2011-08-23

Setting the Scene – Creative Industries Ecosystem

On 5th of September, the International Creative Workshop Setting the Scene Creative Industries Ecosystem will be held in Tallinn, Estonia. Annual September event is organized for the third time by Business Support and Credit Management Foundation (ESA), operator of Tallinn Business Incubators, to celebrate the opening of Tallinn Creative Incubator in September 2009.

While the first seminar in 2009 covered more general topics about creative economy perspectives and different projects in Estonia and Latvia, then the second seminar Advantages in Collaboration in 2010 concentrated on innovative business models and the power of cooperation and collaboration between creative businesses. This years event focus will be on Incubation and Development of Creative Industries. It will be held in cooperation with Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol as a part of the Baltic Dynamics 2011 conference in Tallinn, Estonia, 4-6 September 2011.

The first part of the workshop will concentrate on the role of Creative industries in different industrialized, transitioning, and developing economies. Speakers from all over the world will be discussing what are components of a supportive ecosystem for creative industries an, what are important opportunities and challenges for starting and developing companies in the creative sector.

The second part of the workshop Creative Enterprises aims to exemplify the different sectors of Creative Industries and their specific opportunities and challenges and will provide the case studies from different creative industries sectors, from fine arts to architecture.

The third part Business Incubation with Creativity will focus on creative incubators stories of success or failure and lessons learnt how can creative incubator assist and be of maximum usefulness to the creative sector and how to turn failure to success. It will compare and contrast different approaches that incubators have had to take for serving the different sectors of creative industries and which are specific for creative industry incubators, as well as discuss the specific experiences and challenges for incubators in different sectors of creative industry. The speakers of this part are business incubator representatives from Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Finland and UK.

Interested? More details about topics and presenters at registration info at http://esa.ee/creative-workshop

The history: how it all started

As it was mentioned above, Creative Seminars are organized since 2009 annually in September as a celebration of Tallinn Creative Incubator opening.

Tallinn Creative Incubator is one of three incubators operated by Business Support and Credit Management Foundation (ESA). The mission of Tallinn Creative Incubator is to provide incubation services to the start-ups of creative industries. The main objective of the Incubator is to increase the business competitiveness of such SMEs through creating soft infrastructure: cooperation and participation mechanisms, development and export support.

ESA Creative Incubator was officially opened in September 2009, but it started offering its services to creative industries SMEs in 2008. The idea grew and developed naturally it was even before the term creative industries became a mainstream. The incubator is located in Baltika Quarter, in the historical fashion retail industry building, on 1100 m2 and next to the Baltika Group, Estonias largest fashion retailer.

The Creative Incubator was opened at the peak of demand in autumn 2009. The demand has exceeded all expectations: only 14 creative industries SMEs wanted to join the incubator in 2008, whereas in spring 2011 the number of applicants increased to 30. The following factors were critical for the success: a) the quality and adequacy of services provided to the tenants by Tallinn Creative Incubator; b) the intensity of interaction with the companies located in the same property; c) the importance of the location both in terms of accessibility and proper neighbors.

Todays Creative Incubator incorporates about 30 start-ups with all creative areas represented: jewellery design, glass arts, graphic design, photography, handicrafts, performing arts etc. The vast majority constitute fashion design, interior architecture and 3D/4D animation. The main financier and interested part of Tallinn Creative Incubator continues to be the city of Tallinn. Therefore, the measure is targeted at the creative industries SMEs active in Tallinn. The Incubator has been quickly approved and accepted by the target group and by the national creative industries.

Last but not least: Tallinn Creative Incubator was awarded the second Best Science Based Incubator 2010 for Combining Entrepreneurship with Creativity and Culture (9th Annual Conference on Science Based Incubation of The Technopolicy Network).

Creative Incubator and Creative Tallinn

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and the European Capital of Culture in 2011 is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe with a population of 400 000 inhabitants. When compared to previous years, there are many more elements of creative economy to be seen in Tallinn than it was before for example the transformed city space, handicraft design shops or various attraction centres. Five years ago the main attraction centre for Tallinns creative industries was the Old Town, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, today the number of such centres has increased substantially. Many of them are located in the neighborhood of the city centre and are organically formed. Today, we have the Rotermanni Quarter which is next to the Old Town, the Northern Tallinn which is an active creative area, and the Culture Cauldron which is yet to come.

This rapid development of creative districts has happened within the last few years. Their rise has introduced the meaning of creative industries to wider public. All new creative areas and districts have made Tallinn more attractive and able to compete with other cities in the Scandinavian and Baltic region. The city of Tallinn will never be completed, and the Creative Incubator will develop and grow with their tenants. It is important that Tallinn Creative Incubator will not only be a creative district but also a business incubator.

It is a fact that exactly these attraction centres are important in the context of creative industries and a creative city people and businesses which gather there transform the area into an even more attractive place and invite both tourists and investors.

The development of city space plays a very important role in promoting creative economy. Through products and services of creative industries, the surrounding environment becomes more ethical and aesthetic; the anonymity decreases, safety and the value of real estate increase, the surrounding becomes more beautiful and as a result the value of the milieu is much higher.

Systematic work is needed for the development of a creative city. It is important to create an environment for both, inhabitants and creative people, to introduce a change which will be followed by growth of quality of life and entrepreneurship. Tallinn Creative Incubator is one of the examples of how the city of Tallinn has helped to support creative entrepreneurial people.

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