Young creative entrepreneurs blend and shake the future at Blender!
More than 20 entrepreneurs from creative industries came together a day before CEB conference to share their ideas and feelings on what is going on in the economy, creative industries, what are the biggest challenges and how the future might look like. Representatives from different companies from Helsinki, Oslo, Riga and other cities were brought together with the support of the EU funded project Creative Metropoles.
Most of the participants of the Blender! workshop came to a common agreement regarding existent trends in creative industries and economy as such. Due to globalization, ecological threats and growth of consumer power, such issues as social responsibility and sustainability have become more important than ever. Some of the business ideas, for example, green (ecologically produced) water, proved the need of innovations and creativity in this field. Co-creation was mentioned as another trend proving that collaboration, communication, exchange of experience and ideas is crucial for development and business.
Many trends and challenges mentioned by the Blender! participants are closely connected with the consumerism. The power of consumers is growing, and so is the choice of products, services and opportunities. However, in the light of this growth, people are becoming more and more disoriented, they are overwhelmed with choice and in a way need guidance. As one of the workshop groups pointed out – finding a way how to reveal the origins of the product and convince people to pay for the values they seem to represent (sustainability, green living etc) – is one of the greatest challenges in near future. Global open source web based Eco-labeling was one of the business ideas developed by the workshop participants to address this topic.
Another kind of challenges is closely linked with the changes internet, modern technologies and social media have brought into daily life. For example, one of the groups pointed out threats of person’s identity being easily revealed on the internet, as a solution they provided a business idea of a tool that would help creating shadow-identities on internet to be used for example for internet shopping needs. Alienation and individualization in the age of internet communication when “the Big Brother is watching you” would be addressed with a new concept of Grandmother – an interactive, multi-artistic “box” (place, item or space) that would come alive once the person approaches it and would generate positive feelings and inspire.
To sum it up, Blender! event itself proved the need of a platform of communication and networking among CI representatives, giving the opportunity not only to be inspired and share the ideas, but also to form business relations and look together for new opportunities in new markets.
“Networking with creative entrepreneurs from other countries was definitely the greatest benefit from Blender! event. Representing a small and comparatively new company, for me it was both valuable and interesting to speak with other creative business people that work in 4 to 5 year old companies and employ just few people. I found out that we share quite the same daily challenges even having very diverse backgrounds. It was very challenging to prepare the 5 min sales pitch, but also very inspiring to see and hear how others would sell their company and products.”
/Zīle Dāvidsone; Creative space Tasty, Riga/