Research builds on landmark 2008 Creative West report and a major creative sector mapping project due to be launched later this month.
The Western Development Commission (WDC) is launching Creative West 2035, a major new analysis and needs assessment of the creative economy across Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare, and is calling on everyone working in the sector to have their say by completing the Creative West 2035 survey.
The survey is open now and gives practitioners, freelancers, businesses and organisations an important opportunity to share their experiences, needs and priorities.
The initiative builds on the landmark Creative West report commissioned by the WDC in 2008, which highlighted the significant economic contribution of the creative sector in the Western Region, including an estimated €534 million in turnover and 11,000 direct employees at the time.
Almost two decades later, the creative economy has changed significantly, with new creative disciplines, technologies, business models, markets and opportunities emerging across the region.
Creative West 2035 also follows the WDC’s creative sector mapping project, ongoing research that is due to be launched later this month.
Following an open tender process, the WDC has appointed Blu Zebra to undertake the research, working with MG Reddan Consulting as part of the project team. Combined, they bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and commitment to the project.
The new analysis and needs assessment will move beyond mapping where creative activity is located to explore how the sector is performing, what it needs to develop and where the greatest opportunities for future growth, investment and collaboration lie.
The research will examine the scale and economic value of the creative economy, employment, skills, enterprise development, access to finance and supports, routes to market, internationalisation, infrastructure and emerging opportunities.
A key element of the project will be extensive engagement with creative practitioners, freelancers, businesses, cultural organisations, public bodies, education and training providers, sector organisations and other stakeholders across all seven counties.
The WDC will also examine the effectiveness of existing supports and identify gaps and opportunities that could inform future policy, investment and programme development.
Allan Mulrooney, CEO of the WDC, said; “The creative economy in the West and Northwest has evolved enormously since the publication of Creative West in 2008. We now have an opportunity to build on that important body of work and establish a new evidence base that reflects the sector as it exists today, while looking ahead to what it could become over the next decade.
“This research will assess the needs, challenges, strengths and opportunities within that ecosystem. We want this to be a genuinely evidence-led process, informed by the experience, expertise and ambition of the people working across the creative economy in the West. I would encourage everyone working in the sector to take part and complete the survey.”
Allan Mulrooney, CEO, Western Development Commission.
The research will use a mixed-method approach, combining existing data and research with quantitative survey work, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, workshops and targeted engagement across the region.
Particular attention will be given to ensuring that voices from rural, island and Gaeltacht communities, as well as emerging practitioners, freelancers, micro-enterprises and those who may not currently engage with existing support structures, are reflected in the research.
The project will culminate in a comprehensive report setting out the key findings, opportunities, challenges and recommendations for the future development of the Western Region’s creative economy, supported by accessible data visualisations and an accompanying presentation.
The findings are intended to support long-term planning, policy development, investment and future interventions for the creative sector in the Western Region.
Creative West 2035 represents the next phase of the WDC’s longstanding engagement with the region’s creative economy.
The original 2008 report demonstrated the scale and economic significance of the creative sector. The mapping project, to be launched later this month, will provide an updated picture of the creative ecosystem across the region. Creative West 2035 will take the next step, bringing together data and the experience of the sector to understand its needs, opportunities and future potential.
The research will ask: What can the Western Region’s creative economy become over the next decade, and what needs to happen to make that potential a reality?
The research commences with a survey of the creative sector across the Western Region. Practitioners, businesses and organisations are encouraged to have their say by completing the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CreativeWest2035-Survey
This will be followed by an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement and consultation across the region, including interviews, workshops, focus groups and other engagement activities. Creative practitioners, businesses, organisations and stakeholders from all seven counties will be encouraged to participate and contribute to shaping the evidence and recommendations that emerge from the research.
