This year’s free event will take place at the Royal Spa Centre on Friday 11 February 2022 and will be structured around five core themes: voice, placemaking, pathfinding, engagement, innovation and will be presented via a series of panel discussions and presentations, with this year’s version of the event shorter than previous years, with sessions taking place from 10 am – 2:30 pm.

The running order and sessions for the event can be viewed on the Spark website, with the full list of speakers announced over the coming weeks.

The programme of sessions includes arts, health and wellbeing, creative freelancing, CultureFest and Warwick District Council Arts Grants. Anyone interested or working in craft, film, TV, video, radio, photography, museums, galleries, performing arts or visual arts, to name a few, is encouraged to apply to attend the event. Primarily focusing on Warwick District, it is open to anyone who wants to find out more about the area’s creative scene and how they can help celebrate, promote and grow the sector.

David Guilding, Arts Manager at Warwick District Council said:

“We are delighted to be hosting the Spark Ignite event for the third year in a row, following the success of previous symposiums. The Arts team has developed this year’s programme at Warwick District Council with the support of the Warwick District Creative Compact. Providing sessions to help new and established creators from the District turn creative talk into action, the event will showcase the brilliant people, organisations, projects and initiatives.”

Councillor Liam Bartlett, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Tourism and Leisure, said:

 “The Spark: Ignite symposium is a fantastic opportunity for the many arts organisations and creatives from South Warwickshire to come together to promote and grow the sector, with attendees getting the chance to learn about upcoming projects and initiatives that will be happening in the area over the next 12 months.

“The event provides a brilliant opportunity to discover more information on a range of subjects. There is something for everyone at Spark 2022, so sign up for tickets today.”

Last year 580 delegates attended the Spark virtual event from the Districts creative sector.

Spark: Ignite 2022 is free to attend; for more information and to register, visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/spark

At this year’s Spark event Warwick District Council and the Creative Compact will be discussing the CultureFest event, which will celebrate the incredible arts and heritage venues, artists, and creatives in the District in a month-long festival of Culture with events and activities taking place across Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth and Whitnash from Saturday 16 July to Sunday 21 August 2022.

CultureFest aims to encourage the people who live, work, and visit the area to discover or rediscover world-class venues, artists and find new stories and experiences by young people and emerging talent.

For more information on CultureFest 2022, visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/culturefest