Sally Taylor, Executive Director of The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE),  asks the questions, “can creativity save the business world?” Here is her article that appeared in the Professional section of The Guardian on 20th February 2012.

According to IBM’s most recent global CEO study, the majority of CEOs believe the key to navigating today’s volatile, uncertain and increasingly complex business environment is creativity. Is this just business leaders talking the talk or are 21st-century businesses really committed to being creative?

Next month, The Culture Capital Exchange, a new membership organisation of 11 London universities, will bring together business leaders, cultural and creative entrepreneurs, academics and artists for a conference on the value, connections and interventions between creativity and business. They will debate whether these sectors could become more fertile by working together – and how.

Dynamics between creativity, business and research are changing in response to a hostile economic climate and delegates will be challenged to think about their place within this triangular relationship in new ways. The key questions: is creativity really more sought after now than ever, and if so, why? How does the corporate sector value creativity and vice versa? What are the pros and cons of government intervention in cultivating creativity?

Academics such as professor Clive Holtham from Cass Business School argue that although CEOs might respond positively to the IBM survey, whether and how creativity is central to their business is quite another matter. It might be encouraged in the middle, or indeed recruited for in the lower echelons of a company, but when push comes to shove, the driver for decision making at board level is all about the bottom line. Thefinance men rule. If graduates have been recruited on criteria that require creative input how long they will last in a company which does not nurture it?

The creative industries know that it takes fresh thinking and innovation to stay ahead of the game in an international market place and increasingly, the government seems to be looking to the creative industries to drive the UK economy out of recession. How then is creativity best managed, and what does creativity in leadership look like?

Does it for example look like global firm Arup, whose success (according to Arup fellow Tristram Carfrae) is predicated on employing creative people throughout the company and learning how to manage them. Or is creativity confined for the most part to the margins of a business, for example its branding and marketing?

Professor Giovanni Schiuma’s recent book, The Value of Arts for Business, argues that the innovation, thinking patterns and emotional intelligence which the arts can offer to business equip organisations with new tools to challenge old and possibly ingrained ways of thinking. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.

There is no doubt that lessons can be learnt from the arts (and the artistic process) that could nurture creativity in business. Some inspirational case studies will be presented at the conference, such asSamsung’s Digital Arts prize and how the arts can contribute to the development of business, including digital businesses.

But to what extent is intervention, in particular government intervention, necessary or sufficient? One view is that it’s usually too little too late. As in the arts world, by the time the government is on board with support, which is also likely to include several layers of bureaucracy, either the bandwagon has moved on or the businesses that will thrive have already done so, and those failing are failing for the right reasons.

Katie Greenyer from the Pentland group argues that globalisation is great as an ambition, but that businesses need to be supported quickly and easily at a local level. Ultimately then, we will ask whether the penny has finally dropped – that it is people we must invest in rather than buildings.

Creativity and Business: Connectivity, Values and Interventions is at the British Library on 12 March. Book your tickets here.

This article was originally published by The Guardian on

From all of us at Creative Futures we are wishing you the very best for you and your business in 2012.  We be posting more articles and resources to help your business grow. In addition, we will highlight some of the business we have helped through the Creative Futures programme thus far.

We have talked about Crowdfunding before but now we are compiling a comprehensive list of crowdfunding sites here in the UK.  D

Here are some links to sites that we will keep adding to:

• Crowdcube (http://www.crowdcube.com)  – UK s leading source of crowd-funding equity investment for small businesses.
•  Civilized Money http://civilisedmoney.co.uk - who has used crowd funding to raise money for his new venture.
• People Fund It f www.peoplefund.it – a newly launched UK version of the infamous US Kickstarter crowd-funding portal.

Check out this listing of useful tools:

http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/tools-resources

The Business Benefits of Going Green

Climate change is a reality that is already shaping our lives and our cultural experiences. This year’s festival season was a visible, and tragic, example when several events around the world were cancelled and Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium turned into nothing short of a nightmare due to extreme weather damaging event infrastructure. These occurrences are a world apart from “business as usual” for many of us, but a harbinger – albeit a dramatic one – of the new challenges we will all be coming up against as climate change progresses. Every individual and organisation has a place in responding to what a new and adaptable economy will look like, including the creative industries.

If you’re not yet convinced about the benefits of making environmental sustainability a business priority, it’s a good time to re-engage. For subsidised organisations a key driver is that the Arts Council England has added a requirement to all NPO funding agreements that organisations need to have environmental policies and action plans in place by 2013. For commercial and subsidised organisations alike, the proven cost savings that go hand in hand with sound environmental management are a compelling reason to act.

Organisations that worked with Julie’s Bicycle between 2008-2010 collectively saved over £1million through reductions in energy use and efficiencies, and over the next 3 years the music, theatre and visual arts sectors alone could save £35million using the same efficiency measures (and that’s without a rise in energy prices – which have already jumped up this year). For example, Lovebox Festival reduced energy use by 33% in 2010, and three other festivals saved £15,000 between them by reducing their waster to landfill. The Theatre Royal Plymouth also saved £10,000 through water saving initiatives in 2009.

How have they done it? The first thing that’s crucial with saving carbon and cash is to understand what your environmental impacts are by measuring them.

Julie’s Bicycle has developed practical tools and resources to help organisations do this: our online “IG Tools” carbon calculators enable venues, festivals, offices and tours measure their carbon emissions, and our website offers practical guides and top tips for individuals and organisations wanting to take action.

