EXIT Foundation announced at the recently held EXIT Festival the launch of the digital platform “Creative Gate”, with the aim of improving businesses, networking and promotion of actors in the cultural and creative industries, as well as to support the further development of this important sector.
The creators of the “Creative Gate” platform are the EXIT Foundation and the Taksirat festival, intended for various actors in the sector of cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkan region: partner projects, professionals in this industry (organisations and individuals) registered on the “Creative Gate” platform, creative venues, artists, events and festivals. Indirectly, the project will benefit: the general public, the media, partners and societies of the countries of the region as a whole.
Apart from the platform as the central part of the project, it will also include an intensive promotional campaign that will comprise events in several cities of the region as well as the Western Balkans Creative Day – the day when all project actors, professionals from the fields of cultural and creative industries, organisations and young, new creative talents will have the opportunity to network, share experiences from the sector, as well as increase the visibility of their work.
This initiative is part of the project “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” (CC4WBs), funded by the European Union, which aims to improve the dialogue in the Western Balkans by strengthening the cultural and creative sector and developing its potential for socio-economic impact in this region. UNESCO, the British Council and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) are in charge of the project coordination.
“According to research data conducted by the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade in 2021, cultural and creative industries in Serbia alone account for about 7.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) and employ 127,000 people in more than 70,000 companies. This sector also contributes significantly to exports, especially in the IT sector, music and film industry. This sector has an above-average growth rate year after year, thanks to the extremely creative and talented people of the region who are a key ingredient for success. In order for this growth to continue, the actors of the scene need to connect and unite and fight together for a stimulating environment in the region,” said Ivan Petrović, representative of EXIT Foundation, emphasizing the importance of cultural and creative industries for the economy and society, as well as the challenges that the participants in this field face.
The potential of cultural and creative industries in terms of contribution to GDP and overall social development is not sufficiently recognised in most countries of the Western Balkans. Cultural and creative industries make up a significant part of the gross domestic product and experience similar challenges.
In order to respond to the needs and challenges of the sector of cultural and creative industries and reduce the obstacles faced by its participants, the establishment of the digital platform “Creative Gate” was initiated, with the aim of connecting, empowering and promoting actors in these industries of the Western Balkans. “Creative Gate” will offer an online space for information, networking, recruitment and promotion, which will enable greater visibility, collaboration and investment attraction.
“For participants in the creative industries, regardless of whether they are freelancers or agencies, it is very important to keep up to date with the innovations that this field brings and to be flexible in a very dynamic environment.” One of the biggest challenges we face is rapidly changing technologies and the need for constant adjustments. This requires not only continuous improvement of skills, but also a strong culture of innovation. The “Creative Gate” platform will help us not only to keep up with innovations and current events in our industry, but also to hear how new generations think, what their focus is on, and what trends they follow. We believe that the key to success in this industry lies in the synergy between creativity and strategy”, concluded Borislav Miljanović, founder and CEO of the integrated communications agency Represent System.
A platform of this kind represents a key step towards the organised development of cultural and creative industries in the Western Balkans region. It will enable greater visibility, promotion, networking and collaboration between creatives, which will create synergy and support further growth and development of the sector. We invite all interested parties, civil society organisations dealing with culture and creativity, as well as individuals and companies to register on the platform from autumn, join this initiative and take advantage of the benefits that the platform offers.
