Sound City: Coming from Liverpool to Athens, Ga., in January?

Athens arts and technology supporters plan to hold a three-day conference in Athens this coming January at the Called Sound City, the event is an international business, technology and music conference, modeled after one launched in Liverpool, England.

It will bring together individuals and companies focused on technology, social media, apps creation, music technology, cloud computing, gaming and software development, among other interests. And promoters believe it will also attract venture capital firms and banks interested in investing in promising businesses.

The non-profit Create Athens, which promotes the arts as a vibrant part of economic development, and Four Athens, an incubator for tech start-ups in town, believe Sound City is a good way to showcase Athens and its many creative and competent entrepreneurs, to the Southeast region and the world.

It's also a good platform for startups to find investors and to network with each other, said Jim Flannery, project manager for Four Athens. "People will be coming here to network, to have access to markets, capital and expertise."

They will also be booking hotel rooms, eating meals and spending money downtown, said Kristen Hirst. She's an Atlanta based consultant who represents the City of Liverpool. The city, she said, has transformed its economy from one centered on shipping into one based on the arts, education and technology, "with a lot of similarities to Athens."

According to information compiled by an independent audit firm and distributed by Create Athens, Liverpool Sound City generated $3.9 million in visitor spending in 2012 and has created 136 jobs.

On Tuesday, the board voted to give Sound City $10,000 in funding. The promoters are looking for $67,000 in local money for the event, and are partnering with the Classic Center, the Athens Convention and Visitors' Bureau and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.

They are also hoping for donations from UGA, which has a strategic relationship with the University of Liverpool, Hirst said, and the local government. Private sponsorships and wristband sales will help foot the remainder of the estimated $200,000 bill for the event.

After Tuesday's vote, Hirst said,"We're very happy with $10,000. That's good news."