Five creatives to join Burnham at South by South West festival in Texas

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is to attend creative event South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas next month as part of a bid to promote Manchester’s creative industries.

He will be joined by senior officials from local authorities and five selected creative businesses from Greater Manchester.

Burnham last attended SXSW in 2023, where he was joined by New Order. He has made no secret of his ambition to create a similar event in Manchester.

For the third year, GM Business Growth Hub is helping creative businesses to attend. Joining this year’s delegation, are Scoop PR and Opulence Pictures from Manchester, Play XD and Gas Music from Salford, as well as NALA Creative from Rochdale. 

Burnham said: “Our growing relationship with Texas, particularly in the technology and advanced manufacturing sector, has already created significant opportunities for both regions.

“At SXSW, we’re not just showcasing Greater Manchester’s success – we’re presenting the collective strength of a city-region that’s rapidly becoming one of Europe’s most exciting business destinations.

“This delegation represents our largest and most ambitious presence at SXSW to date, reflecting the scale of opportunity we see in strengthening ties between Greater Manchester and Texas.”  

“Attending SXSW is a wonderful opportunity for creative businesses in our region,” asserts Becki Coen, Digital, Creative and Technology (DCT) Programme Manager at GM Business Growth Hub.

“SXSW is a vibrant hub of innovation and creativity, where thousands of brilliant minds come together to forge new connections and explore international markets. Returning to SXSW for a third consecutive year gives us a platform to showcase Greater Manchester as leader in the creative industries, as well as providing the opportunity for our cohort of businesses to develop new relationships in the US and ignite fresh ideas, massively boosting their growth both regionally and on a global scale.”