“We are looking forward to bringing this festival to the area and continuing to build on our close ties with The Smithsonian Institute.”

Gavin Poole
Chief Executive
Here East
  • First ever Innoskate Festival to be held in the UK will be at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
  • Here East will facilitate the integration of a free skateboarding cultural festival with an Olympic-level skateboarding event

London, May 13th: Today, Here East, the tech and innovation campus, is announcing it will be hosting the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for Study of Invention and Innovation’s seventh Innoskate Festival. Coming to the UK for the very first time, Innoskate festival brings together skateboarders and non-skate audiences to appreciate creativity, invention and innovation.

The seventh Innoskate festival, an international event which originated in Washington D.C. in 2013 and attracted a global crowd of 30,000, is to take place in the UK for the first time in its history.

Skateboarders and non-skaters alike, across all communities, will be welcomed at the free event at Here East, where they will be able to listen to informal panel discussions, participate in learn-to-skate clinics and public skating, and be awed by competitors taking part in a best-trick contest.

Key collaborators this year include Autodesk Inc., University College of London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, Here East, the London Legacy Development Corporation, Chelsea Football Club, West Ham United Football Club, Solutions, Inc., FAR Academy, Create-A-Skate, and leaders of the skate community from the United States and England. Innoskate is made possible through the generous support of Autodesk, Inc. and the U.S. Embassy London.

The decision for Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center to choose Here East as the host of its public festival illustrates the attraction of the tech and innovation campus on an international level. As the most successful post-Olympic regeneration of an International Press and Broadcast Centre in the world, Here East was the natural partner to host the festival. The news comes ahead of skateboarding making its debut appearance at the Summer Olympics in the 2020 Tokyo games.

Key themes explored at the festival will include the history of skateboarding, the relationship between skaters, urban designers and policymakers, and the critical role of diversity and inclusion in skate culture.

The skate festival further builds on the prosperous relationship between the Smithsonian Institute, Here East and the East London community. In 2023, the V&A East project will create two interconnected sites in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with a new collection and research centre at Here East, as part of an unprecedented partnership between the Smithsonian Institute and the V&A. The festival will complement the First Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Olympic qualifying event which is also taking place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on May 25 and 26 2019.

Gavin Poole, Chief Executive of Here East, comments: “Being chosen as the partner and host of Innoskate’ s first festival in the UK shows Here East’s commitment to creativity and innovation on an international scale. We are looking forward to bringing this festival to the area and continuing to build on our close ties with The Smithsonian Institute when they become part of East Bank. We welcome skaters of all abilities and non-skaters alike to come to Here East and enjoy the Innoskate event.”

For More Info Contact:

Amy Shaw
hereeast@wearesevenhills.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7199 2205

Georgina Bass
Communications Manager
Delancey
Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 1991

Katharine Walsh
Head of Communications
Delancey
Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 1461

Notes to Editors

About Here East
Here East is located at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London and provides over one million square feet of dedicated and versatile space for creative and digital companies. It is designed as a place for start-up entrepreneurial businesses to co-exist and collaborate with global established businesses and academic institutions to deliver genuine innovation. Here East is a tech and innovation campus and includes shared workspaces and public areas which provide cross-sector collaboration, fostering a tight community, with space for discussion and events, a landscaped canalside and artisan cafes, shops and restaurants. Here East is home to an array of organisations, including Studio Wayne McGregor, UCL/Bartlett School of Architecture and Loughborough University London as well as BT Sport, Ford’s European Smart Mobility Innovation Office, Matchesfashion. com, video game company Sports Interactive and Plexal – a world class innovation centre. Here East is being developed by iCity, a company owned by clients of Delancey, a specialist real estate investment advisory company.

www.hereeast.com

About Delancey
Delancey is a specialist real estate investment, development and advisory company whose activities encompass retail, residential and commercial real estate across London and the UK. Collaborating on a wide range of assets, partners and clients, Delancey is recognised for its innovative and diverse approach to creating long term value from real estate. Delancey also advises clients on appropriate capital structures, financing and provides asset management and development services. Delancey has a diverse portfolio of retail, residential, office and corporate assets across London and the UK, including the Alpha Plus schools group and the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre in Southwark. Delancey is also a pioneer in the private rented sector and has spent much of the last few years bringing the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics to life; it is delivering over 3,000 homes for rent at the multi-award-winning neighbourhood East Village, the former London 2012 Athletes Village in Newham. For further information visit delancey.com

About Innoskate
The Innoskate education and outreach program is a unique and successful collaboration between the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, leaders of the skateboard community, and museum and university partners committed to inspiring diverse audiences to unleash their inherent creativity and inventive thinking. At the core of this dynamic education program are significant, public Innoskate festivals that celebrate skateboarding’s history and culture to spark the imaginations of young people. Key elements include presentations and discussions with legendary skaters, inventors, scientists, engineers, and artists on topics ranging from neuroscience to street art; family-friendly hands-on invention and STEAM activities; art education projects; learn-to-skate clinics and skate demonstrations; acquisition of skate artifacts for museum collections; and of course, a live best-trick contest.

About the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The Lemelson Center has led the study of invention and innovation at the Smithsonian since 1995. The center’s activities advance scholarship on the history of invention, share stories about inventors and their work and nurture creativity in young people. The center is supported by The Lemelson Foundation and located in the National Museum of American History. For more information, visit invention.si.edu

About USA Skateboarding
As the recognized governing body for skateboarding in the United States, USA Skateboarding (USAS) is responsible for the selection, training, and fielding of national teams that compete in the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, and other sanctioned team events. USAS is also responsible for the development of youth skateboarding initiatives that support grassroots programs, education, licensing, and safety while respecting and enhancing the existing culture of skateboarding in the United States. USAS is dedicated to promoting and supporting the sport of Skateboarding while striving to guarantee that Skateboarding continues to provide the unique characteristics relevant to the sport’s participants, and maintaining the integrity and authenticity of Skateboarding as a sport, a passion, and a lifestyle. For more information, visit USASkateboarding.net