an incredible and well-deserved cultural heritage. But peel back the Georgian Regency and you’ll find that there is actually so much more to the city than you likely ever realised.
“The 2024 Bath Digital Festival will explore how Bath’s past has shaped its present and how we can tap into the challenger mindset of the city’s cutting-edge businesses to build a better tomorrow.”
Bath Digital Festival curator Lucy Paine said: “To describe this year’s festival in a word, it would be curiosity.
“The curiosity to explore what’s out there, to take what seems to be the impossible and turn it into something real.
“Whether that’s how to detect glucose levels through your skin, how green initiatives are doing more than just making our commute more sustainable and how, 250 years on from Herschel, the region has built on their astronomical legacy.”
Thursday 16 May will also mark the 10th anniversary of techSPARK becoming a non-profit organisation – with the milestone marked by a special party.
There is still time for businesses to get involved with the festival, including hosting their own fringe events.
Any interpretation of the themes can be explored – individuals do not have to be rocket scientists to get involved in the space day, techSPARK said.
For more information on Bath Digital Festival or to send in ideas for events, visit https://techspark.co/bdf
