Semi-Permanent

About Semi-Permanent

11 YEARS / 36 EVENTS / 9 CITIES
5 COUNTRIES / 300+ SPEAKERS
250,000+ ATTENDEES / 40 EXHIBITIONS
36 AFTER PARTIES / 16 EVENT BOOKS

Global Creative Festivals

One of the largest events of its type, Semi-Permanent is a creative platform spreading art and design inspiration. It consists of a conference and side events which include exhibitions, competitions, workshops and parties. It’s a week long celebration of all things design. Graphic Design, Film, Art, Illustration, Web Design, Photography, Visual Effects, Animation, Graffiti, Motion Graphics, Stop Motion; all these things and more. Semi-Permanent explores the diverse and exciting design world bringing together exceptionally talented artists and designers to speak at the event.

Starting in Sydney, Australia in 2003, the event has established itself over the last ten years as a leader in presentations and exhibitions throughout the creative world. With annual events hosted in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Brisbane, plus events in Los Angeles, Portland, New York, London, Wellington, Perth, Hong Kong & Stockholm, Semi-Permanent is a truly global platform that inspires people from a variety of cultures. We will be adding new side events and other projects to the Semi-Permanent yearly lineup and have some exciting partnerships to share with you all.

We’ve had some great speakers over the years; Christian Allzman, senior Art Director at George Lucas’s world renowned visual effects agency, Industrial Light & Magic, spoke of the work he had completed on big budget movies such as Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean; Pro-skater, photographer and artist Ed Templeton enthralled the crowd with his unique take on the art world and then skated off stage, rail sliding down the side stage walkway; Photographer Charlie White freaked the crowd out not only with his bizarre photos but also with the intensity and passion he conveyed during his presentation; Weta Digitals Christian Rivers spoke of his role, and gave some insider gossip, on the Academy Award winning Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The list goes on and on and on.

However, it’s not only our speakers that make the event special. It’s the atmosphere and spirit that the audience itself brings with them. Throughout the days of the event there is an amazing feeling of inspiration and energy. A sense of shared views and ideals. Of like-minded people who have much to learn and also knowledge to impart. It’s a casual atmosphere where new friends are made and new colleagues discovered. It’s this that sets Semi-Permanent apart from other more corporate conferences, a shared feeling that you belong to a community. That you're a creative individual, not just a commodity.

The event, however, is not just a conference. Our side events give Semi-Permanent a festival-like atmosphere with a number of different events running throughout the host city. These include exhibitions, parties and workshops. Examples of exhibitions run in the past include the highly popular Curvy exhibition which showcases artwork from female artists and designers from all over the world; an exhibition of work by renowned comic book artist Paul Pope; the SP Graffiti & Street Art exhibition that included such artists as Obey Giant and Banksy; and the Sketchel exhibition which included work from over 500 different artists. The exhibitions, along with opening, VIP and after parties, add extra depth to the overall event giving attendees a variety of activities to choose from.

We hope that you'll be able to make it to an event or to interact with Semi-Permanent in some way and look forward to meeting you all.

The Team

Murray Bell. Co-Founder / Director
Andrew Johnstone. Co-Founder / Director
Lucy Rose. USA Event Organiser & Partner Manager
Simon Velvin. New Zealand Director
Phil Knox. CFO
Julia Ashwood. Event Manager
Laura Murdoch. Partnership & Sponsorship Manager
Matt Pike. Digital Manager