Our half-day conference will include the launch of EMCC’s mini manifesto, laying out our asks ahead of the Holyrood Election in 2026, and two expert panels.
Our first panel will keep the upcoming election in mind, as advocacy experts discuss how the creative industries can engage with Scotland’s political parties and parliamentary processes, to influence funding and policy decision-making.
Host: Catherine Murphy - Executive Director: Engender
Panellists:
- Dr Georgia Grainger - Advocacy Lead: Federation of Scottish Theatre
- Joe Peach - Director: Policy & Public Affairs, Culture Counts
- Samar Ziadat - Policy Officer, Zero Tolerance
For our second panel, we’ve invited leading researchers to discuss how the creative industries can better monitor audience and participant data, and how data can effectively inform EDI policies and practices.
Host: Arusa Qureshi
Panellists:
- Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu, EDI Officer: Musician's Union
- Dr Kevin Guyan, Director: University of Edinburgh’s Gender + Sexuality Data Lab
- Dr Christina Neuwirth, Researcher and Festival Director
Event timings:
10am -2pm, full schedule to follow
Venue address:
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1SR
Access information:
Please find accessibility information for our venue, The Scottish Storytelling Centre, here.
If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please contact us by 30 August.
For wheelchair users who wish to transfer to a seat for the panels, please contact us so that we can ask the venue to remove a seat in the theatre.
Event information:
Please note that this is an invite-only, in-person event and a recording will not be available. If you have a colleague you would like to be invited, please contact us and we can do so:
emcc@engender.org.uk
