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Web developers, digital innovators and tech professionals are gearing up for the sixth annual Umbraco Spark innovation conference, returning to Bristol this spring at We The Curious on Friday 20 March 2026. Organised by Bristol digital agency Gibe Digital, the event has become a fixture for developers from across the UK and Europe to share insights, ideas and practical knowledge around the open‑source Umbraco CMS and broader .NET ecosystem

Speaking about the conference, Steve Temple, Technical Director and Co‑founder of Gibe Digital, describes Spark as “a calendar highlight” that brings together “so many talented developers from the amazing Umbraco community.” Steve adds that the event leaves attendees “feeling inspired, armed with fresh knowledge to take your Umbraco projects to the next level.”

This year’s programme features a single main track of deep‑dive technical talks, practical demos and forward‑thinking sessions on topics such as load‑balancing for scalable apps, Umbraco Search, next‑generation back‑office features, and experimenting with AI‑driven accessibility tools.

Schedule Highlights:

Thursday, 19 March – The day before the main conference kicks off with a full-day Hackathon & Package Jam for the community, followed by a pre-party at a local game bar with ping pong, bowling, karaoke, food and drinks.

Friday, 20 March – A Harbour Run at 7 AM starts the day, followed by registration with coffee and pastries. The main track runs 9 AM–5:30PM, featuring technical talks, lightning sessions and demos. The Package Awards celebrate standout contributions, and the day wraps up with an after-party. Attendees also benefit from lunch, refreshments, a free cloakroom, and quiet/multi-faith rooms to support wellbeing.

Tickets & Pricing: Standard tickets cost £150 + VAT, available until the end of February or until sold out. Grab your ticket here.

Umbraco Spark continues to cement Bristol’s status as a hub for creative tech events — combining local community energy with the global expertise of the Umbraco ecosystem.

As proud members of Bristol Creative Industries, Bristol24/7 would like to extend an invite to fellow BCI members to their upcoming Bristol Legends event at Ashton Gate on 6th March. This is a new initiative to celebrate the city and raise vital funds for independent journalism, social impact projects as well as for AntiBanquet and the work they do to tackle food insecurity in the city.

Bristol Legends will be an incredible celebration of Bristol’s culture, creativity, innovation, positivity and its many incredible communities. It will feature a three-course dinner from Josh Eggleton, the AntiBanquet team and other top Bristol chefs; a very special award show hosted by Jayde Adams; some amazing Bristol performers; and quite a few surprises along the way. The room will be full of 750 people from Bristol businesses and beyond, including some of the city’s leaders in culture, innovation, sustainability, community and beyond.

Bristol24/7 are now looking to engage individuals and businesses who are in a position to take tickets or a table at the event or to donate tickets or table to those who can’t afford to attend. We’re delighted to be able to offer a discount on full tables for BCI members. Please get in touch will [email protected] if you’d be interested in joining us. In the true spirit of collaboration, members may like to come together and purchase a combined BCI table or two…

The awards show will be followed by a party in a transformed concourse which will include some truly legendary Bristol bands and djs, a full spectacular show from the Invisible Circus set to a live musical score, holograms of local heroes of the past and a very special guest. Separate tickets for the Bristol Legends Party can be purchased here.

A legendary evening awaits…

 

 

Thanks to all the love and support from our amazing community, we have been named the 8th best workspace in the UK by the 2025 Tallys, and the highest ranked workspace in the South West.

All there is to say is thank you. To our members, our supporters, our incredible team, and to everyone who makes Square Works what it is.

When we started Square Works way back in 2019, we could never have imagined the amazing community we would build over the years – to be ranked so highly amongst many other incredible workspaces across the country is a privilege, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

To find out more about The Tallys and why Square Works has been ranked #8 in the UK, click the link below.

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BRAVA (Bristol Academy of Voice Acting) is delighted to announce that it has received two Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) Award nominations.

Best Podcast Host 

The nominations are for Outstanding Podcast – Best Producer/Host – for BRAVA Founder and CEO, Melissa Thom, for the High Notes podcast on the art and business of voice.

From Monoglian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming and more, High Notes uncovers the craft behind the business. Series 3 has just dropped and explores ‘Words at Work’, talking to some of the best minds about voice, speech and communication for business.

Best Audio Drama

BRAVA has also been nominated for Outstanding Audio Drama for Angels in Bristol, an original Film Noir script based in 1954 Bristol, written and directed by Elaine A. Clark, and produced by Melissa Thom.

Elaine wrote the script exclusively for BRAVA’s in-person Characters Masterclass, held in Bristol every summer. This annual event provides participants with the opportunity to be cast in and record a range of productions, from audiobooks, to audio dramas, video games and more.

Melissa Thom, Founder & CEO of BRAVA said:

“I could not be prouder of everyone at BRAVA involved in these nominations. It’s a real testimony to the talent of our voice clients. Here’s to storytelling, community, and the power of voice; to putting Bristol and the South West firmly on the global voice map; and, most importantly, to creating art for pleasure!”.

BRAVA’s High Notes podcast is hosted and produced by Melissa Thom, audio and video engineer Euan McAleece, and audio and video editor, David Macgregor.

The Angels in Bristol cast: Carla O’Shaughnessy, Tiffany Xin, Marilla Lamour, Tina Duffin, Gwen Henderson, Tyler Woodburn, Guy Pass, Daniel Watson, Amy Smith, Rebecca Kozlen, Tabitha Owens and Melissa Thom. The Producer was Melissa Thom and Assistant Producer, Tabitha Owens.

