We always say THU is more than just an art festival or event. We have a mission: to support global digital artists wherever they are, strengthen art communities, and build bridges to connect artists across the world. To stay true to this mission, we have come up with a side-event many of you already know: the Gatherings. 

The Gatherings focus on expanding local art communities globally. We take a taste of the THU experience to different cities, bringing talks by inspirational and influential speakers, live demos by incredible artists, constructive discussions, and a cultural experience to the places we visit.

This year we are introducing the round table discussions, an activity that will be broadcast live on THU TV. Each round table will focus on a particular topic and host experts from different companies to discuss it with the aim of having constructive debates and understanding how to help the industry move forward.

There are other companies who, like us, aim at improving the international digital entertainment industry and communities. Lenovo and Foundry are amongst these. They share our endeavour and without their support, we wouldn't be able to offer this service to the community.

Lenovo is our Global Partner. It supports all our initiatives and has been helping THU pursue its mission for the past two years. There came a time when no one was willing to invest in our dream and we were almost about to give up, but then Lenovo believed in us and we joined forces. During THU, some of the world's most talented artists use Lenovo workstations in various workshops, demonstrations, and high octane art battles. It's an honor for us to be able to provide our attendees with such high-level professional equipment and a pleasure for them to do so.

“Being an advocate for artists and the Media & Entertainment industry is engrained in the Lenovo culture," says Lenovo's Worldwide Industry Manager Rob Hoffmann. "Through our relationships with Foundry and THU, we are proud to support organizations that make a difference for artists.”

Foundry is a new partner and we are very excited to have them on board! They are looking forward to helping us bring about change and unite art communities, while providing them with the best tools available on the market. They are always looking for new ways to empower digital artists around the world to visualize their ideas across all creative industries. Their software advances the art and technology of visual experience and while Foundry likes to partner with those whom they see as creative leaders, we like to work with innovative businesses and people. So this is a win-win. 

Together, this year we are bringing the Gatherings to three cities in Europe, at least for now: London (May 11), Berlin (May 20), and Paris (May 25). Remember these are only the first of many!

Anyone working in the creative industries who wants to learn more about THU, who shares our values, and who wants to connect with artists from opposite ends of the world, should come and join us.