Creative Industries Strategies
In the UK, every local authority is mandated to draw up a cultural strategy that conforms with guidelines issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport , and which must include a development strategy for the creative industries. This brings new responsibilities for local government officers, and new posts are being created: the Creative Industries Development Officer. Many towns and cities have designated a Cultural Industries Quarter as part of this strategy.

As the newly-named sector gains profile, organisations as diverse as theatres, banks, careers services, community forums and chambers of commerce are also engaging in the debate, bringing new expectations and perspectives.

A New Professional Expertise
Meanwhile, the creative industries are not proving easy to identify, to understand or to support. They are based on individual creativity, and successful development policies must take account of both economic and artistic issues. This is a challenge both for traditional arts officers, and for mainstream economic development professionals. In the words of the DTI : 'creative clusters are not the same as other clusters, and common [development] strategies will not work'.

In response, a new and distinctive area of professional expertise is coming into being, that of the creative industry development professional. It is this work that the Creative Clusters Summit will support.