The importance of the creative economy to Newport will be the subject of the latest City of Newport Business Club networking event.
Guests at the event at Mercure Newport on Thursday, November 14, will hear from the University of South Wales’ Startup Stiwdio Incubator Manager Richie Turner and Entrepreneurship Consultant Dr Nick Lambert. The pair will be presenting the findings from two pieces of research they carried out in late 2023 around the creative economy in Newport.
Firstly, they will present the results from their Creative Industries Cluster Hub pilot run on behalf of Newport City Council and funded in partnership with Creative Cardiff.
And then they will share the results of a specific creative skills consultation – funded via the South Wales Civic Engagement Partnership – which brought higher and further education together with other skills providers to identify gaps in provision needed to grow Newport’s creative sector.
Richie Turner has worked in the arts, creative industries and higher education sector in Wales for over 40 years and has founded several creative businesses. He has also held several public appointments in the arts and creative industries for Welsh Government and was the first Director for Nesta (UK Innovation Foundation) in Wales.
Dr Nick Lambert is based in Cardiff and has 25 years’ experience in creative industries research, including running the VASARI Centre at Birkbeck, University of London, and as Head of Research at Ravensbourne University. He has delivered AHRC, ESF and Community Renewal fund projects, including Creative Industries Cluster Hubs with Handheld Events and USW.
City of Newport Business Club chairman Professor Jonathan Deacon said:
“We are really pleased to be welcoming Richie and Nick to our club’s city centre home to hear about their creative economy research projects.
“Creative industries are an often overlooked sector of the economy, but they bring many millions of pounds into Wales every year. I am sure our networking guests will enjoy yet another fascinating evening.”
The City of Newport Business Club event starts at 5.30pm. Tickets for the event, which includes a two-course meal, are priced at £25 and can be booked via the following link here.
Information about how to become a member or sponsor of the City of Newport Business Club are also available on the club’s website.
You can also follow @NPTBizClub on X and Facebook.
