Hello Digital Public Participatory Programming (PPP) Brief

Invitation to Tender

Introduction
Project overview
Hello Digital is the Midland’s largest digital media festival. It combines an annual
industry conference with a showcase that encourages and enables the widest
possible audience to engage with digital content and technologies.

The inaugural Hello Digital event, held in October 2008, attracted over 5,000 people
to a series of events across the West Midlands region, including c600 people to the
industry conference.

Based on the successful 2008 event, Hello Digital 2009 will be strongly aligned to the
Digital Britain agenda focusing on the opportunities and challenges this brings
around digital adoption, skills and use. In particular, the Hello Digital Conference -
‘Being competitive in a digital world’ on Wednesday 21st October 2009 at Millennium
Point, will address what businesses need to do to be competitive in a digital world
and succeed economically, with the overarching theme of new ways of working, new
content, platforms and business models and how we help develop skills for the digital
age.

As well as delivering the conference, Hello Digital will spearhead four large, public
facing projects in order to attract and engage the widest possible audience. These
projects will target the following audiences:

• Young People aged 8-19

• Senior Citizens 55+
• Creative Producers and Artists
• Bringing Communities together

Vision
The vision for the event is one which puts Birmingham and the region at the
heart of digital media in the eyes of the rest of the UK and beyond, exploring
the potential of digital media in terms of artistic product, audience development
and engagement, and enterprise.

Hello Digital aims to:

• Ensure that Birmingham and the West Midlands are widely recognised as
being at the heart of digital media
• Ensure that all the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands have the
opportunity to engage practically with digital media in all its variety
• Provide opportunities for innovation and creativity through digital media
• Develop skills and encourage people to prosper through the innovative use of
the opportunities made possible with digital media
• Provide opportunities to learn through digital media

Hello Digital’s three core themes are:

• Access – for all through and with digital media, to empower the widest and
most diverse range of audiences, users and content providers
• Creativity – to stimulate, support and showcase original digital content,
especially though networking, sharing and mutual learning
• Enterprise – to develop skills and confidence, empowering people to be
media literate to make the most of the opportunities presented by digital
media

In addition Hello Digital will focus on these core values:

• Innovation and excellence

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 • Diversity and inclusion
• Global dimension and reach – including environmental issues

Management
Hello Digital is a partnership project managed by a Partnership Board and
Operations Advisory Group Sub Committee comprising; Birmingham City Council,
Arts Council England West Midlands, Advantage West Midlands, Digital Birmingham,
Screen WM, Business Link and Marketing Birmingham.

Hello Digital delivery will be managed by the Operations Advisory Group that
includes members of the Partnership Board and will be led by Birmingham City
Council’s Festivals & Initiatives Manager. The Operations Advisory Group will report
in turn to the Partnership Board.

The Brief
On behalf of the Hello Digital Partnership Board, Birmingham City Council is seeking
to appoint an individual, company, partnership or consortium to create a vision and
deliver a bold and inspiring public participatory programme (PPP) which will deliver a
year round programme to coincide with the 2010 conference and events.

The PPP will need to fit into the core themes of access, creativity and enterprise
targeting:-

• Young People aged 8-19 – Engaging schools, community groups, schools,

colleges etc through a range of activities and participation to develop digital
projects through various mediums
• Senior Citizens 55+ – Providing the opportunity for a generation that may not
have knowledge, confidence or access to basic digital technology
• Creative Producers and Artists – Drawing on and challenging the
producers of cutting edge digital art and technologies
• Bringing Communities Together – Targetting Birmingham’s priority
neighbourhoods, local communities, groups and individuals etc through
various digital initiatives e.g. Mobile Phone, Interactive Digital TV/Web based,
Virtual worlds etc

The PPP should also support the overarching themes of the Hello Digital Conference
around new ways of working, new content, platforms, business models and how we
can develop skills for the digital age.

The PPP will be announced at the Hello Digital Conference on 21st October to
highlight a year round presence through workshops and events, culminating in the
2010 Hello Digital conference and events.

The Partnership Board will encourage and support innovative collaborations between
individuals, companies and organisations to ensure these target groups are reached
and to strengthen Birmingham and the Region’s position at the heart of digital media.

