UK Creative Industries are World-Class

… but for how long?

2007 Creative Clusters Conference Shows that Creativity at the Heart of UK Economic Policy

The programme for the fifth Creative Clusters Conference, released today, shows strong evidence that UK ‘creative economy’ people have moved to a new level of engagement with the mainstream. But is it too little too late?

Delegates from 35 countries will gather in London’s leading creative hotspots, including the V&A, Southbank Centre and Royal Opera House, to hear how around the world, in an astonishing variety of ways, the power of culture is being harnessed for economic development.

Conference delegates will hear of a concerted effort from a host of government and independent agencies to ensure the right supply of creatively-skilled labour comes into the job market to meet the needs of British businesses. In particular, there is a new realism about the practical difficulties of releasing the wealth-generating potential of Britain’s culturally diverse populations.

Gone is any hint of special pleading for culture, and instead the key messages are about connecting UK creativity with entrepreneurship, manufacturing, science, export and innovation. And the arts are valued as arts for their role in this.

The evidence of Creative Clusters, to be opened by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Creative Industries, at the Southbank Centre on Monday 12th November, is that the ‘creative economy’ is being treated much less as an alternative to the ‘manufacturing’ or the ‘industrial economy’, but rather as the 21st century manifestation of it.

But there are some signs on clouds on the horizon too. Ten years ago, the UK government the first in the world to develop comprehensive policies for the creative industries. Has the rest of the world now caught up? Conference delegates will be told that China’s extraordinary growth will not stop at cheap manufacturing, and that the 2008 Beijing Olympics sees a national initiative to replace the phrase ‘Made in China’ with ‘Created in China’. Not far behind China are the massive economies of India, Russia and Brazil, all of which are rapidly developing their creative economies. Creative Clusters includes news of ground-braking projects from all corners of the world, including Abu Dhabi, the USA, South Africa, Sao Paulo, eastern Europe and more. How will the UK cope with creative competition on this scale?

And there are some dissenting voices too. Speakers in our debate: ‘Creativity and the Economy: A Golden Age or Just Hot Air?’ will argue that the growth of the UK creative economy has now peaked, and that all sectors – advertising, music, film – are now at a standstill if not in decline.

Creative Clusters (www.creativeclusters.com) takes place from 9th – 14th November in venues across London including the Southbank Centre, BFI Southbank, Rich Mix, V&A Museum, Soho Theatre and Royal Opera House.