Tbilisi to Host Creative Georgia Forum with EU support
The meeting in Tbilisi under the auspices of the EU and the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia aims to raise the awareness about cultural and creative industries and encourages networking amongst local, regional and international experts, policymakers, creative professionals and the representatives of business sector.
“The Eastern Partnership countries have a rich historical and cultural heritage. This is an excellent basis for the development of tourism and for the support of local communities. But it is necessary to develop the creative potential of professionals, new initiatives and ideas. Particularly for the smaller countries in the region, this may become a source of income and international recognition - let’s not forget that Skype was invented in Estonia, a country with a population of 1.3 million. The Creative Georgia Forum, the first in a series of the similar international events in the six countries of the Eastern Partnership, will become the platform for the future development of the creative sector,” said Ragnar Siil, EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme specialist.
Over the course of the two-day Forum, in the framework of different sessions the participants from EU and EaP countries will share key trends and good practices within the sector. The presentations, seminars and the series of debates will focus on topics such as the role of education and new technologies in developing CCIs, local and regional policy development initiatives, the Roadmap for Developing Creative Industries in Georgia, the role of cultural heritage and historical cities, etc. Separate session will be devoted to the open debate - “What constitutes a successful creative ecosystem in a country?”
Strengthening regional cooperation between 6 EaP countries represents one of the main outcomes of the event. The adoption of the Tbilisi Manifesto for Creative Industries Development in the Eastern Partnership Region by the heads of delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Georgia will form the basis for a long-term regional partnership.
It is worth noting that on the eve of the Forum, a workshop - Roadmap for Creative Georgia: Recommendations of the Cultural and Creative Sectors - will be held at the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia on December 7. During the meeting, six expert groups will put forward a package of proposals with regard to the development of the country’s creative potential in the key CCI sub-sectors.
Following the conclusion of the Forum, on December 10, a student event – TeamLAB Georgia 2016 - will take place. The cross-disciplinary business development workshop aims to unite the creative efforts and knowledge of students studying art, design, new technologies and business.
“Education is a very important topic. As a general rule, the education system doesn’t prepare creative specialists for the labour market. There are very few interdisciplinary programmes and initiatives where students studying art and design, technologies and IT, and business and marketing take part together. We will try to show an example of just such joint work through the organisation of TeamLab Georgia with the aim of developing joint creative products and innovative solutions,” Ragnar Siil added.
The provisional list of the guests includes the Prime-Minister of Georgia, the Ministers from EaP countries, the representatives of different EU agencies, amongst them experts and speakers from Europe, cultural professionals and the representatives of education and business sectors from state and non-governmental organisations, students, etc.
The Forum will be held on the territory of Tech Park Georgia, high technology and innovation centre, which opened its doors in January 2016. The Centre is located just outside Tbilisi in the village of Okrokana at Innovation’s Street, 7 (the transportation for the Forum participants will be provided from Tbilisi to Techpark and back).
Creative Georgia Forum is organised by the EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme in unison with the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, with the support of the Tbilisi City Hall, Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency and the Creative Europe Desk - Georgia.
You can register to take part in the Forum and find out more about the event on the official website: http://forum.
The deadline for the registration is November 9. The selected applicants will receive the confirmation on November 15.
For additional information please contact creativegeorgiaforum@gmail.com
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The EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme supports the development of cultural and creative industries and helps increase their contribution to sustainable humanitarian and socio-economic development in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. www.culturepartnership.eu/
