Hannah Suarez

Creative and digital content industries

Creative³ Speaker Notes

Last week I attended the inaugural Creative³ international forum and came out of it inspired, challenged, moved into action…and about 20 pages worth of notes from the speakers.  Most of these have been ‘translated’ from note form and into the following blog entries just for the creative3 and the QUT Creative Enterprise team!

Karen Walker (international fashion designer) – When you are in a creative world, inspiration can come from everywhere

Sanjoy Roy (Managing Director of Teamwork Films) – Do not devalue what you are doing

Patrick Delaney (Executive Director, Sales and Product Development, FOXTEL) – Storytelling is key, simplicity is paramount

Margaret Manning (CEO, The Reading Room) – Creativity runs throughout the whole business

Hugh Mason (Partner, Pembridge Partners) – Capital raising for creatives

Graeme Wood (Founder, Wotif) – Every business starts with a simple idea

Michael Smellie (Former Global COO Sony BMG) – The world is global and it can only become moreso

Michael Lynch (ABC B oard Member, Former COO of Southbank Centre in London) – Art is what remains when all the rest has vanished

Russel Howcroft (GPY&R Chairman, Gruen Transfer panel member) – Advancing creativity in an economic context

Adam Elliot (Academy Award Winning Director of Harvie Krumpet) – Life is not a dress rehearsal

Check out my blog entry on why storytellers make great presenters (or is it the other way around?)

About QUT Creative Enterprise Australia

QUT Creative Enterprise Australia equips emerging businesses with the skills required to make and manage their success, provides access to leading technology, office space and facilities, and connects their ‘young’ business clients with the right networks and opportunities!

Since 2003, new and start-up businesses have benefited from the range of business advisory and development programs, networking and training opportunities, research, workspace solutions, production facilities, and financial support on offer.

These business support services are focused on supporting clients through each stage of their business growth, and accelerating their capacity so they can effectively compete in the marketplace. Aiming to be internationally recognised as a successful creative industries development agency, the organisation drives creative industries enterprise, research and engagement through its services. For further details click here

Filed under: Australia, Brisbane creative industries, Conference, Entrepreneurship, Events, Professional Services, TV/Radio, Technology, creative industries , , , , , , , , , ,

Creative Industries and Travel // Idea

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Niche travel is not a new concept, in fact, it has been recognised in the mainstream travel industry with initiatives such as Virgin Blue Galactic which is the space travel arm of the Virgin Airways.  Niche travel can also seen as a concept that is appealing to investors with Aabar Investments placing $280 million for a stake in the Virgin Blue Galactic company .  Other examples include tours focusing on the cultural arts communities and spots of foreign cities, book tours, and even historical tours of cultural and creative arts spots.

It is not just the appeal of backpackers that are encouraging travellers to go beyond Contiki Tours and generic tourist hotel stays  - the niche travelling industry caters for a wide variety of reasons from business meeting planners (http://meetinguniverse.com/) to art history travels.  While there are similar concepts already in place (such as book tours, art history tours etc) this is the first time that a niche travel service is:

  • Focused, on a microlevel, on one particular city
  • Has the established purpose (professional development) that is fitting for the service
  • ‘Promote with a purpose’ ethos that is suitable for such a niche service

This opportunity was identified when I started attending programs in other citires and I wanted to make sure that my stay was meaningful and productive.   By researching and finding these events in preparation of the trip, I was also able to seek other people who are going to these events.

“CI Cities, Go To Events” (working title)

“CI Cities, Go To Events” service idea is for a niche travel agency that links up the events database to creative industries individuals, around Australia and the world, wishing to travel in a particular Australia city or cities.  “CI Cities, Go To Events” is a play on “See cities, go to events” which is what the service will encourage individuals to do.  This also points to the target of urban dwellers of the creative city, rather than a wider region, for the sake of focus.

Taken from the 2005, Queensland Creative Industries Strategy, creativity is seen as big business.  Queensland Government estimates that their Creative Industries are worth $3.4 billion annually and generate approximately $1.1 billion in annual export sales (source). This sentiment is not a short-term strategy but rather the beginning of a new era of economy – the ‘knowledge economy’, the ‘information economy’, the working creative class or the ‘creative independents’.

Before calculating the size of the market for “CI Cities, Go To Events”, the creative industries market will need to be calculated.  It is important that this is separated from the entertainment industry because that will grossly make market value inaccurate.  In Queensland alone, the direct employment in the creative industries sector is 28,000 out of 190,000 in Australia*.  There is an annual generation of approximately $11 billion to the national gross domestic product.  65,000 jobs in Queensland alone can be contributed by creative workers from other industries and how the flow impacts on to this sector (QCIS 2005).

Some questions that need to be asked:

  1. Are you a creative industries professional (emerging/established)?
  2. Is the awareness of the creative industries and its economic contribution recognised enough? Why/why not?
  3. How often to do you go to other cities for your professional development? If you wish to travel more, is it due to a lack of services that can provide you with the right information?
  4. Have you participated in other travel or general grant scheme that allows you to travel for your professional development?
  5. Should there be more collaboration between cities? Why/why not?
  6. How can the creative industries profile be raised?
  7. How can export performance and opportunities be enhanced?

*I am aware that these numbers have definitely changed since the document was written in 05.  I have been making constant references to this document but I really think that there should be a more current one being written.  There is also the Creative Industries Benchmarker project which involves DIA (Design Institute of Australia), AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) and research based CCi.

Email me!

Filed under: creative industries

Snippets!

  • Founder/Editor of BCI (Brisbane Creative Industriess)
  • Founder/Editor for Start-ups: MCI and SCI (Melbourne and Sydney versions of above)
  • I love attending various events.
  • Blogger in my site at Media Suarez
  • Brisbane Festival - Online Marketing Coordinator
  • Involved in various other consultancy work - mainly in the areas of digital PR, event coordination, online content, web editing, social media, mobile. It was all exciting and worthwhile work :)
  • Love what I do!

Australia Creative Industries

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We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time" - T S Eliot

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