Newgate Communications has been appointed by The Economist to lead on communications for its Open Future Festival in Manchester.
Aiming to make the case for liberal values and policies in the 21st century in a period of rising populism and authoritarianism around the world, festivals will be held concurrently in Hong Kong, Chicago and Manchester.
Newgate, which has offices in Manchester and Leeds, will run a multichannel campaign to raise its profile.
“The Economist is a globally-respected brand and we are proud to be working together on this important project,” said Andrew Adie, Partner at Newgate Communications.
“Last year Open Future was a huge success and attracted a diverse line-up of speakers including the student leaders of Hong Kong’s umbrella movement, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, which tells you how powerful the brand is. This year the Festival will again have some amazing speakers covering some hugely important issues, particularly in the current social and political climate.”
Newly appointed partner, Ian Morris, will lead the account team in Manchester, working alongside its London operation to manage PR and communications.
“Manchester is pivotal in the history of free trade and political rights, from spinning the majority of the world’s cotton textiles during the Industrial Revolution to being the headquarters of the Suffragette movement,” said Lauren Hackett, SVP of Global Communications at The Economist.
“The rapidly growing and revitalised city is the perfect location for The Economist to host our Open Future Festival, which continues to remake the case for free markets and open societies in 2019.
“We were really impressed with Newgate’s ideas, their in-depth knowledge of the local market and understanding of what we’re trying to achieve with Open Future and we’re really looking forward to working with them to make the Manchester event a huge success.”
