Join us for a one-and-a-half-day programme on the creative economy as part of CIM Forum 2025, taking place in Kotor from 29 to 30 May 2025. Discussions from Thursday 29 May 2025 will also be livestreamed for free.

In partnership with CIM Forum and BEYOND Studio, we are bringing together expertise from the UK and across the region, creating opportunities for connection and knowledge exchange among creative economy professionals.

The creative industries play a crucial role in generating employment, attracting investment, and increasing exports, while also contributing to place-based regeneration and the preservation of cultural heritage.

In-person registrations are now closed, you can still register online.

We are thrilled to provide a platform for dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and the exchange of best practices to support the development of a connected Western Balkans and Wider Europe creative market through this ambitious programme:

THURSDAY 29 MAY

The whole day of discussions will be livestreamed for free.

Theme 1: ‘Policy and Advocacy’, from 9:30 until 11:00 CEST.

Description: Getting the policy makers onside and getting funding from institutions. Creating policies that enable the creative industry and drive the growth of the creative economy.

• Introduction by Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE, Deputy Chief Executive of the British Council.
  
• 'Powering Growth: Policy and Advocacy in the UK Creative Industries' a case study presented by Andrew Chitty, Professor of Creativity & Innovation at Loughborough University London (UK).
• 'Kosovo's Creative Economy Strategy' a case study presented by Klodeta Krasniqi, Chief of Cabinet to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport (Kosovo).
• 'Vision to Action - Building a Thriving Creative Economy in Georgia' a case study presented by Elene Toidze, Co-founder and Director of Creative Clusters Alliance (Georgia), and Gail Caig, Policy and Strategy Advisor at Creative Industries Council (UK).
• 'Proving Impact: Measuring Success in the Creative Economy' a panel discussion between Dana Shayakhmet, Co-founder of Creative Industries Alliance of Kazakhstan, Duygu Yaygır, Head Of Department at Ministry of Trade (Turkey), Gillian Easson, Executive Director at Creative Dundee (UK), and Iain Bennett, Creative Alchemist for The Fifth Sector (UK).

Theme 2: ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation’, from 11:30 until 12:30 CEST.

Description: Building the skill and talent base, and the approaches to entrepreneurship and innovation that enables the development of new and growth of existing creative clusters and networks.

• 'Screen Yorkshire – From Peaky Blinders and Beyond Brones’ a case study presented by Caroline Cooper Charles, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire (UK).
• ‘Investing in Potential: Growing Creative Talent Across the Economy' a discussion between Anush Ter-khachatryan, Director of Programmes at Creative Armenia, Caroline Cooper Charles, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire (UK), Declan Keeney, Chief Executive of Studio Ulster (UK), and Milivoje Gorgevic, CEO of FX3X (Macedonia).
• 'The Creator Economy: Early Insights from BEYOND Conference 2025 Research' a talk by Sam Michel, Director and Co-founder of BEYOND Conference (UK).

Theme 3: ‘Reinventing cultural spaces’, from 14:00 until 15:30 CEST.

Description: Where do you invest and grow your creative economy - placemaking both physical space, infrastructure and creative communities that provide the foundation for a successful creative cluster whilst nurturing existing initiatives, skillsets and traditions.

• ‘Lozionica – A Creative Catalyst for Innovation’ a case study presented by Ana Ilic, Managing Director of Serbia Creates/Lozionica.
• ‘XR at the Intersection of Culture and Community’ a case study presented by Deepa Mann-Kler, Director / XR Lead at Belfast XR Festival / Atlantic Institute.
• ‘Dundee’s Creative Ecosystem: Grassroots Innovation and Policy Impact’ a case study presented by Gillian Easson, Executive Director at Creative Dundee (UK).
• 'Vinnytsia's Approach to Resilient Placemaking' a case study presented by Oleksandr Vesheleni, Director of the Department of City Marketing and Tourism at Vinnytsia City Council (Ukraine).
• ‘The Power of Placemaking’ a panel discussion between Anush Ter-khachatryan, Programme Director of Creative Armenia, Eroll Bilibani, Head of DokuLab, Kiran Sethi, Programme Manager at Factory International (UK), and Login Kochishki, .
  

Theme 4: ‘Digital impact and emergency technologies’, from 16:00 until 17:30 CEST.

Description: New technologies, opportunities and challenges that need to be considered and addressed for success - how to leverage the incredible opportunities offered by AI, etc whilst navigating the challenges. Building in the tech from the ground up. Advantage: not having to re-align existing industries.

• ‘Wonder Panic: Creativity and Generative AI’ a short talk by Guy Gadney, Founder and CEO at Charismatic. ai (UK).
• ‘Designing the Future of Live Performance’ a case study presented by Alicia Tkacz, Partner at STUFISH (UK).
• ‘Brave New Horizons and New Realities’ a panel discussion between Alicia Tkacz, Partner at STUFISH Limited (UK), Andrew Chitty, Professor of Creativity & Innovation at Loughborough University London (UK), Ben Morris, Creative Director at Industrial Light and Magic (UK), and Declan Keeney, Chief Executive of Studio Ulster (UK).
• ‘Closing remarks: Reflections and Next Steps’ by Clare Sears, Director Western Balkans and Cultural Engagement Business Director for Wider Europe at British Council, and Claire de Braekeleer, Director Arts for Wider Europe at British Council.

FRIDAY 30 MAY

A series of workshops starting from 9:30 and ending at 13:00 CEST only available to those attending in-person.