On Thursday 16 July 2026, CreaTech Frontiers proudly hosted its showcase at STEAMhouse, bringing together founders, academics, industry leaders, investors, partners and stakeholders from across the West Midlands to celebrate the innovative projects supported through the programme.
The event highlighted the creativity, ambition and collaborative spirit that continues to drive the region’s creative technology sector. Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to connect with innovators, explore emerging technologies and gain insight into how the programme is supporting businesses to develop bold ideas into impactful solutions.
The showcase opened with a welcome and programme update from Lamberto Coccioli, Head of Programme for CreaTech Frontiers, who reflected on the programme’s achievements to date and the growing strength of the West Midlands’ creative technology community.
This was followed by an engaging panel discussion, “From Clusters to Catalysts: Powering the West Midlands Creative Economy,” which explored the opportunities, challenges and future of the region’s creative industries. The discussion brought together a wealth of expertise from across the sector and featured:
- David Johnston – Creative Technology Industry Manager, British Film Institute (BFI)
- Hayley Pepler – Head of Culture, Creative Industries and Major Events, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
- Pamela Aculey – Founder and CEO, MIXD Reality
- John Cooke – Entrepreneur in Residence, University of Birmingham
- Dr Jennifer Davies – Business Capability and Technology Lead, MusicFutures
The session was expertly moderated by Karen Newman, Founder and CEO of Birmingham Open Media (BOM), who guided a thought-provoking conversation around collaboration, innovation, regional growth and the importance of strengthening the West Midlands’ creative technology ecosystem.
Following the panel discussion, attendees enjoyed refreshments while networking with fellow guests before exploring a vibrant exhibition of demonstrations from businesses supported by the programme. Alongside the demonstrations, a series of lightning talks gave founders the opportunity to share their projects, discuss their journeys and showcase the impact that CreaTech Frontiers has had on the development of their ideas.
The interactive demonstrations and presentations showcased an exciting breadth of innovation across creative technology, highlighting projects spanning immersive experiences, digital storytelling, creative tools, performance technologies and emerging digital applications. The evening provided valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange and new connections between industry, academia and the wider innovation community.
The CreaTech Frontiers Showcase was not only a celebration of the remarkable work achieved by this cohort but also a reflection of the programme’s wider mission: to foster innovation, support ambitious creative businesses and strengthen the West Midlands as a leading hub for creative technology.
A huge thank you goes to everyone who attended, our inspiring panel speakers, project participants and partners who helped make the evening such a success. We look forward to continuing to support the region’s growing creative technology community!
