ONE of the most anticipated creative events held in York is taking place at the York Theatre Royal today.

Shift Happens 2012 aims to provoke new thinking and encourage collaboration in creative industries through talks, debates, discussions and hands on opportunities to discover emerging technologies.

Today’s event will feature, among many others, Jennifer Yu, who has worked on usability and behaviour and design in the games development community and has recently started her own business, "The Gays Next Door", which aims to bring the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their loved ones together; Peter Gregson, a cellist and composer from Edinburgh who is currently artistic advisor to the Innovation Forum at the New England Conservatory in Boston; Bill Thompson, former internet ambassador for PIPEX, the UK's first commercial ISP, who is currently working with the BBC to make the BBC Archive more accessible.

The event is produced by Pilot Theatre with support from the Arts Council England, SCY and City of York Council.

Follow #ShiftHappens on Twitter to keep up with the day’s events.