Once you’ve measured, an environmental policy and action plan helps set targets and commitments that your company – and staff – can make to reduce environmental impacts.

Julie’s Bicycle is offering London-based created SME businesses free environmental support in 2011/12 through the Creative Futures programme. We’ll provide a snapshot audit of your carbon emissions using our IG Tools, and work with you to write an environmental policy for your company.

For more information contact: sholeh@juliesbicycle.com

Our Latest Campaign

Better Batteries

Julie’s Bicycle also runs campaigns around specific actions people and organisations can take. Our latest is the Better Batteries campaign, which brings together the music and theatre industries in a drive to switch over to rechargeable battery systems and increase the rate of recycling for both disposable and rechargeable batteries in line with government regulation.

Rechargeable batteries have 32 times less impact on the environment than disposables throughout their lifecycle; they put less pressure on natural resources, create less pollution from the manufacturing process, less waste and less carbon emissions resulting from transport and distribution. Recycling is necessary to reuse finite natural resources and prevent the release of harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury or cadmium.

In practical terms, the most compelling reason to switch is the proven reliability of rechargeable battery systems, and the cost savings that can be made. The company of WICKED on Broadway has been using rechargeables since 2008, and they’re saving around £2,600 per year. WICKED at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London, has been using rechargeable batteries since June 2011 – they’ve already paid back the cost of the rechargeable system and have made savings of over £500.

Better Batteries aims to get at least 100 venues and individual companies to make the switch in 2012, so get online to find out more and sign up: www.BetterBatteries.info

Many of the videos are available on the Roundhouse site and on The Media Festival site.

There videos are of particular interest because they address the wide spectrum of issues that is facing the the arts and how media, communications and collaboration might be able to help.

Due to high demand MusicTank will no longer be taking on any more Creative Futures participants – but don’t miss the wealth of free information and resources at your fingertips by visiting www.musictank.co.uk and signing up for our newsletter.

As you may have seen, the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London have set out a number of support measures for businesses affected by last week’s riots. These include:

• Businesses damaged will be able to seek compensation under Riot Damages Act.
• A new £20 million high street support scheme to help affected businesses get back up and running quickly.
• Local authorities will be given the ability to grant business rate relief, by funding at least three quarters of their costs, to minimise the costs facing businesses.
• Tax payments will be deferred for businesses in greatest need, through Time to Pay and other practical support.
• Government has instructed the valuation office to immediately stop liability for council tax and business rates for houses and businesses that have been the most badly damaged.
• Unnecessary planning regulations will be weeded out to ensure that businesses can get back on their feet and feel secure as quickly as possible.
• Urgent funding is immediately available through a new £10 million Recovery Scheme to provide additional support to councils in making areas safe, clean and clear again.

Further details can be found on the BIS website.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has also announced £50 million investment in long term improvements to town centres and high streets in London that have been damaged by the recent disturbances.

We will continue to liaise with the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police on issues which have arisen from the public disorder. In the meantime, if your business has been affected, this guide to legal and insurance issues may be useful. As we receive further details of additional support that will be provided to businesses that have been affected we will keep you informed.

Step #2 is an important piece of advice.  Knowing where to strategically place information is vital to spreading the word.

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The benefits of hosting and running an event are obvious. In one fail swoop, your influential speakers will draw in guests who could end up being potential partners, consumers or even investors.

Your event will be the toast of the digital town, elevating your brand in a dynamic way. The only drawback? The niggly fact that everybody wants a slice of the events pie. So what to do?

In such an overcrowded market, strategic planning and promotion can see your event being firmly pencilled into the diaries of those that matter. But navigating the choppy waters of promotions can be tricky for even the savviest of marketers, so we’ve come up with four easy ways to promote your event.

#1. Don’t be boring and do your research

This may seem obvious but all the promotion in the world can’t hide an ill-thought-out event.

Once you’ve decided to create an event with a scintillating subject give it an interesting name. Think “JavaScript Nuts’n'Bolts” (real) and not “Conference, Debate and Speech on Technology in 2011″ (not real).

Start reading popular blogs like TechCrunch, NextWeb and Mashable to get an idea of the kind of people who are leading the tech debate as they could be possible speakers at your event.

#2.List your event

Take advantage of websites such as Linkedin, Eventbrite, Lanyrd, Plancast and of course Chinwag and post up details of your event, accessing a mammoth web community, for free.

Remember, once again, wording is everything. The title of your event for instance will not only be a great signposting for your event but a searchable tool for prospective attendees. Keep this in mind when writing copy.

#3. Get social

We quite like social media and think that with the right tweets, facebook updates or blogs you can create a dialogue around your event which is essential for making your event seem credible and creating sought after buzz.

#4. Get some competitive edge

Another great way of creating buzz could be to set up a competition to win tickets to your event. You could even offer something more inventive for potential winners like a CV Clinic with one of your more dynamic speakers.

Consider finding partners blogs, magazines or forums where you could give away tickets or running something in tandem, such as special discounts or extra event goodies.

If all this has piqued your interest consider adding your event to our listing page and let us know about the best (or worst event) you’ve been to this year.

Read more: http://chinwag.com/blogs/diana-yeboah/chinwags-4-step-guide-brilliant-event-promotion#ixzz1SqD9QQUT