Creative Metropoles visited Tallinn

Approximately 60 international developers and entrepreneurs of the creative industry from 11 European cities visited Tallinn on 8-10 September within the framework of the international INTERREG IVC project “Creative Metropoles”. This was a 3-day programme developed especially for the visitors, which included official meetings, an international creative seminar, contact event for companies as well as a number of visits to the creative centres.

The key event of the meeting was undoubtedly the international creative seminar “Advantages in Collaboration” organised in co-operation with the Tallinn Creative Incubator on 9 September. The seminar was, among other things, a celebration of the first year of activity of the incubator. The seminar was held to exchange ideas on the topic if one can simultaneously be a creator and an entrepreneur and how to best take advantage of the possibilities of the creative field by using different forms of co-operation while being successful in terms of creativity as well as business. The foreign speakers of the seminar were the representatives of jewellery festival “Brilliantly Birmingham” Susan McNally and Sophia Tarr and designer Enrique Frisanto from the product design studio Tambakunda Innodesign Tank Barcelona, Estonia was represented by Indrek Tiigi (architectural design firm Allianss Arhitektid), fashion designer Lilli Jahilo (Ateljee Tallinn), Triin Männik and Liina Guiter (organisation team for Tallinn2011) and Marion Jõepera and Pärtel Vurma (Velvet Creative Alliance). 

The day continued with parallel meetings where the companies of the creative incubator had the possibility to become acquainted and exchange contacts with other creative companies of the partner cities of the project, while the international group of people involved in the development of creative industries exchanged thoughts on new business development opportunities and activities facilitating expansion of foreign markets.  

The day was ended with birthday party open for all companies, partners and friends of the Creative Incubator at the Baltika Fashion Stage. The event was crowned by a spectacular fashion show where designers and brands related to the Creative Incubator such as Lilli Jahilo, Uma, Donkey Hot, Maki, Erkki Engso and Kalle Aasamäe presented their work.
During the programme of several days the foreign guests had the pleasant opportunity to visit places in the city that to a smaller or larger extent are related to creativity and creative thinking, including the Creative Incubator with its studios, Telliskivi Creative Complex, the Kultuurikatel incubator that is under construction, passages of Bastion, Kalamaja area, Creative Area located in the Rotermann quarter, galleries and many other places. During the tour, architectural historian Triin Ojari helped to explain the most exciting examples from the point of view of the old and contemporary architecture. 

Creative Metropoles is a project initiated by 11 European partner cities the aim of which is to promote support policy of the public sector for developing creative industry. Tallinn participates in the project as a partner.
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