What is a Joe

Hi, I'm Joe Dickens, my focus is on engaging audiences through the creation of stimulating and exciting exhibitions and events.

I have been involved in the entertainment industry since 2001, creating experiences for a variety of audiences. With live events expertise, as well as technical industry knowledge across sound, lighting, peripherals and installation, I have developed a keen sense of how to design and curate engaging spaces and events, using innovative solutions and creative problem solving. I have managed venues at the Edinburgh Fringe, coordinating large teams of technical, front of house and admin staff with over 110,000 visitors over the month-long festival, along with selecting award-winning comedy acts for his audiences.

With a wealth of industry knowledge I created videogame comedy crossover show ‘Gamer, Gamer’, which led to a regular program of local videogames events, educational shows and talks at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, a specialist further and higher education provider.

In my personal projects, I have worked on preserving videogames fusing old and new technology. I am a designer and maker of multiplayer experimental games and have shared this work with students, delivering seminars at Manchester University and the National Videogame Arcade.

I have worked with a number of regional organisations to develop a strong gaming community, as part of a team I won an award at Hack24 - a twenty-four hour coding challenge. I have previously been Vice Chair of a local community council and a Youth Worker in an area of poor social and economic background.

I am also an avid collector and researcher of rare and unusual videogames ephemera, arcade machines, and peripherals with an interest in preservation and restoration of gaming hardware collections.