SEPTEMBER 2024: Major brands and international creative industry back new Barcelona festival, Blend.

Major global powerhouses Nike, Snapchat and Ogilvy have joined key creative industry businesses in backing the new Barcelona-based creative industries festival, Blend.

Leading design association FAD (The Fostering of Arts & Design), international events venue Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona Design Week, Art Directors Club Europe and digital arts festival MIRA have all agreed to be founding partners of the B2B event.

Taking place on 8 November, in Fira de Barcelona’s magnificent Montjuïc venue, Blend is an international one-day festival, designed to unite creative minds and brands to learn, imagine and develop high-impact collaborations together.

Colocated with the iconic digital arts and contemporary music festival MIRA, Blend will be jam-packed with carefully curated content including keynotes from true agents of change, avant-garde art installations, immersive experiences, transformative workshops, insightful panel discussions and live performances.

Speaking about the importance of partnering with Blend, MIRA’s co-director Marc Gomariz,was keen to underline Blend’s support and promotion of cross industry collaboration:

“Blend champions artistic collaborations across creative disciplines and boosts the creation of new projects, supporting the relationships between collectives, associations and artists, which perfectly aligns with what MIRA stands for, making them the perfect festival for MIRA to collaborate and co-locate with.”

 Salvi Plaja, president of the FAD said: “We believe that creativity is the key to developing ideas that will lead us to a better future in social and environmental terms. Blend will be a unique setting for creative professionals and businesses to be inspired by the most disruptive projects on an International scale. That is why the FAD community will be there”.

 Isabel Roig, the director general of Barcelona Design Week, said: “We are happy to partner with Blend to support the cultural and creative industries sector and fuel the growth of the creative economy,” commented Roig.

Already confirmed to be speaking or unveiling work at Blend is world-renowned crossover artist Trever ‘Trouble’ Andrew aka GucciGhost, inspiring Nigerian-born British photographer, entrepreneur, and social activist Misan Harriman, visual artists desilence, and Harry Yeff, aka Reeps100. Yeff is known across the creative landscape for his focus on performance, vocal experiments, and digital installations.

Key themes at Blend 2024 will be the power of art in social adversity, how to disrupt the norm through Ai, unleashing the superpower of mind diversity and breaking creative barriers through collaboration.

There is expected to be a high demand for the festival with the spaces limited to attend the industry-backed festival.

Speaking about Blend’s founding partners, Blend’s festival director Adam Gough commented on the importance of partnering with key creative industry names. 

“We feel honoured to be launching Blend with the support of such esteemed founding partners,” commented Gough. “Their experience and advice have been invaluable in the creation of Blend, helping us to formulate a creative industries festival like no other.”

 “Alongside our launch partner Fira de Barcelona and festival partners FAD, MIRA, Barcelona Design Week, Art Directors Club of Europe and Creative Lab, we are very much looking forward to welcoming key members of the creative industry to Blend on 8 November.”

Blend’s one-day event will include:

• 3 Immersive installations that challenge the way we see the world
  4 Pioneering keynote speakers
• 4 panel discussions by 12 diverse industry experts and next-generation disruptors
• 2 interactive workshops full of experiential and immersive learning
• 1 networking ‘Breaking Bread’ lunch
• 1 after party

Although initially a one day event in 2024, the festival will expand into a multi-day show in 2025 and beyond. 
  

Full Blend 2024 Lineup

Speakers:

GucciGhost aka “Trouble’ Andrew”
Misan Harriman – Photographer & Activist
Harry Yeff aka REEPS100 – Voice Artist
Resh Sidhu – Snapchat VR Studio Creative Director
Dora Osinde – Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy Germany
Joana Astolfi – Artist & Architect, Studio Astolfi
Steven Apampa – EMEA Nike Football (Athletes) Brand Marketing
Tatiana Halbach and Søren Christensen – Desilence
Rahmon Agbaje – Loud Parade
Luis Conde – Fuego Camina Conmigo (Digital Agency)
Laura Serra – Executive Producer, Canada
Xavier Cardona – Boldatron
Chamo San – Artist & Draftsman
Solimán López – Digital Artist
Mans O – Musical Artist
Neil Floyd – Set Decorator
Agniia Galdanova – Film Director / Writer
Anton Aluja Olesti – Architectura
Mian Maranon – Production Designer
Manon Dave – Musician
Margarita Sader – Paradiso Bar & Restaurant

Moderators:

Liam Aldous
Isabelita Virtual

Dome / Installation / Music:
Melon Bomb
BDW
ADCE
Maisara Baroud
Mut Design
Soul Sound Journeys
Makoto Inoue
Manuael Flores
Materfad
Brodas Bros
Fellowship
Ravid
David Méndez Alonso
Eva Kaué

Partners
Animaze – Montreal International Animation Film Festival
Art Directors Club of Europe
Barcelona Design Week
Canada
Elastica Magazine
Elisava University
FAD
Fellowship
FIRA
MIRA
Nike
Ogilvy
Snapchat
Soho House Barcelona
The Creative Lab