As one influential event closes and an inaugural groundbreaking experience is underway, Edinburgh is proving its merits as a hub for creative and technology industries to flourish, by shining a light on the city’s biggest success stories. The Edinburgh International Culture Summit this year brought together experts from around the world; and the first FinTech Fortnight welcomed key influencers to collaborate across the city.
As part of the capital’s Make it Edinburgh campaign, the expertise and strength of these sectors as a whole is being showcased on Marketing Edinburgh’s digital channels, in a bid to attract more creative and technology led meetings and events to Scotland’s capital.
These sectors are proving to have a significant development potential for the city, as they continue to attract thought leaders, experts and influencers to meet and innovate as part of established knowledge hubs. Facilitating connections between delegates in these forums can lead to future collaborations, research funding, opportunities, investment and jobs – encouraging these sectors to flourish and enabling a legacy effect for the city.
2018 has seen notable success stories from these two diverse and progressive sectors, driving awareness and interest from across the world. For example:
- 2018 saw the fourth Edinburgh International Culture Summit take place, attracting Culture Ministers, artists, thinkers and art leaders from around the world to share ideas, expertise and best practice. Opened by the UK Prime Minister and Scotland’s First Minister, the Summit welcomed delegates and speakers from countries such as China, Romania, USA and Italy, to look at policy ideas to promote cultural sectors and create a lasting impact.
- The Summit was held during the Edinburgh International Festival, which is recognised globally as the leading curated festival of performing arts in the world and this year featured 2800 artists from 60 nations, welcoming audiences from more than 80 countries, with attendances exceeding 415,000.
- FinTech Scotland, an organisation that enables collaboration and provides an opportunity for business creation and growth across the sector, this month launched the first ever FinTech Fortnight. A unique festival of conferences and meet ups, it saw delegates from across the world celebrating innovation, relationship building and inclusion, enabling Scotland to emerge as a connected global player.
Amanda Ferguson, Head of Convention Edinburgh is thrilled to see Edinburgh solidify its position as a first-class destination for these sectors to meet and innovate. She said:
“Edinburgh is a place where innovation in creativity and technology is welcomed, celebrated and encouraged to thrive. The examples we’re sharing for Make it Edinburgh only skim the top of the experience and developments happening in Scotland’s capital, but we hope it gives planners, associations and specialists in their field an insight into the opportunity and encourages them to choose Edinburgh. The city has united in its strengths for the first time, bringing together private and public-sector partners, working collaboratively through the city’s DMO, which is making Edinburgh an even better place to host a conference than ever before.”
Stephen Ingledew, CEO of FinTech Scotland, said:
“Scotland is becoming an internationally recognised centre of excellence for FinTech. The first ever FinTech Fortnight saw delegates from across the globe visit the city, to collaborate in what is a community-driven mix of events delivered by the very people who are innovating in this sector. For us, it’s about driving creativity and growth through inclusive collaboration, which can only be a good thing for FinTech, Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole.”
Jamie Coleman, CEO of Codebase and co-founder of Turing Fest recognised the potential for business success in Scotland’s capital, making a conscious decision to choose Edinburgh:
“It was the initial success of Skyscanner that gave us the belief that we could help to build an extraordinary tech scene in Edinburgh, taking the creative and technical people attracted by Edinburgh, and bringing our ability to build and grow businesses.
“CodeBase is focused on creating jobs and wealth and Edinburgh has a unique mix of entrepreneurial density, creativity and a thirst for continual reinvention. Outside of London, Edinburgh is clearly the most successful technology hub based on numbers of unicorns created, total investment capital or any other measure of quality.”]
A trailblazer in the creative industry, Joanna Baker, Managing Director of Edinburgh’s International Festival said:
“Attracting artists and audiences in their hundreds of thousands from around the UK and all over world, the International Festival continues to thrive in promoting the cultural, social, educational and economic wellbeing of our city. Following our extensive 70th anniversary celebrations in 2017, this year continued to be remarkably successful as we sold 85% of our total available tickets whilst further cementing our major commitment to audience development and community outreach.”
Our friends to the North are making a lot of noise in the fintech sector. To read more on all the exciting developments happening in Scottish fintech, follow this link…
