CreativeIndustries Support NETwork

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CISNET is the Creative Industries Support Network for Atlantic SMEs

Who we areWe operate in five regions of the Atlantic Area: Mayo (Ireland), Wales (UK), Brittany (France), Lisbon (Portugal) and Seville (Spain).

The project aims to enhance business activities within SMEs in the creative industries through the development of new products, access to markets, new technologies and techniques, i.e. networking, clustering, innovation and technology transfer.

The partners are: Mayo County Council (IE), WESTBIC (IE), University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UK), ADIST, Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Instituto Superior Técnico (PT), EUROCEI, Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación SA (ES), Technopole Quimper Cornouaille (FR).

What we have doneCISNET has set up a ‘Creative City’ to bring the scale and diversity advantages of metropolitan areas to the dispersed regions of the Atlantic Area. This web based resource provides a market place, marketing, technology and innovation stimulation and access to resources and expertise.

Our activities have involved: • Regional analyses for the creative industries in each region • Involvement of firms in terms of innovation • Enabling enterprises to link up with research centres, exhibit at trade fairs and make joint working

arrangements with other firms• Knowledge transfer through the placement of advanced students in enterprises • Developing sustainable networks for the creative industries throughout the Atlantic Area

What we have achievedThe project has the following achievements:

• Over 150 enterprises involved in the project and a further 200 attending events and other activities.• Analyses of the creative industries carried out in each region and comparison completed.• Over 30 enterprises assisted to visit or exhibit at trade fairs or similar events, several resulting in

commercial benefits.• 50 enterprises supported to develop innovations. Two involved in collaborative developments gaining

external funding.• 5 students placed in enterprises, in two cases developing new market entry for the enterprises.• 8 themed events in the Atlantic Area organised and a presence established at three other events,

enabling enterprises to participate and gain benefit.

The project has run in the period 2010 to 2013.

How to contact usOur website is www.cisnetwork.eu Contacts are: John Magee Mayo County Council (IE)Seamus McCormack WESTBIC (IE), Jill Venus University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UK), Dimas Pestana ADIST Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Instituto Superior Técnico (PT), Rosario Gª Zozaya EUROCEI, Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación, Andalusia SA (ES), Rachel Sellin Technopole Quimper Cornouaille (FR).Or contact coordinator Carl James on cisnet@tecc.eu.com or +44 7713158017

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Networking in the creative sectors

What is networking?Networks consist of people wishing to connect. The value of the network lies in what the people know, in terms of their competences and contacts.

A network may provide a capacity for joint action, such as getting a critical mass together for an exhibition or joint services. This is easier if it is formalised, but informal networks always exist and overlap.

Through knowing people, an entrepreneur may find a reliable supplier or adviser, a potential customer or exchange experiences with others leading to new developments or more efficient and effective delivery, or simply to feel better because others are in the same situation.

What did CISNET aim to do?We had two aims in networking. We aimed to strengthen regional networks and to set up transnational networking.

Regional networks help companies at every level. They may also give them greater confidence in moving on internationally.

The objective of transnational networking was to build up contacts for development, supply and sales across boundaries.

What was difficult?The creative sectors are so different that it was not effective to organise events or activities for the sector as a whole. Enterprises do not first of all think of themselves as in the creative sector. They either understand that they undertake an activity such as video production or ceramics, or focus on the market they operate in.

It was necessary to tailor activities, which appeared relevant to the entrepreneurs and the way they thought of themselves.

The first was to focus on some sub-sectors, such as crafts, fine art and computer ‘apps’.

The second was to focus on themes, which would bring people from different sectors together. Examples of these were maritime heritage and cultural management.

It was vital to not to be abstract and to show clear potential benefits from the events.

Networking fitted into the other activities of the project. Support for enterprises at trade fairs also had a networking element. Innovation often demanded enterprises coming together and working with others.

It took some time to clarify the networking role among these other activities.

What worked for CISNET

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Supporting innovation in the creative sector

What is innovation?In business, innovation is the creation of new products, services, processes or markets. This may result from either formal or informal research and development processes. Innovation can be individual or collaborative (associating other competencies outside the enterprise itself e.g. with other companies or labs).

Much of the time, technology plays a major role in the emergence of innovative products or services but this is less common in the Cultural and Creative sectors where creativity, marketing or design are often the triggers for innovation. In CISNET we regarded all as appropriate.

