A NEW media gathering in Liverpool this weekend could be the biggest of its kind ever seen in this country.

Barcamp Liverpool is being held on Saturday and Sunday, at the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, in Greenland Street, in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle quarter.

The event, billed as an “unconference”, is designed to give people developing new technologies and working in new media the chance to share ideas in an informal environment.

Rather than being a traditional conference with a fixed agenda and a series of speakers, delegates will turn up on Saturday morning and either volunteer to speak themselves or choose which other people to meet.

The first Barcamp was held in Silicon Valley, California, in 2005. Since then, many events have been held across the world, including several in the UK.

Liverpool Barcamp has attracted sponsorship from Yahoo! and Microsoft, which is backing the event party on Saturday. The Daily Post is also backing the event.

More than 170 people have already signed up to Barcamp via the event’s website, www.barcampliverpool.com

Thom Shannon, of event sponsor Glow New Media, says Liverpool’s high world profile in its Capital of Culture year has helped the event attract interest from around the world.

He said the event had been enthusiastically received by the region’s new media community – and said that reaction showed just how strong the sector was in Merseyside.

He said: “This event is looking to be the biggest Barcamp we’ve held in the UK.”

Katie Lips, of Kisky Netmedia, said: “Liverpool is the home of many tech start-ups, seed funds, user groups, geek communities, support organisations and creative technology types.

“The creative industries are thriving and Barcamp Liverpool will be all that.

“While Barcamp is not themed, we know Barcamp Liverpool will bring out the best of the city's digital cultures, showcasing the tech talent on Merseyside.”

alistairhoughton