The South West’s creative industries are to be placed in the spotlight at Creative UK’s Big Creative UK Summit: Investment in Cornwall and Devon on Friday 7 February. Held across both the University of Plymouth and Arts University Plymouth, this landmark summit will showcase the exciting potential of the creative sector in Cornwall and Devon, providing a platform for vital discussions on driving growth and innovation within the industry.
The event will celebrate the DCMS Create Growth Programme which has supported businesses in Devon and Cornwall to secure £5.1 million in grants and £4.8 million in investment. Delivered by Creative UK, the DCMS investment readiness programme has recently been confirmed for continued funding in 2025 as part of a £60 million boost for creative industries.
The event itself will be hosted by Yasmin Jones Henry, a Financial Times writer, strategist, and co-founder of The Lab E20 with RÆBURN. Speakers are to include Dawn Bebe, co-CEO of Crowdfunder; Charles Landry, author of The Creative City; award-winning entrepreneur and investor Dr Vivienne Heyhoe, CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, Mark Hewis and many more.
The packed agenda will also feature interactive sessions from industry pioneers like the British Design Fund and Screen Cornwall, an expo of creative businesses from the Create Growth Programme cohort, immersive experiences, live demos and themed pitches. The sold-out summit is to be held across two sites, the University of Plymouth and Arts University Plymouth; you can visit our expo spaces at University of Plymouth, Roland Levinsky building between 11-1pm and Arts University Plymouth Foyer 1-3pm.
The Cornwall and Devon summit is one of a series of regional summits being delivered by Creative UK across the country which will culminate in a national summit in London on 4 March at which Robert Peston is the keynote speaker.
Speaking about the upcoming Cornwall and Devon summit, Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive of Creative UK said: “Cornwall and Devon is home to over 5,000 creative businesses and employs over 34,600 people. Here, as in so many parts of the UK, creative and cultural businesses are driving the economy through innovation and creativity. At Creative UK we see it as part of our job to ensure that the brilliant people behind these organisations have the chance to meet the investors and policy makers who can help to take them on to the next stage in their growth journeys. This summit, delivered in partnership with Cornwall Council and West of England Combined Authority, will do just that and I can’t wait to see what will be next for the businesses taking part.
“Our Cornwall and Devon team always put on a fantastic show and with an agenda that includes immersive experiences, two expos and a focus on female founders and circular economies, this summit is bound to deliver. This will be the last of our series of regional investment summits held in 2025 and a perfect segway into our national summit on 4 March.”
The first regional summit which took place on Friday 17 January in Gateshead was featured as part of the DCMS Creative Industries Growth Summit at which Lisa Nandy announced the £60 million package to support the creative industries. Caroline Norbury OBE was also a speaker at this event and, as a member of the DCMS Creative Industries Taskforce is a key player in the journey to securing a stronger future for the UK’s creative industries.