The creative sectors and innovationThe creative sectors range from traditional crafts, with techniques thousands of years old, to smart phone ‘apps’, which are at the leading edge of new developments.

However in all sub-sectors, people aim to be creative and are often pursuing innovations without being conscious of the activity.

The language of innovation is poorly understood by many clearly creative entrepreneurs. Involving enterprises means understanding their perspectives and the difficulties they see. Individual characteristicsBusiness models applied to innovation in established industries work less well and it is more difficult to track the business and economic impacts of the innovations, which take place.

Systematic innovation assessments designed for even small and medium sized enterprises fail to function adequately with micro-enterprises in the creative sectors, because the individual driving the firm is more crucial than systems, which are little more than ways of doing things.

Scarce public recognitionFew publicly supported innovation funding sources apply to many of the sectors. And it has been among the first to be affected by public sector cuts in financial support.

There can be a lack of recognition in established business support agencies that some of the creative sectors have a significant economic role.

Treating enterprises as uniqueThe variety of creative enterprises necessitates treating them on a case by case basis. The entrepreneur is usually the creative driving force in the enterprise.

Flexibility is much more important than in other industrial sectors, because of their variety and their size. Assistance may be needed in simple ways, such as the application of a new technology to a traditional craft, or support with techniques in networking.

Things that worked for us

Themed eventsCISNET ran themed events in several regions, to which regional enterprises and those from other regions were invited. Invitees made presentations to heighten their profiles. These included Cultural Management in Seville, Maritime and Mining Heritage in Wales, where enterprises of different types could get together and explore what they had to offer one another.

These events demanded significant organisation including venues, speakers, demonstrations and support for enterprises to attend.

Adding activities to established events minimised these costs. CISNET took stands at several trade fairs and exhibitions. Enterprises from the project were invited to exhibit at the stand and were also invited to special networking events.

Networking at these events could be planned, and target people met. In January 2013 Showcase Ireland involved several visiting enterprises, who had support and special events organised.

Targeted sector approach

At the regional level the targeted sectoral approach went hand in hand with involving enterprises in the project and providing business and innovation support.

Research into specific sectors often revealed the need for networking. As a result of this and different events, networks have developed. These include the Mayo Artists Network and the Mayo Craft Network – Mayo Craftworks, which have taken formal shape. A Dry Stone Wall network has attracted interest from Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

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Enabling creative enterprises to come togetherCreative enterprises can contribute to enterprises in other sectors. They can also complement one another.

Common innovative projects have been initiated among creative enterprises that did not know each other previously and now work together.

The project ‘e-faïence’ gathers enterprises from the crockery and ceramics (Faïence) sector, from the ICT sectors, a research centre, museums and craft school for crafts. The project is currently receiving financial support from the French Ministry for Culture and Communication.

Several other smaller projects have been supported, with some received external finance.

A pilot action has been initiated raising awareness of innovation and brining together the food sector and creative enterprises. Several events/workshops have been organised to enable BtoB (business to business) contacts and collaborative projects in design and communication.

Thematic workshops in areas such as cultural management and heritage brought enterprises with leading edge skills in ICT together with managers of heritage and storytellers, so that they could combine to produce interactive maps and interpretation. Bringing in relevant public sector providers also provided an impetus enabling them to meet suppliers and show what they wanted.

Leading the sessions and getting entrepreneurs to make presentations proved important in starting things off. Then there were opportunities to meet and discuss.

Becoming a sector championCreative enterprises welcomed the project, as they felt there had been little support for many of the creative sub sectors up to then, even though many of their endeavours assist tourism, and a good infrastructure of cultural and creative activities can sometimes present a better case for inward investment.We championed the sector and linked it with other relevant public support, as well as providing a space for interaction with other enterprises and public agencies. Joint innovative developments with representatives from other sectors gained external funding.

Reaching enterprises in the creative sectors

Enterprises in the creative sectorsEnterprises in the creative sectors are often small. They rarely exceed five people in number: often there are only one or two people involved. They are sometimes registered with a Chamber of Commerce, or a Chambre des Metiers, but are often not, which makes contact and data collection more difficult.

It is therefore vital to remember that one is dealing with an individual or a couple of individuals, who run the show and have to deal with all the business commitments themselves.

And also balance their personal lives.

This demands an approach, which requires personal understanding as well as business appreciation.The creative sectors cover a wide range of activities, from ones which are essentially software, to craft and the performing arts. Each one has different market characteristics.

