Industry body Manchester Digital has announced a full re-launch and re-brand of its annual Digital Skills Festival, taking place in February 2025.
For over a decade, the Digital Skills Festival has been a cornerstone event, uniting the tech community across Greater Manchester. Now it has been re-designed for a new era to help propel the growth of the regional tech sector.
Katie Gallagher OBE, Manchester Digital’s managing director, said: “Manchester is one of Europe’s fastest growing tech hubs, and Greater Manchester is home to over 86,000 professionals in the tech sector.
“Our re-launched Digital Skills Festival is designed for the tech sector to collaborate and ensure that we are bringing in a diverse set of talent into the tech industry. We would encourage all tech businesses to get involved with this opportunity to showcase their commitment to innovation, diversity and community impact.”
This year's festival will focus on key themes—pathways into technology, talent, diversity, leadership, and of course, skills. The event runs from Monday, February 10 to Thursday February 13, at three iconic cultural venues which will be transformed into hubs of innovation, talent, and leadership.
Highlights include a celebration of diversity led by our flagship programme Digital Her, the return of the ever-successful Talent Day with an emphasis on early pathway options, an exciting tech competition for school-aged children and an exclusive VIP Leaders Evening, called Digital Skills Feast, to wrap up the week in style.
The colourful and striking new branding has been designed by Stockport-based design agency GOTO Creative, which is bold, vibrant and signifies the new look and structure for the whole festival.
Alison Ross, chair of the Manchester Digital Board and chief people and operations officer at Auto Trader, added, “The Digital Skills Festival brings together the tech sector and looks at how we can collectively work together to encourage more tech talent, increase diversity within the sector and grow innovation.
“Developing a talent pathway and bringing in new entrants to the tech industry with the right key skills is paramount to the growth of the whole sector across our region.”
We are thrilled to be welcoming AtkinsRéalis as our Festival Headline Sponsor for 2025.
Sam Stephens, Head of Digital says "AtkinsRéalis is proud to celebrate Manchester's thriving tech community as Headline Festival Sponsor, of the 2025 Digital Skills Festival. Our north west teams are forging ahead with the digital innovation needed to deliver sustainable infrastructure, nuclear and clean energy, and we're looking forward to sharing the wealth of our career opportunities in Manchester to help power a net zero future."
The festival headline sponsor is Atkins-Realis and Amazon is the Future Innovators Supporter.
Festival overview:
Monday, February 10, 2025 - Future Innovators
New to the Digital Skills Festival 2025, we kick off the week by celebrating the future stars of the tech industry—young innovators from across Greater Manchester.
This event is the final of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Schools Competition, a prestigious event designed to push boundaries in technical education, supported by Teen Tech. The day will showcase the finalists and their projects, and they will then be presenting their work to a panel of judges including the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and senior execs from Amazon.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - Digital Her Day: Driving Diversity
Digital Her: Driving Diversity offers an inclusive, interactive alternative to the traditional conference, featuring action-learning workshops, topic-focused panels, guest speakers, and meaningful networking opportunities.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 - Talent Day
Talent Day is our flagship event, attracting over 2000 attendees, with a focus on early careers and pathways into the tech industry. Taking place at New Century Hall, this day offers unparalleled opportunities for brand visibility, talent acquisition, and skill-sharing.
Thursday, February 13, 2025 - Digital Skills Feast: A VIP Leaders Evening and Dinner
An exclusive gathering of leaders, policymakers, and change makers at a regional and national level at The Revolution Gallery at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).
Friday, December 14, 2025: We Love Digital Skills - A Digital Week in Review
Friday is dedicated to celebrating the week’s successes with a digital reflection on everything we love about skills in the tech sector.
For more information, click here.
