Creative Alps: a unique platform for federating and raising the profile of Switzerland's creative industries
Representatives of Switzerland's creative industries have initiated the creation of a national and international platform entitled Creative Alps. Launched in Geneva on June 22, 2020, at the instigation of Mr. Pierre Maudet, State Councillor in charge of the Department of Economic Development (DDE), this platform will offer greater visibility to the many players in the industry, some of whom have been particularly hard hit by the economic effects of the health crisis. It will generate synergies, contribute to job creation and thus help revitalize a sector that has so far posted one of the strongest economic growth rates in Switzerland.
Switzerland's creative industries have been expanding rapidly for several years now, albeit at the cost of the COVID-19 crisis. Made up of tens of thousands of extremely diverse players (see below), some of whom are internationally renowned, the creative industries have until now been sorely lacking in visibility and structure. With this in mind, representatives of the thirteen segments of this industry formally met on Monday within a steering committee to launch an unprecedented platform for Switzerland's creative and innovative industries, in the presence of Mr. Pierre Maudet, State Councillor in charge of the DDE.
A hub in Geneva to create value
"Economic recovery will inevitably involve the development of communities of know-how rather than competition at all costs," reveals Mr. Maudet. "Beyond their differences and specific skills, the many players in the creative industries, whatever their size, have understood the enormous potential of collective intelligence. Geneva, for example, has an interesting critical mass, with 14,000 companies and freelancers active in the creative industries. Its strong culture of innovation and the presence of international organizations make it a springboard for Switzerland and beyond to become a major hub for the creative industries."
The creation of this formalized cluster will enable the creative industries to be better linked to the various sectors of the economy. This will provide them with a national and international representation that is unique in Switzerland. Furthermore, given the increasingly important role played by digital and intangible elements in the innovative services offered by the industry, the pooling of strengths and strong growth potential will undoubtedly play an essential role in promoting sustainable development.
Federating players and creating links
The platform for creative and innovative industries aims to bring together all the players in Switzerland and to seek partnerships abroad. Emmanuel Cuénod, Artistic Director and General Manager of the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF), actively supports the creation of the Creative Alps platform. He explains the scope of the project: "By joining this platform, members will be able to take advantage of the canton's international reputation to create links, strengthen their activities, attract new players and find new investments. The federating power of Creative Alps will also enable us to optimize resources for communicating, promoting and hosting events. It's an unprecedented sounding board for creative projects, which will make noise well beyond territorial borders."
Laetitia Bochud, head of the Virtual Switzerland national network dedicated to immersive technologies, adds: "We want to turn this sector into a veritable ecosystem, with its own networks and know-how. A Swiss company can more easily develop business links and strengthen its credibility abroad by relying on the existence of a dynamic ecosystem in Switzerland. It also provides added value in identifying and recruiting new members, with each new player pooling his or her network with the community."
Publication of a map of the creative industries
The first phase of this initiative was marked by the publication of a digital map, initially listing the players in Geneva. This interactive tool, produced by the Canton of Geneva's Directorate General for Economic Development, Research and Innovation (DG DERI), illustrates the existence of a large number of companies in the canton, proportionally equivalent to that of Switzerland. This mapping is not exhaustive and represents only a small proportion of the thousands of creative industries in the canton. The tool is open to all players in the creative industries, who will thus be able to gain additional visibility. This move underlines the canton's proven potential to generate interest and development in the creative industries, and the impetus it can give to this platform, which is intended to be extended to the whole country.
An independent platform
The canton of Geneva initiated the project and brought together a number of players to launch this platform, with a view to its members making it their own. "In this initiative, the State is first and foremost an initiator and facilitator. We have contributed our vision for strengthening the economic fabric. But once the platform has been launched, it will be up to the players in the creative industry to bring it to life and make it bear fruit," explains Mr. Maudet.
The creative industries comprise the following 13 segments:
music industry, books, art market, cinema, radio and television market, performing arts, design, architecture, advertising, software and video game industry, arts and crafts, press market, audio-video market.