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Meeting them on their groundMeeting entrepreneurs at their sector events, trade fairs, exhibitions and gatherings

Coming to them to learn about their activities, recognising their expertise, and their need for business or collaboration opportunities and networking

Finding out their needs and prioritiesIn order to understand their relationships with other companies, labs and support organisations we:

• Launched a page on Facebook, asking for responses on needs – we got 700 responses• Undertook a detailed survey of the creative sectors in each region, asking what they

needed to develop their businesses • Surveyed particular sectors and developed tailored responses.

Responding to their circumstancesSupported them in the things they regard as priorities

• helped them define their needs in terms of innovation and partnerships • helped them find the expertise they are looking for (website creation or business planning

or holding exhibitions) • Helped them gain grant support• Held events, which were attractive in terms of time (not too long) and timing (at the right

time of day and with reasonable notice) and location (easiest to get to).• Focused on subsectors. Events and interventions need to consider how entrepreneurs see

themselves – as artists, app developers, artisan craftspeople, video makers and so on.• Helped them work in network with other companies or labs

Things that worked for us

Recognising the difficulties faced by the enterprisesInvolving the enterprises means understanding their current activities, their perspectives and the difficulties they face During CISNET, we found the following:

Value for the enterprise has to be clear• This means that the project offer or services have to be clear• It also has to be distinctive from other offersProject bureaucracy is a burden• The entrepreneurs can be reluctant to sign project papers or spend a time going through

themTime is precious• Events must be scheduled to meet the requirements of companies. For most enterprises,

urgent business matters can make attendance difficult or uncertain • Failure to respond may not mean lack of interest, but more pressing things to do• Follow up needs to be consistent and patientEntrepreneurs understand their business not sector definitions• Entrepreneurs may identify themselves as belonging to one sector, while standard

definitions indicate another. It is necessary to understand the business not the label.

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Having a clear offerEnsuring we knew all the other business support networks and their offers, making ourselves clearer and also more useful in accessing all possible sources of support.

Overcoming the suspicion of ‘What’s the Catch?’ through openness and clarity.

Distinguishing the business benefits we brought as complementary to cultural initiatives and ensuring links with bodies supporting culture

Being a champion for the sectorsAiming to be recognized by these enterprises as a support for their competitiveness Promoting innovation in the creative sectors to other public bodies and initiatives

Taking timeTaking time to build up relationships. A step by step approach is necessary. Building confidence – artists may be inclined to small – convincing them of revenue benefits of exhibiting or electronic marketing takes time and examples

Promoting and dissemination in the creative sectors

This is a fast moving aspect and what worked well three years ago is less applicable now and may not be appropriate in three years time. We are therefore giving some tips on the directions we perceive things to be moving in.

The world wide web and social mediaIn the last few years, social media has grown vastly in importance.

The role of dedicated websites has changed and for maximum impact they have had to relate to and provide interaction with professional and social media.

What CISNET didWe began with this vision of creating an attractive website, professional oriented and linked to social media.

A Facebook entry was up and running before the website. We used this get as many ‘likes’ as possible. It continues to bring in more replies than any other source.

CISNET was one of the first EU funded programmes to use social media connections to promote networking and exchange for creative industries.

We also ran many events of a traditional nature: meetings, exhibitions, seminars, which were publicised using networks and the printed word.

www.cisnetwork.euThis is our domain name. We took some time to choose it and to make sure it was easy to remember and had an .eu suffix.

We employed specialist designers and made the site as visually attractive as we could.

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Integrating all the elements of promotionCISNET was right to use its own website and social media and traditional promotion. However, the balance in the future will need to be different.

Social media is the best means to promote ongoing activities; electronic promotion and interaction needs to be given greater focus. As it is fast moving, staff need to be dedicated to keeping up with it and driving it along.

Still a need for a websiteA dedicated website is still needed for basic information.

It needs to be a repository of documents and provide a reference and contact point for the initiative.

Updating needs to be continual. It should not be considered as a finite construction, to which textual and other items are added.

Great flexibility is needed and a budget allocated to allow for this throughout the project.

The community leads on introducing contentThe burden of staff managed content development is too great. This is especially the case in covering the complex range of creative industries.

Initial moderation of entries is necessary. But after a time this should diminish to merely checking on compliance with basic standards. By that time, types of entry will have become established custom.

Enterprises and other interested parties can post news and also promote themselves by placing posters and other illustrations on the site.

