Creative Clusters, the world's leading conference on the creative economy, is looking for contributors for their next event, which runs from 17 - 20 November 2008 in Glasgow.

Up to 400 delegates are expected from 35 countries to discuss five themes: 'The Creative Economy in Smaller Nations', 'The Moving Image goes Online', 'Policies for Festivity', 'Leadership in the Creative Economy' and 'The Long Story of Glasgow's Creative Economy'.

Organisers are inviting experts in business, government, the arts and academia to show how they are tackling the challenges posed by rise of the creative economy.Creative Clusters, the world's leading conference on the creative economy, is looking for contributors for their next event, which runs from 17 - 20 November 2008 in Glasgow.

Up to 400 delegates are expected from 35 countries to discuss five themes: 'The Creative Economy in Smaller Nations', 'The Moving Image goes Online', 'Policies for Festivity', 'Leadership in the Creative Economy' and 'The Long Story of Glasgow's Creative Economy'.

Organisers are inviting experts in business, government, the arts and academia to show how they are tackling the challenges posed by rise of the creative economy.Simon Evans, Creative Cluster's Director said: "This is the perfect time for us to be in Glasgow. Since its exceptionally successful year as European Capital of Culture in 1990, Glasgow's cultural regeneration has been widely admired. With the award of the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Glasgow enters a new phase of development.

"And over Scotland as a whole, change is in the air at every level. We believe that the new thinking being provoked by Creative Scotland and the Scottish Broadcasting Commission provide the perfect context for our wider, global discussion on the creative economy."

The conference is backed by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow Concert Halls and Scottish Arts Council. (further partners to be announced)

Iain Munro, Co-Director of Arts at Scottish Arts Council said: "The Scottish Arts Council is delighted to be a major partner in bringing Creative Clusters to Scotland. The timing and conference themes are highly relevant as we move towards the creation of Scotland's new lead cultural development organisation, Creative Scotland, anticipated in 2009".

The Creative Clusters Call for Presentations is open until 12th May To take part, go to www.creativeclusters.com.

Dates and Venues
Creative Clusters 2008 runs November 17th to 20th in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Themes & Agenda

We are looking for lively and challenging speakers from all parts of the world to present work relating to the conference themes. We particularly welcome presentations using visual media, and proposals for small group workshops.
The Creative Economy in Smaller Nations In the 'winner takes all' world of the creative economy, it is increasingly apparent that issues facing the creative industries in smaller nations are substantially different from those in larger ones. What makes a 'Creative Nation'?
The Moving Image goes Online Take-over battles between major media companies, the rise of file-sharing, YouTube, the use of viewer-donated clips in mainstream newscasts, major TV channels available on the web - just a few signs of the internet's emergence as a global distribution channel for moving images. How can cities and regions attract the next generation of audio-visual producers?

Policies for Festivity Cities across the world are investing in cultural events to drive economic development and to tell the world, and their own citizens, what they are and what they will become. Meanwhile, live music of all kinds is booming, and new technology has made possible entirely new kinds of live event. How are policy-makers helping their events and festivals to prosper?

Leadership in the Creative Economy

The creative economy, with its economic, cultural and social dimensions, calls for multidisciplinary policy responses and inter-ministerial action. How are strategy leaders challenging traditional boundaries between art, business, education and science, between for- and non-profit enterprise, between economic, social and cultural policy?

The Long Story of Glasgow's Creative Economy

Culture and creativity have been at the heart of Glasgow's regeneration policies for a generation. Twenty years on from the Garden Festival, we take stock, and ask where Glasgow might be in 2028.

Conference Partners

Creative Clusters 2008 is presented in partnership with: Scottish Government, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, and Glasgow Concert Halls.
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CONFERENCE BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Creative Clusters is the leading global event on policy for the creative economy and on culture-led regeneration, investigating initiatives from around the world that are designed to have an impact in both cultural and economic terms.

Across the world, enterprises based on individual creativity are booming. Furthermore, knowledge and culture-based activities now play a central role in the activities of all businesses in this era of the creative economy.

These changes are having a dramatic impact on global culture and on the economy. Creative Clusters' mission is "to help people engaged in the development of the creative economy to communicate and share resources with one another".

Creative Clusters 2008 will take place in Glasgow and Edinburgh with both of them offering dense concentrations of creative enterprise and cultural activity. In addition there will be a host of visits to projects across the region providing an insight to the bigger picture of how the county's the cultural industries combine to make a vital contribution to Scotland's creative economy.

THEMES & AGENDA: FULL TEXT

The Creative Economy in Smaller Nations:

Looking at the creative economy from the point of view of the world's smaller nations and regions. In the 'winner takes all' world of the creative economy, it is increasingly apparent that issues facing the creative industries in smaller nations are substantially different from those in larger ones.

