From an industrial city to a creative centre

Support of creative industry in Košice is one of the main pillars of the Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 project. Therefore a team of experts in the field had been invited to visit the city to help to achieve this goal.

To create suitable conditions for the development of creative industry, Košice is willing to establish a creative cluster. It should bring the representatives of local and regional municipalities, business sphere and universities closer together and enable cooperation.

 

The city representatives support the goal of the ECOC team

„The project Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 does end next year. On the contrary, it creates conditions for future evaluation and development of the knowledge and creative potential of the city and region. Thanks to the Košice 2013 project, the city will have an appropriate infrastructure to support SMEs in the creative industry. Košice have a real and unique opportunity to get the attribute CREATIVE city,“ said Richard Raši, mayor of Košice.

 

Three international experts on creative industry in Košice

Košice have been visited by three experts on creative industry:

Tom Fleming who is a leading expert on city transformation via creative industry and forming creative ecosystems. He is an official UNESCO advisor on creative industry. He aided establishing more than 30 creative clusters all over the world.

Paul Bogen is a cultural center management specialist. He was president of Trans Halls Europe for seven years, the largest network of independent cultural centers. Paul stresses out interconnecting culture with creative industry for a project to be successful.

Leo Van Loon, a specialist on support for creative entrepreneurs. He’s gained a lot of experience as the founder of Creative Factory Rotterdam, a creative incubator with over 70 companies. It is a private initiative close cooperation with partners from business, education and government.

The position of Košice in its effort to become a center for creative industry and a well-known creative city was summed up by Tom Fleming: „I am pleasantly surprised by the progress made by Košice on its way to become a creative city. Cooperation with the key players, support of the city and region, the activities already in progress as well as the existence of Coallition 2013+ (Koalícia 2013+) provide excellent conditions for the success of the creative cluster. I believe that Košice can become a positive example for other cities and regions in Slovakia.“