Regional Mayor flies flag for West of England’s innovative creative industries in Korea
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November 4, 2019
Mayor Tim Bowles
West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles, is addressing an international summit of mayors in South Korea this week to showcase the region’s strengths in creativity and innovation.
The 2019 Asia-Europe CICA (Creative Innovation Cities Alliance) Mayors’ Summit brings together leaders from Europe and Asia to drive collaboration between cities and regions.
Held over two days in Gwangju, Mayors attending will sign up to a declaration which sets out how they will: “…share their technology and know-hows related to creative industry through mutual cooperation for advancement of cities” and “…narrow the gap between cities for inclusive growth through open and sustainable innovation in the creative industry”.
Tim said: “The West of England is recognised nationally and internationally as a successful creative and innovative city region. This an important opportunity to further showcase our region, the fantastic work we are leading on, and the opportunities we offer on the world stage.
“The creative industries bring over £600m to the West of England; to support our continued prosperity, we want to work with innovative partners and forge alliances with other city regions who share our ambitions in creativity and innovation.”
Collaboration across sectors in the West of England is providing imaginative, artistic and inspired solutions to challenges. For example, the West of England Combined Authority-led 5G Smart Tourism project brought together university, creative, heritage and research partners including the University of Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab, BBC, Aardman, the Roman Baths and Digital Catapult to create new VR experiences to enhance our region’s visitor economy.
The Mayor’s trip is being paid for by the summit organisers. The summit is one of a series of high-profile events at which the Mayor will be championing the West of England’s strong track record in creativity and innovation across a range of sectors. In October, he took part in a leaders’ panel at MIPIM UK to discuss housing innovation and the opportunities presented by devolution. In November, he will deliver a video address to industry leaders at the Bristol Tech Showcase.
