Creative industries employ around 7,000 people in Luxembourg and include 12 subsectors: architecture (including engineering and town planning), crafts and manufacturing, visual arts, films and audiovisual production, design, fashion design, gaming, marketing and communication, literature, digital media and publishing, performing arts and music.
When Marc Lis joined Luxinnovation as the manager of the Creative Industries Cluster in May 2017, his first objective was to gain an in-depth knowledge of the sector. “I organised a high number of face-to-face meetings with companies to learn about their activity and projects and to understand their needs and expectations vis-a-vis the cluster,” says Mr Lis. “I quickly saw that the most useful support we could provide was to facilitate contacts between members and help them develop their business.”
A platform for cross-sector skills
Creative projects often require the involvement of people from several different disciplines. “The chances to win a project are higher if you can offer all the skills needed, which is a challenge for many creatives who work on their own. Having a good network and getting personal recommendations is extremely important,” says Mr Lis, who saw that the various subsectors often have little contact with each other. During his first six months at Luxinnovation, he facilitated the establishment of 100 relationships between creative companies. While these individual introductions by a facilitator are very important, he realised that an online creative hub would reach much further.
That is when the idea to create a web-based platform, showcasing the skills, expertise and work of cluster members and making it easy for them to connect and collaborate, was born. “A main priority is also to boost members’ business activity,” says Mr Lis. “The website will be a unique entrance point to Luxembourg’s creative industries where potential clients can find the professionals they are looking for and upload projects or calls for tenders.” With a planned launch online in May 2018, the website will also offer information on funding opportunities, legal issues, events and so on. Alongside this virtual meeting place, the cluster is regularly organising networking events where its members can meet in a relaxed atmosphere.
Crossing borders
The interest in the Creative Industries Cluster is steadily increasing and the membership is growing. According to Mr Lis, some subsectors, including architecture, music, communication and marketing, audiovisual production and gaming, are particularly active: “These are expansive, well established fields where many are looking for new business opportunities. For more mature companies, it is very interesting to target new markets abroad.” To support them with this endeavour, the cluster aims to strengthen the links with the Greater Region and help them take advantage of Luxembourg’s business promotion activities such as official economic missions to selected countries.
While Mr Lis can easily see 250-300 members of the cluster in a year or so, he thinks it is important to keep the figure on a level that still allows for personal relationships. “For me, the ideal long-term added value of the cluster would be to see the sector become more connected and have stronger cohesion. I would also like to see stronger links between the creative industries and other sectors in Luxembourg. When faced with a problem, creatives tend to search relentlessly for an unconventional solution and not give up until they find one. I think their potential to contribute to the development of any kind of activity is great.”
Are you interested in joining the Luxembourg Creative Industries Cluster? Apply for membership now!
Luxinnovation contributes to the economic development of Luxembourg by fostering innovation, fuelling international growth and attracting foreign direct investment and is supported by: Ministry of the Economy, Ministry for Higher Education and Research, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg Chamber of Skilled Crafts and FEDIL – The Voice of Luxembourg’s Industry.