Digital Kids Show at Event City Manchester #DigiKids

We were invited to attend the Digital Kids Show held at Event City in Manchester this weekend. This brand new event showcases the latest in kids' tech, toys, games, apps and devices, alongside lots of exciting activities and opportunities to meet and greet some of the UK's best YouTubers.

Both 7 year old Freddy and 14 year old Kezia came to the event with us, and we spent the whole day there (with an hour taken at lunchtime to pop to the Trafford Centre for food - the catering at the event wasn't great for vegetarians).

There are lots of stands at the event with exhibitors such as YouTube Kids, Scalextrix and CBBC.

You can learn about internet safety, discover new STEM toys, listen to stories, play with apps, do some crafts and try yoga. There is an inflatable planetarium where Freddy learned about the star constellations and he visited the moon using a VR headset with Google Expeditions.

Much of the show is dedicated to gaming and whether you want to do some retro gaming, play Minecraft, test drive racing games, experience VR or try out the latest games on the XBox One, there is something for everyone.

The main stage had a line up including Q&A's with YouTubers such as Netty Plays, Smallish Beans, Ethan Gamer, Ash Dubh, LD Shadow Lady and Amy Lee. There were performances from BGT finalists Mythical PSM and Boogie Storm, which we enjoyed. There was also organised meets and greets for autographs and photos with the vloggers.

Highlights of the day included the inflatable Wipe Out equipment which Freddy loved. It was great to get him doing some physical challenges, competing against other kids in such a fun environment.

The Young Driver lessons were brilliant. Freddy drove a Firefly designed for kids aged 5 to 10 and Kezia drove a real full size car, giving her a taste of the road. They both did really well behind the wheel. What a fantastic opportunity and all included in the ticket price!

Freddy discovered Magformers a new construction STEM toy that uses magnetic geometric shapes to build 3D structures. He loved it so much we bought him a set (review to follow). It is a great educational toy that sparks imagination and helps brain development.

We enjoyed a full and action packed day. There was some queuing involved, as is the case with any event and the wi-fi wasn't great inside the venue, but aside from that it was a great experience giving both Freddy and Kezia a chance to try new things. I liked the mix of physical activities alongside the gaming and tech opportunities. There was lots to see and do and learn.

Full and half day tickets are still available for tomorrow (October 30th) priced from £12.50. Most activities are included and Dick and Dom will be there too.

Find out more at: http://www.digitalkidsshow.co.uk/

Competition to find the ultimate Digital Kids vlogger

Is your child a YouTube addict? Do they dream of being the next Zoella or DanTDM? I know my 7 year old Freddy would love to make a living vlogging on YouTube, he can't get enough of his favourite YouTubers tuning in everyday for their latest videos. It really is a dream job!

The dream may just become a reality for three budding young vloggers as there is an exciting competition, created by the Digital Kids Show, where entrants are in with the chance of a lifetime in their search to find the next big YouTuber. Three finalists will be reporting live as official vloggers of the Digital Kids Show bringing all the action to fans across social media.

The official vloggers will get to interview their favourite stars – from hugely popular YouTubers including AshDubh, Tomohawk, Nettyplays, Amy Lee, SmallishBeans, EthanGamerTV and LDShadowLady, as well as children’s TV favourites, Dick and Dom and Mr Bloom. They’ll also get to pick up some industry secrets on how to create an engaged YouTube channel with hints and tips from the YouTube stars.

To be in with a chance of winning, children (with the help and permission of their parent/guardian) have to create a short video to say why they want to be the ultimate Digital Kids Vlogger and who they’d love to interview.

Each winner will win VIP passes for them and their family to attend the show and a £100 gift voucher.

Videos need to be uploaded to the Digital Kids ShowYouTube Channel, by the competition closing date of 31st August. Winners will be announced on the 5th September and must be available to report live from the show on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October 2016 at the Digital Kids Show EventCity in Manchester.

It will be a really fun project to do during the summer holidays with the kids, and who knows, it could be the first step on the path to a very lucrative future career! 

The two-day event is the first of its kind bringing to life the exciting digital world in a fun and friendly format for children, parents, teachers and those responsible for children.