Experience from nations that have been vigorously pursing creative economy policies, such as Singapore, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Austria and Scotland, has thrown up some key challenges:
 Against competition from global media giants, just getting started in the creative economy is a daunting task for small nations. In a crowded media world, how can small nations develop a credible and distinctive creative voice?
 What is the relationship between the national culture and the national creative economy? Should small nations regard their national broadcaster, their publishing, music and film industries, as essential elements of the cultural infrastructure alongside their national theatres and museums? Indeed, can these arts institutions prosper without embedding themselves in the creative economy?
 Is there an economic rationale for supporting film, publishing and broadcasting in the national language? What about production in minority languages, especially where the principal national language is under threat?
 As globalisation brings ever-increasing levels of economic inter-dependence, what level of creative independence does a nation need? How much foreign direct investment in the creative economy is desirable? Does the presence of strong foreign firms encourage or crowd out national creative talent?
 Is there a special role for the creative industries in building national self-confidence and international reputation? How can government, the tourist industry, traditional culture and creative business best work together?
 In larger nations, which can afford separate policy structures for cities and rural areas, creative industries are seen as an urban phenomenon. But smaller nations need a more holistic approach, which takes into account the closer relationship between cities and rural areas. How can they turn this to advantage?
 Is a strong place-based identity good for business? Some small nations emphasise their distinctive national brands, while others seek to position themselves as players in a supra-national global culture. Can small nations get the best of both strategies?
 For some small nations, the number of people claiming a cultural affiliation who live abroad exceeds the population at home. Do these diasporas represent a special opportunity for the creative economy - and not just because of their wealth?

For small nations, what strategies, and what practical policy measures, will help identify and develop a competitive advantage? How does a small nation turn globalisation into an opportunity rather than a threat?

What makes a 'Creative Nation'?

The moving image goes online: harnessing global media for the regional economy

Take-over battles between major media companies, the rise of file-sharing, YouTube, the use of viewer-donated clips in mainstream newscasts, major TV channels available on the web - these are just a few signs of the internet's emergence as a global distribution channel for moving images.

With the rise of the creative economy, the role of public service broadcasting is being reassessed. Increasingly, economic development is cited as part of the rationale for public service broadcasting.

In the UK, BBC Scotland's new state-of-the-art digital broadcasting HQ in Pacific Quay is intended to be a hub around which other media businesses can cluster. By 2015, another major regional hub will have opened in Salford, and half the BBC's programming staff will be based away from London. And Channel 4, the mainstay of UK independent and regional production since its inception, estimates that it generates £2bn for the UK's creative economy.

Film and television bring big benefits to a local creative economy, building prestige, confidence, and identity as well as encouraging enterprise and employment. In the past, the focus for development agencies has been to attract the big networks. But as the moving image industry goes online, existing producers and broadcasters restructure, rethink their business models, and opportunities emerge for new businesses of many kinds.

How can cities and regions attract the next generation of audio-visual producers?

We invite case studies from all parts of the world. Policies for festivals: grabbing the world's attention with live events

A seeming paradox of the internet age is that live events of all kinds are enjoying unprecedented growth. From Beijing to Manchester, Dublin to Singapore, cities are investing in cultural events to drive economic development and to tell the world, and their own citizens, what they are and what they will become. It is now accepted wisdom that major events improve regional competitiveness and attract inward investment by positioning the host as a knowledge and cultural leader.

In the music industry, record shops and CD sales may be declining, but live music of all kinds is booming. Broadcasting and film are involved in increasingly complex tie-ins with live activities. Meanwhile, new technology has made possible entirely new kinds of live event: from flash mobs to concerts in Second Life.

We discuss the revival of the live event, and examine how policy-makers around the world are helping their cities' events and festivals to prosper.

Strategic leadership in the creative economy

The creative economy, with its economic, cultural and social dimensions, calls for multidisciplinary policy responses and inter-ministerial action. There is growing evidence that many government bodies are responding to this challenge.

April sees the launch of the UN's first Creative Economy Report, which promises global analysis and high level championship of the potential of the creative economy for developing countries. This initiative results from the UN's trade, cultural and intellectual property agencies working together to push the creative economy up the world's development agenda.

February 2007 saw the launch of the UK's Creative Economy Programme, putting 'culture and creativity at the heart of national life', which has been championed across the departments responsible for business, culture, and education.

In Scotland, Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen are making way for Creative Scotland, a new strategic body tasked to advise, support and invest in the arts and creative industries across Scotland. Big new thinking, and big changes are promised, to reflect the new realities of the creative economy in the 21st century. Strategic leadership may cover all areas of creative enterprise, encompassing arts and business; new models of funding are promised; and 'a seat at the big table of government' is anticipated.

Can Creative Scotland become a role model for other nations - including the UK?

Creative Clusters will include analysis of all these initiatives, and we invite experts and government agencies in other countries to show how they are tackling the cross-cutting challenges posed by rise the creative economy.

In a sector built equally upon input from business, culture and technology, who provides policy leadership?

Focus on Glasgow: the long story of Glasgow's regeneration

Culture and creativity have been at the heart of Glasgow's regeneration policies for a generation, from the Garden Festival to the Commonwealth Games, taking in City of Culture, Year of Architecture and Design, UNESCO City of Music, 'Scotland with Style' and more.

In particular, Glasgow's City of Culture, 1990, caught the world's attention, and changed thinking forever about the role that culture could play in post-industrial city development. Twenty years on from the Garden Festival, we take stock, and ask where Glasgow might be in 2028.

01/05/08