Groningen to host conference on creativity and innovation

The city of Groningen will play host to an international conference, dubbed ‘Music meets Technology,’ which will focus on innovation in the creative technology industry. The event will take place between January 17 and 19 early next year.

The MXT, as the new initiative is called, hopes to become the premiere European event for bringing together organizations and professionals focused on the creative tech industry and its potential to change our future and shape the music and artistic expression of tomorrow.

Groningen, with its vibrant start-up and scale-up culture, will host the conference as a part of promoting its ambitious plan to become the country’s innovation engine and a hotbed for new technologies. Branded with the title ‘the youngest Dutch city,’ with average population age 7 years lower than elsewhere in the country, Groningen adjusts easily to new trends, one of the most popular ones being innovation and technological breakthroughs.

The first day of conference will take place at Groningen’s Kasteel Noorderpoort, a former university physics laboratory turned event venue located just a stone’s throw from the city center. The program includes a HackBattle which will feature a diverse range of speakers who represent some of the foremost voices on the trends and innovation. According to the organizers, the ‘battle’ will also bring together “developers, designers, storytellers, and digital creatives from around the world to build some amazing hacks related to the music/creative industry.”

On the 18th and 19th, there will be panels where entrepreneurs from around the continent will show off their visions for the future of music industry, as well as workshops where the organizers will challenge the participants to collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs and potential investors.

The MXT aims to provide a forum to bring ideas together and inspire solutions that not only address the disconnect between companies and creatives but also contribute to the establishment of long-lasting partnerships between “the best and brightest in the creative and tech industries.”