Still the need for the personal angleMeetings, events and exhibitions are complementary activities to the electronic ones and should be pursued with the aims of getting people together, establishing communities of interest, stimulating interactions and providing an avenue for support.

Use of printed media and personal networking will continue to have a role.These should be local and regional as well as transnational. Face to face events have an essential role.

Doing it in the future

This involved interaction among the partners and trying different interpretations.

It is designed to be updated with news and announced on a daily basis and has blog type elements. All the partners can advertise their events and promote themselves.

Enterprises can register on line and have their own secure entry.

There are opportunities for enterprises to advertise their offers and seek offers.

Problems we facedBuilding the site took a long time.

We had to get it right, but we conceived it too much as a finite development.

This did not take sufficient account of the fast changing technology and usage, which is especially prevalent in the creative sectors.

With 13 creative sub-sectors, we faced a large work burden in trying to keep them all up to date.

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Promoting enterprises at trade fairs

Enterprises in the creative sectorsEnterprises in the creative sectors are often small. They rarely exceed five people in number. Often they are one or two person enterprises.

The creative sectors cover a wide range of activities, from ones, which are essentially software to craft and the performing arts. Every one has different market characteristics.

What are trade fairs for?The optimum result to get from a trade fair is a sale, preferably several.

However, trade fairs also provide opportunities for contacts for future sales, for potential collaborations and supplies, for seeing good practice and getting ideas.

Creative entrepreneurs’ views of trade fairsBecause of their size, enterprises often have a local orientation and do not fully appreciate the potential of selling beyond their region.

• They have often never thought of trade fairs as a potential avenue for expansion• Business owners frequently do not know what a trade fair offers• Taking the time to go to a fair can be perceived as taking time out from productive work• Less thought is sometimes given to preparation before a trade fair• Urgent tasks may prevent attendance• Fees may appear prohibitively expensive

Coping with variety in the sectorFinancial support to attend trade fairs is a new possibility for micro enterprises in some of the sub sectors. However larger companies in sectors such as ICT and Film are sometimes already supported through existing national schemes. In dealing with micro enterprises it can take time to show the value a trade fair could provide for them.

Support needs to be flexible to work for the disparate sub sectors, e.g. craft companies can benefit from selling at a trade fair but film professionals may rather need support with increasing their network of contacts so they can sell their skills and portfolios internationally.

Only by fitting into the companies own growth strategy and vision can support be effective. Project understanding of trade fairsA good understanding of the most relevant trade fairs took time to build up given the wide range of subsectors involved.

Matching less experienced companies to appropriate trade fairs needs careful attention to ensure a productive result.

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Benefitting enterprisesConvincing enterprises of the benefits of exhibiting at and visiting trade fairs takes time. It is part of a long term awareness raising and relationship building process.

Trade fairs are part of the internationalisation process, and support to companies should point this out appropriately as part of a strategy, not simply a one off event.

Ensuring good project knowledgeTo promote fairs, project staff need to have good knowledge of the fairs themselves.

Enterprises that want to expand internationally are often the ones with a good existing knowledge of which are the best trade fairs and related events. They should be consulted and enabled to share their knowledge.

Enterprises attending should give feedback and be followed up with for longer term results.

Project assistanceThere is need for good planning at project level in the anticipation of fairs throughout the project cycle, and the investigation of the most appropriate.

There also needs to be good planning at project level for each individual fair. Each fair must be understood, its structure and activities clear. With the company, activities can be planned and appointments made before travelling. This can take several months.

Enterprise preparationThe enterprise needs time and assistance in planning its visit or exhibition at a trade fair. This cannot be rushed to achieve the best results.Good preparation by companies bought good results, including sales, opportunities, collaborations and ideas to develop. Preparation should involve:

• Identification and selection of most useful events• Identification of most suitable exhibitors • presentation of own exhibition, ensuring all necessary equipment is available and

functioning – do a mock up• provision of appropriate literature, including different language copies• ensuring appropriate means of collecting contact details

After the event:• Review and prepare follow up plans

Going beyond the Atlantic AreaMany trade fairs and exhibitions of most relevance to the creative sectors do not take place in the Atlantic Area. It is important to target the most relevant events in Europe to bring benefit to the enterprises.Some of the most relevant fairs are outside Europe. In future years, these should be incorporated into support activities.

Things that worked for us

CreativeIndustries Support NETwork