Minecraft Vloggers join the line-up at The Digital Kids Show

Freddy loves YouTube, where he can spend ages watching videos from his favourite gaming vloggers such as Dan TDM, Lonnie and Popular MMOS. So he has been very excited to discover some brand new gaming and Minecraft vloggers, who will be appearing at The Digital Kids Show on the 29th and 30th October at Event City in Manchester.

Latest additions to the show’s line up include Ethan Gamer, SalemsLadyM, Netty Plays and Mini Matt Smith aka MinecartMayhem who will be joining AshDubh, LDShadowLady, Amy Lee, Tomohawk and Smallishbeans.

Ethan Gamer, from South Manchester, is the youngest vlogger aged just 9, who vlogs about all kinds of gaming including mobile games, Roblox and Minecraft.

SalemsLadyM vlogs about Minecraft and Skylander. She has 140K subscribers on her channel and over 24 million views.

Netty Plays has 214K subscribers to her channel which is about her life and gaming. Netty started vlogging after she appeared in Stampylongheads sister challenge.

Mini Matt is a 13 year old Doctor Who cosplayer and styles himself on  Matt Smith with over 80K subscribers. He will be bringing along his very own officially licensed life-sized Tardis from series 5 of  Doctor Who. Revenue generated from his channel is donated to the charity Dreams Come True of which he is a national ambassador. 

They join AshDubh, LDShadowLady, Amy Lee, Tomohawk and SmallishBeans - five YouTube superstars who have clocked up over 1 Billion views and with over 5 million subscribers on their channels!

You can see the vloggers on stage for live shows and at meet and greets. Check out their Facebook page for further details and fun at www.facebook.com/Digitalkidsshow.

Digital Kids Show in Manchester set to be hosted by Dick and Dom

Children’s TV comedy duo Dick and Dom have been confirmed to kick off proceedings at the exciting new Digital Kids Show at Event City, Manchester this October.  

The two-day event is the first of its kind bringing to life the exciting digital world in a fun and friendly format for children, parents, teachers and carers. The show features six zones each offering inspirational, fun and educational activities for families to enjoy together.

The Gaming and Retro Tech will celebrate the very best of gaming, past, present and future! With retro and next generation computer games, families can battle it out on their favourite games from Mario to Minecraft. Visitors will also get a glimpse of the future being the first to experience some of the latest tech innovation from the digital world including VR gaming.

Digital, STEM & Coding Skills Zone – this exciting and innovative zone will help to inspire children about the vast array of digital opportunities available to them with fun, practical challenges and experiences. The future is at their fingertips.

The Safe Tech Zone is all about helping to keep children safe online and will provide the very latest advice to stay one step ahead of the dangers and risks, from cyber bulling to predators, hackers to viruses .

Get physical in the Appletics and Kids Food Zone!  This zone celebrates the way tech can be used to aid healthy living: from fun physical challenges to learning to cook to keeping track of what your family is eating. You can exercise your body and mind with fitness trackers and health apps. Plus Children’s TV’s favourite Mr. Bloom will be stopping by to say hello and sing some veggie songs.

In the Children’s Media Zone, kids will be able to get hands on and learn all about blogging, vlogging and social plugging, with famous faces from Nickelodeon, CBeebies and YouTube dropping by. There’ll be lots to learn and loads of fun to be had from learning how to take amazing selfies to meeting online heroes.

Finally, the Digital Angels Zone is set up with tech experts to help you get the most out of the tech you have with plenty of helpful tips and jargon busting hints. For those looking to invest in new tech, there will be buying advice to help you get the best deal on the right products for you to match your needs.

The show has been created and curated by online child safety expert Aisha Tilstone and will take place on 29th and 30th October at Event City, Manchester, welcoming 10,000 people each day.

In addition to the digital fun, there’ll be lots of traditional fun on offer too with fairground rides, shows and performances on the main stage, an Admiral Young Driver driving zone for 11-17 year olds and plenty of other things to see and do including some Halloween fun on Sunday 30 October. Look out for more information coming soon and check out the website at www.digitalkidsshow.co.uk

for more information and for early bird ticket sales.