Priority actions
Resources are always limited, and so in the report’s final section a number of key actions are identified that could bring timely impacts whilst using limited resources. The first set of these can be delivered by a wide range of partners working together. Actions include:
Business, clusters, networks
- Improve coordination of creative sector support, focusing on needs like sustainability and AI, and broaden finance options for creatives
- Pilot expert business support schemes (e.g., active-brokerage, entrepreneur in residence) and relaunch networks to better serve creative business clusters
- Launch a creative cluster initiative in Coventry, building partnerships among key organisations for stronger knowledge sharing and networking
- Leverage all opportunities to bring new creative jobs into the city and region
- Enhance support for creative freelancers, especially newcomers, to help them establish and market their careers
Skills and workforce development
- Align further and higher education courses with industry needs and foster more collaboration between education and industry
- Promote more creative bootcamps, apprenticeships, and short courses in Coventry to upskill current and aspiring creatives
- Talent Development - including access and inclusion of creative expression from primary school age upwards - is essential for a strong and diverse creative workforce in the future
Places and spaces
- Establish a Creative Economy Development Agency to secure affordable creative spaces, repurpose existing venues, and encourage collaboration among creative hubs
Tourism, visitor economy and branding
- Develop unique live experiences for Coventry’s visitor economy, such as blending arts with digital tech and e-sports, and test pilot projects to create standout immersive events
Public funding, city development and Government policies
Public bodies such as combined authorities and city councils are central to coordinating and growing a city's economic power and increasing its national profile. Below is a list of roadmap priority actions for consideration by Coventry City Council itself:
- Lead the creation of a creative cluster initiative, including a Cluster Manager, and ensure the initiative is industry-led, acting as a catalyst for collaboration
- Explore establishing an independent Creative Economy Development Agency to unite stakeholders and drive growth in the creative sector
- Build a pipeline of creative projects to be ready for new funding and ensure integration with wider city investment plans
- Study vacant or underused buildings for potential creative sector use, including asset transfer opportunities
- Develop a full Creative Industries & Creative Economy Strategy for Coventry with up-to-date mapping of sector scale and employment. Integrate this with a revised marketing and branding plan for the city
In conclusion: This is an important moment in time for Coventry and a timely opportunity to develop its creative sector and its positioning as a leading UK city.