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Creative Excellence - Project Evaluation and Results

Creative Excellence was a 3 year project ran by Lancashire County Council, in collaboration with The European Commission ERDF scheme, North West Development Agency, Arts Council England, Blackpool Council, Wyre Borough Council, Lancaster City Council, West Lancashire District Council and Business Link which was to  establish a countywide agency for the support of the creative and digital industries in Lancashire.

The main activity of the Creative Excellence project was to provide

  • Bespoke business counselling and advice for the creative and digital industries businesses, e.g. specialist support for developing new markets, innovation and product development, management, financial and human resource management and e-commerce development.
  • The development of clusters and networks (Sizzle, Grouphub)

In 2009 an external evaluation was commissioned through Lancaster University's Grow Creative project to investigate the effectiveness of the business support provided through the Creative Excellence project.

Businsses were surveyed (by an independent consultant) that had received intensive business mentoring support and also those who attended Creative Lancashire networking events such as Sizzle and Grouphub.

A random representative sample of clients were surveryed by email and face to face interviews and a summary of the results is below.

In Conclusion.

Creative Lancashire have improved the employment market in the county and have improved the efficiency and profitability of the businesses that they have touched. There have been failures but these are few.

Time and again it became clear that Creative Lancashire’s biggest success is in changing the attitudes of the creative community.  From believing that they had a unique creative talent that the world could not live without to realising that they had to go out into the world and convince it that they could provide a service.  These two quotes sum it up:

Previously I wasn’t business orientated; I am now thinking about income generation.

I have more confidence because of talking to good designers who are respected in their field. It was inspiring. I went on to never give up with this industry as these sessions gave me the drive to do it. This is very tough industry to get into.

 General impressions from clients who received intensive business support through a mentor

-        Great service

-        Would recommend it to others

-        I found the strong co-ordination between Creative       Lancashire and Grow Creative useful

-        I found the process inspirational

-        Funding we received allowed us to buy some mentoring time at a critical period for the business

-        The process was casual but great

-        The service exceeded my expectations

-        Creative Lancashire saved us as we were in financial difficulty

-        The service provided is a viable use of our taxes

-        Previously I wasn’t business orientated; I am now thinking   about income generation

The Initial Meeting

•All clients interviewed found that the business needs were quickly understood

•71% surveyed found business issues fully identified.

 

Services Accessed

•90% of clients interviewed accessed the mentoring service and 50% of the surveyed clients.

•Other well accessed services are:

–Signposting

–Funding advice

–Networking

The main areas mentors assisted with were

–Setting up a business plan

–Creating to do lists and motivating the clients to follow them 

–Signposting to other services such as funding, package manufacture

–Marketing

–Goal setting

 Mentors assistance

–Not always taken

–Sometimes deferred 

Clients comments

–Gave them confidence

–Motivated and challenged them

–Enjoyable and inspiring experience

–Meetings to suit client

–Kept in touch inbetween meetings

–Changed way of thinking

Tangible Benefits of Intensive Business Support

• 70% have improved the employment market

• 21 jobs have been created

• Two student placements

• More outsourcing

• 90% still in business

• Five businesses - improved turnover

• Three businesses - greater margins


Intangible Benefits of Intensive Business Support

• Increased confidence in running the business

• Finding new markets and clients

• New work created from community funds

• Growing business maturity

• From artist inspired to sound business

 
Benefits - Occasional Business Support

• 71% of respondents increased business

• 14% have greater margins

• Improved confidence - 57%

• Better understanding of business - 42%

• Working more efficiently - 71%.


Sizzle and Grouphub networking events - Comments from attendees
 

• Higher standard of GroupHub responses with very positive reasons for attending

• The networks attracted both businesses and students

• GroupHub has a slightly better repeat attendance

  • Better business contacts at Sizzle
  • Word of mouth preferred medium for GroupHub marketing
  • Both networks receive clients via newsletter and website
  • Sizzle was more popular from business support referrals

Benefits

  •  75% of Sizzle attendees and 91% of GroupHub signalled benefits from attending such as:

– New contacts

– Networking

– Gaining new work

– Getting student placements

– Help with professional development  

Not everyone comes away with a to do list but general thoughts were...

  •  Speakers are the key to a successful event
  • Comments echo type of event

–Sizzle - business topics, GroupHub - creative topics

  • Subjects often touch a nerve such as DBA awards and Typography (Bruno Maag event)
  • Students become aware of realities of work in the creative industry
  • Attendees given sense of the possible by listening to successful speakers / businesses
  • Positive comments on specific GroupHub events

 Suggestions for future events

  • Meet clients from other sectors
  • How to profit from creativity
  • How to market Lancashire talent
  • Brand packaging
  • Success stories
  • More of the same

Creative Lancashrie would like to thank Grow Creative for their support and advice on undertaking the evaluation and the consultant Ken Lockett who conducted the research and wrote the report.

http://www.grow-creative.co.uk/

Grow Creative is a project aimed at supporting the growth of creative companies in Lancashire and South Cumbria through a range of activities  tailored to suit the needs of creative individuals and organisations in the region.  The project builds upon the expertise and knowledge developed by the Creative Industries Unit at Lancaster University through quality, client-focussed work within the creative industries sector.