London's Home for Making Brings World-renowned Maker Faire to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

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Technological advances have sparked a global renaissance in making, and the barriers to ideas becoming physical products are quickly being broken down. Companies at the cutting-edge of this movement are making a future of intelligent things that use technology and data to learn how to be more efficient and smarter in a world of connected objects that has been dubbed the 'Internet of Things'. Gartner estimate that by 2020, there will be nearly 26 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things.

A gathering of makers and aspiring makers, Maker Faire has been at the forefront of driving this movement since 2006. It is an award-winning event that brings together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors to show what they have made, and to share what they have learned. It was launched by Maker Media in 2006 and in each subsequent year has grown in popularity and reach. In 2013 more than 530,000 people across ten countries attended a Maker Faire.

There are currently two annual flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York, as well as nearly 100 mini Maker Faires around the globe. In 2013 demand for Maker Faires grew most in Europe. 47% of attendees to Maker Faires in 2013 were visiting for the first time.

Here East's partnership with Maker Faire is a further part of the cluster's unique offer to the creative, digital and TMT industries. The maker movement in east London has grown rapidly in recent years, with companies including Sugru, Technology Will Save Us, Makie and BERG leading the way in creating innovative products and transforming the way these products are delivered to market.

Commenting, Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, said:

"Here East is London's home for making, and I am delighted that we have agreed an exclusive partnership to bring the world's foremost maker event to east London.

"Maker Faire has brought together and spurred a vast movement of makers around the globe, while east London is leading the way in technological and product innovation. I very much look forward to welcoming Maker Faire to London, and to building on the incredible reception we have had for our plans at South by Southwest in Austin."

Dale Dougherty, President & CEO of Maker Media, added:

"We are excited to be bringing Maker Faire to London, an international hub for culture, education, and making. By partnering with Here East, we're continuing the momentum we've experienced around the world and tapping into an incredible community of makers focused on creating, building and making their future.

"Maker Faire, as a global platform, connects makers, fosters the growth of startups, inspires and accelerates innovation, and supports the education channel through STEM initiatives. Maker Faire is truly the Greatest Show and Tell on Earth, and we are proud to announce Maker Faire London as our newest flagship event."

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

"This latest good news is yet another example of how Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is attracting the cream of world class international events. In turn this is propelling forward our vision to cultivate a hotbed of tech talent on the site creating thousands of jobs."

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of LLDC commented:

"I am delighted that Here East are bringing Maker Faire to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This is another step towards creating a vibrant destination for local people and visitors that will be a focal point for world class arts and events, sports and leisure.

"As the Park opens to the public on 5 April, this is another part of our plan to create a new heart of east London - bringing jobs, skills and training opportunities to local people."

Here East will provide a dedicated location for these companies and individuals who are embracing and pioneering cutting-edge technology to create the products of tomorrow. It will build on the remarkable explosion of creative and digital businesses in east London, a place where small companies, looking to scale, will co-exist and collaborate with large companies seeking to become more creative.

Notes to Editors

About Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth-a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement.  It's a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather together to show what they are making, and share what they are learning. Located in Sebastopol, California, Maker Media has been widely credited with jumpstarting the worldwide Maker Movement, which has been a transforming force in innovation, culture, and education. In addition to publishing MAKE Magazine and producing Maker Faire, Maker Media develops "getting started" kits and books it sells through its Maker Shed store as well as other retail channels.

About Here East

Here East is a unique location on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park that will provide a new home with state-of-the-art infrastructure for the creative and digital industries. It will include a range of versatile spaces, bringing together global companies with London's most innovative start-ups to collaborate and learn from each other. It will feature three main buildings: a 300,000 sq ft innovation centre; a 1,045 seat auditorium; and an 850,000 sq ft building housing educational space, broadcast studios, office space, and a state-of-the-art data centre. Here East is being developed by iCITY, a joint venture between Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company, and Infinity SDC, the UK's leading data centre operator.

Contact details:
In UK: Sarah Norman +44-(0)7765-698394 / [email protected]
In US: Bridgette Vanderlan: +1-727-278-2888 / [email protected]

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