Sydney, New South Wales -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/21/2013 -- Tickets to the Vivid Sydney festival’s Vivid Ideas program which features key creative industries leaders from around the globe are in high demand in the lead up to the 18 day celebration of lights, music and ideas (May 24 – June 10), with some sessions at the Vivid Ideas Exchange selling out completely and many others selling fast.

Popular business building creative sessions that have now sold out include Co-Create the Experience, featuring streetwear entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes; Noise: Knock Knock Artist Talks, which showcases young Australia’s graffiti, illustration and graphic arts scene; and How to Build a World-Class Creative Environment, which explores what makes creative people tick.

Also selling fast is Glasgow artist David Shrigley’s session How are you Feeling? and from the Vivid Ideas signature program The Ten Commandments of Creative Practice, Make Data Beautiful, Embrace Mutations and Transform Your City. Also incredibly popular this year is The Making of…series including The Making of…A Blockbuster Game, The Making Of... A Mobile Game and The Making Of...The Future of Performance.

Vivid Ideas Festival Director, Jess Scully, said with some of the world's leading game designers, artists, marketers, designers and tech-minds coming to Sydney for exclusive presentations at Vivid Ideas, this was a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best and to gain an insight into the trends and advances that will shape business and the creative industries for the year to come.

“There's less than two weeks to go before Australia's biggest creative think-tank takes over Sydney and it’s clear the creative industry are craving these sessions that showcase success in creative business environments. Get in now to be on top of the latest global developments and to access the people and tools you need to flourish in the creative economy,” said Scully.

“The Making Of… series gives unprecedented access to the people who drive complex collaborations and creative products. It's a chance to go behind the scenes and discover the processes and systems leading companies employ to produce, promote and distribute their work.

“Prioritize Creativity is a must for anyone involved in the creative and cultural sector. This session presents a unique opportunity to hear first-hand about the three levels of new cultural policies being implemented by governments, and to ask your questions about where you can find the funding and support to build your career as an artist, performer or musician.

“There really is something for everyone this year – with events covering fashion, design, theatre, film, photography, publishing, gaming, animation, music, technology, lighting, architecture, education and even gastronomy; it’s all here at Vivid Ideas.

“With over 120 creative industries businesses from design to technology and publishing to education taking part in Vivid Ideas, the industry and business event pillar of Vivid Sydney continues to expand at a rapid pace, celebrating our city as the creative industries’ capital of Australia.”

Vivid Ideas offers a world-class program of free and ticketed talks, collaborations and discussion panels held across Sydney with the Vivid Ideas Exchange returning to Level 6 of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia as the buzzing creative hub of Vivid Sydney.

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said the Vivid Ideas program is part of what makes Vivid Sydney, the city’s major winter event, a unique platform for global creative industries to come together in a striking harborside city to network, share ideas and do business.

“Vivid Sydney is like no other event in the world. Destination NSW is proud to present this platform to highlight Australia’s global city to local and international audiences and deliver a forum for the creative industries to collaborate, foster business connections and showcase new ideas,” said Chipchase.

Tickets are now available to the complete Vivid Ideas program, which attracts creative professionals from across the globe to Sydney each winter. To find out more and purchase tickets visit http://vividsydney.com

Now in its fifth year, Vivid Sydney is owned and managed by Destination NSW with the NSW Government as the major investor, and is one of five signature events on the NSW Events Calendar.