Creative Boom IRL just got bigger! Here’s how to join us

Our free real-life meetups for creatives now have the backing of Affinity and Cavalry by Canva, and events are coming to Glasgow, New York, Shrewsbury, Nottingham and beyond.

Sick of staring at screens? Well, out there in the real world, something exciting is happening. Creative Boom IRL, our series of free, informal gatherings for creative professionals across the UK and beyond, has just secured its first annual sponsor. Affinity and Cavalry, both now part of Canva, are backing 12 chapters of Creative Boom IRL events over the coming year. And if you’ve never made it to one, we reckon it’s the perfect moment to change that.

But first, what exactly is Creative Boom IRL, and why has it become so popular?

A chat, not a conference

Creative Boom IRL is exactly what it sounds like: Creative Boom, but in real life. No talks. No panels. No sponsors doing pitches from a stage. No guest list, no velvet rope. Just a bunch of people hanging out in a relaxed venue, drink in hand. Designers, illustrators, photographers, writers, art directors and other creatives who actually want to talk to each other face to face.

These events are totally free (although you’ll need to buy your own drinks), hosted by local volunteers from The Studio (our private online community for creatives), and open to absolutely anyone working in the creative industries, whether you’re freelance, in-house or running your own studio.

They’ve been taking place in cities across the UK since spring last year, with events in Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Durham, Leicester, Leeds, London, Manchester, Shrewsbury and Sheffield already under our belts. Not to mention Brooklyn, New York in the USA. The vibe is consistently warm and unpretentious. Honestly, there’s no stress at these things: it’s basically a night down the pub with your mates. Except they’re your new mates, and they all happen to work in similar jobs to you.

Why did Affinity and Cavalry get involved?

Adam, marketing lead at Cavalry at Canva, is upbeat about the new partnership. “We love Creative Boom and its incredible community,” he enthuses. “IRL events are full of exactly the designers and creative business owners we care about supporting.”

As you probably know, Cavalry and Affinity are tools built by and for professional creatives. And Canva’s approach to this community, Adam reckons, shares something with Creative Boom’s own DNA.

“Creative Boom has spent 15+ years earning trust in this industry by actually listening to designers, not just talking at them,” he explains. “That’s the same instinct behind Cavalry and Affinity. We’re built by people who make things, for people who make things. And we’re proud to put these incredible tools in the hands of professionals, completely for free.

“Creative Boom IRL events are deliberately unstructured,” he adds. “No stage, no pitch, just creatives talking to other creatives. That kind of peer connection is so important when there are so many amazing people working away in relative solitude: freelancers at home, in-house team heads down, studio founders juggling everything themselves. We all need to get together in real life, and celebrate what we do.” We couldn’t agree more!

What happens next

IRL events are coming thick and fast. Here’s what’s on the calendar right now:

• Creative Boom IRL Glasgow: Summer Social — 13 August, 5:30pm, Glasgow
• Creative Boom IRL New York: Summer Social — 19 August, 6:00pm, Brooklyn, NYC
• Creative Boom IRL Shrewsbury: Summer Social — 27 August, 5:30pm, Shrewsbury
• Creative Boom IRL Sheffield: September Social — 17 September, 6:00pm, Sheffield
• Creative Boom IRL Leeds: September Social — 24 September, 6:00pm, Leeds
• Creative Boom IRL Birmingham: September Social — 24 September, 6:00pm, Birmingham
• Creative Boom IRL Nottingham: September Social — 30 September, 6:00pm, Nottingham

All events are free and open to anyone in the creative industries. Some fill up quickly, so it’s worth registering early.

You don’t need to be a Studio member to come along, though if you enjoy these events, The Studio is well worth exploring. It’s an online space where the community lives between meetups: a private, algorithm-free space for real conversations about creative work, careers and everything in between. And, like the events themselves, joining is absolutely free!

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