To work with BRAVA on voice, speech and communication in the workplace and beyond, drop us a line at [email protected] or visit our website at www.brava.uk.com

 

 

Bristol-based video games Creative and PR agency, Diva, has been named one of the UK’s ‘Best Places to Work’ in the UK gaming industry, as recognised in the 2025 GamesIndustry.biz awards.

GamesIndustry.biz, a leading website for the global video games industry, held its annual UK awards ceremony at the Royal Institution in London on October 2, 2025. The awards celebrate excellence among UK games companies, recognising their staff and overall impact on the industry. Diva was among 23 winners selected across various categories, which include company size and specific areas of excellence.

This recognition coincides with Diva’s 18th anniversary. Founded in 2007 by Andy and Suzy Barnes, the agency operates from Bristol, with a Dutch office in Culemborg and an international network spanning North American, LATAM and EMEA, as a full-service creative and PR partner for entertainment brands, game publishers, and developers. Clients range from AAA publishers and brands to indie developers including industry names such as Sony PlayStation, Activision, Bethesda, Disney, 505 Games, Arc Games, VOID Interactive, and Bandai Namco.

“When we founded Diva in 2007 we wanted to build an agency in Bristol where people could grow and thrive, so we are immensely proud to be recognised as one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ in the UK gaming industry. After 18 years of producing globally reaching creative campaigns for some of the biggest names in gaming this award is an incredible achievement for everyone that has made Diva what it is today and those that drive it forward.” – Suzy Barnes, Diva CEO

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Get in touch if you are interested in working together, we would love to hear from you: [email protected]

Bristol-based creative agency saintnicks has been awarded Gold at the Digital Impact Awards, recognising its work with POSCA, part of Mitsubishi Pencil Co. The win came in the ‘Best Community Development’ category, celebrating the agency’s success in growing and nurturing an engaged creative community on social media.

The Digital Impact Awards highlight excellence in digital stakeholder engagement and the power of online brand communication. saintnicks’ campaign for POSCA focused on building authentic relationships with artists and makers across the UK, showcasing their creativity while amplifying the brand’s cultural relevance in the creative community.

Fraser Bradshaw, CEO at Saintnicks, said:

“We’re incredibly proud of this recognition. It celebrates not just great creative work, but the genuine connections built between brands and the people who love them. The POSCA community embodies everything we believe in – creativity, authenticity and engagement that lasts.”

The award-winning campaign brought together art, culture and community to celebrate creative expression and inspire participation. A full case study of the work can be viewed below.

Integrated brand agency saintnicks has taken home two honours at the UK Social Media Awards 2025, reinforcing its position among the country’s leading independent creative agencies.

Competing against ten national and global network agencies and household names including Waitrose, TUI, Specsavers and Currys, saintnicks claimed Gold for “Best Long-Term Strategic Use of Social Media” for its partnership with Ascot Racecourse, and added Silver for “Best Integrated Campaign” for Royal Ascot.

The UK Social Media Awards celebrate excellence in creativity, innovation and impact across the industry. These latest wins mark saintnicks’ fourth major award of 2025, recognising the agency’s ability to deliver standout results for high-profile clients against world-class competition.

“This recognition reflects the strength of our team and the quality of work we deliver,” said Fraser Bradshaw, CEO of saintnicks. “It’s great to see our efforts acknowledged and to have our clients’ trust reaffirmed through results like this.”

The win reflects saintnicks’ continued success in delivering social media strategies and campaigns that break through the noise. The agency’s award-winning work for Royal Ascot can be seen here.

Looking ahead, saintnicks will be continuing to push boundaries in social and content, with fresh ambitions for 2026 and beyond.

If you’d like a chat about your challenges or request a complimentary social audit, drop them an email and say hello. You can find out more about our social media and content expertise here.

saintnicks has been shortlisted in two categories at The Lovie Awards 2025, recognising the agency’s standout work in Digital, Content, and Social Media. The nominations come off the back of a flurry of other nominations, including four at the UK Social Media Awards, two at the Sports Business Awards, and one at the Digital Impact Awards.

The Lovie Awards recognise European Internet excellence in the fields of culture, technology & business. In addition to traditional judging, each category has a People’s Lovie Award, voted on by the public.

You can support saintnicks by clicking the links below and placing your vote ahead of the deadline on Thursday October 16th:

Email Newsletter – LIV Golf
Events & Livestreams in Social Media – Ascot Racecourse

Regarding the nominations, Callum Joynes, Head of Content at saintnicks, said:

“We’re over the moon to be recognised at The Lovie Awards this year. It’s a celebration of the creativity, ambition and craft that our team pours into every project for our clients at LIV Golf and Ascot Racecourse, and we’re proud to see that work shine on a European stage.”

saintnicks has been nominated for ‘Best Community Development’ at the Digital Impact Awards for their work across social media with POSCA UK.

The Digital Impact Awards set the benchmark in digital stakeholder engagement, celebrating the best digital communications from brands. This nomination recognises the creativity, strategy, and measurable impact of saintnicks’ partnership with the Mitsubishi Pencil UK team.

Inbound activity to POSCA’s social media channels has quadrupled, and the brand’s own response actions have increased more than tenfold. The brand was sent and tagged in over 10,000 pieces of social content in just the first four months of 2025.

Cath Eaton, Social Media Manager at saintnicks, said:

“In just a short time, our partnership with Mitsubishi Pencil has built a vibrant, engaged community on social media, that delivers real results. This nomination for the Digital Impact Awards is a fantastic recognition of the dedication and collaboration behind our work – something the whole team is incredibly proud of.”