Tender for Public Participatory Programme (PPP) Delivery

Purpose
• To create a vision and deliver a bold and inspiring programme which will
break new ground for public participatory work in the city around digital media
• To develop and deliver the programme content aimed at young people, senior
citizens 55+, creative producers and bringing communities together
• To ensure the activities include a showcase of projects and activities which
support the overarching theme of new ways of working, new content,
platforms and business models and how we help develop skills for the digital
age at the October 2010 event

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 • To ensure each project complies with the necessary Hello Digital marketing
and monitoring requirements set by Birmingham City Council on behalf of the
Partnership Board.; pulling together the overall programme for the PPP event
• To liaise with the Festivals & Initiatives Manager at Birmingham City Council,
Digital Birmingham, Fringe Activities Co-ordinator, Marketing and Web
development contractors to ensure effective planning and to enable the
widest possible engagement with the event by the public as creators,
participants and attenders
• To ensure you do not discriminate, directly or indirectly, in relation to
equalities legislation and that you also comply with employment legislation
and codes of practice

Tasks
• To respond to the outline brief and propose a detailed bold and inspiring
programme

• To identify, explore and attract any additional funding

• To provide full budget breakdown and oversee budgets

• To commission content as necessary to fulfil the agreed programme,

contracting artists as appropriate.

• To ensure that the planned programme is accessible, enabling engagement

with the event by the maximum number of participants, as creators, attenders
and participants

• To oversee all aspects of the presentation of the artistic programme, ensuring

quality and value for money

• To manage efficiently and enable the planned programme to be realised in a

timely and cost effective manner

• To regularly update the Festivals & Initiatives Manager, Digital Birmingham,

Fringe Activity Co-ordinator, Marketing and Web development contractors to
input into the planning process and ensure cohesion between these
elements.

Hello Digital rationale

Hello Digital will develop a programme based on the themes of “digital inclusion” as it
aims to target a wide and diverse cross section of the communities of Birmingham
and the West Midlands.

Hello Digital will support the development of a “digitally literate” society, that is able to
participate and compete effectively in business locally and globally, produce new and
innovative products, have access to highest quality knowledge and facilities through
businesses arts and educational institutions to utilise digital technology for leisure
pursuits and all aspects of their daily lives.

Hello Digital will also offer the opportunity to showcase and platform regionally
developed projects supported by programmes including Channel 4’s 4iP, Screen
WM's Digital Media Fund and Arts Council’s Digital Content Development

Of central importance will be the content that will be shared and showcased
throughout the year on and through the Virtual Venue and Digital online ‘hub’ as well
as via the linked pre-existing sites. This hub should therefore mirror the nature and
aims of the event itself by making full use of social networking possibilities and user
control. In terms of assessing the uptake of the event it is also vital that the

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 engagement of online users (both registered and casual) be taken fully into account.

Reporting requirements

Tender Process
Bidders are invited to provide a separate A4 sheet on their proposed ideas and
outline their style of approach to the project. The tender proposal should be no more
than 2,000 words (excluding appendices) on how they will meet the requirements
specified above.

The Bidders will need to be available to start straightaway once appointed.

We would expect tenders to show

Relevant experience in this field and reasons for wanting to work on the project

Staffing arrangements to support the delivery of the project

Full budget breakdown (including expenses), including number of days, tasks to be
carried out

Timetable

CVs of personnel(s) carrying out the project

Contact details
Information required in addition to your proposal:

Information about your organisation/business including a brief overview of size,
previous clients, previous work experience relating to this brief, annual turnover
and current equal opportunities policy.

Two recent references

Selection Process

Deadline for Tender Tuesday 1st September 2009 at 12 Noon

Shortlisting Panel Tuesday 8th September 2009
Interviews Held Friday 11th September
Successful/unsuccessful notifications Tuesday 15th September 2009
Contract starts Wednesday 16th September 2009

Budget
Please specify your fee and days (inclusive of all accommodation, travel and out of
pocket expenses) for creating and overseeing the artistic PPP to support a year
round programme to coincide with the 2010 conference and events.

We anticipate spend of £80K on the programme and £20K for management.

Closing date for proposals

Responses should be received by Tuesday 1st September by 12 noon. Please
send your proposal by post to: Julie Sutton, Arts Administrator, Birmingham Museum
& Art Gallery Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH
E: Julie.A.Sutton@birmingham.gov.uk

Enquiries about any aspect of this brief should be addressed to:

Sophia Tarr, Festivals & Initiatives Manager
Email: Sophia.Tarr@birmingham.gov.uk, Tel: 0121-464-9675