One of the key benefits promised by the City of Culture bid and win has always been economic – but our local industries aren’t always best placed to benefit.
Case in point; the marketing and promotional industries are an obvious potential winner but at present many of the services in this space are being sourced via Belfast and beyond. With this in mind, a new group is aimimg to ensure that local companies can take advantage of the opportunities created by the City of Culture win.
Representing advertising, design, marketing, digital technologies, public relations and the media, the member run group will provide networking and collaboration opportunities as well as training and lobbying for the interests of members.
A focus will be on highlighting the high quality (and excellent value) of local offerings in the sector to encourage local firms to look again at how they can resource their requirement locally. By supporting local companies, jobs can be created in the region and a vibrant publicity sector can be developed here in the coming years.
With the numerous opportunities that will arise from the City of Culture, practitioners must be positioned to deliver the services required for the range of events and opportunities on offer. A consultation exercise with Derry City Council and ILEX for publicity professionals could highlight areas for business opportunities arising from City of Culture.
In addition to identifying opportunities and areas for development, the group hopes to facilitate world-class training in each of these areas. Likewise, networking and collaboration will further help local companies to work together to increase innovation.
If you are involved in advertising, design, marketing, digital technologies, public relations or the media – are based in the NorthWest – and want to get involved in setting up the group come along to Starbucks (Crescent link) for a coffee and a chat on Wednesday 18 August at 6.30pm.
For further information email Donal Doherty on donal@conversegroup.com or call 028 7128 6767.
The media group in Derry would needto up their game considerably. The first issue of the city of culture magazine that i picked up in cof derry airport was shambolic. the first double page spread of this massive magazine was a sprawl of furniture from a industrial surniture store. we should have more discerning editorial choices when it comes to presenting our city. the magazine like pure magazine etc, is a blatant money grabbing publication (either to cover publishing costs or profit) but this shouldnt reflect the image we present of our city. the city of culture is not about furniture or what removal or gammy interviews with gym proprietors or bar men. we need insight not fillers. more effort next time please. this bid will expose us to Europe and beyond, we want to present ourselves as professional, cultural and with a little bit more cash than to have to sell out for ad spreads for 50 pound to cover th publishing fees. either get this magazine public money or have a little bit more discretion when it comes to prioritising coverage – culture not capitalism.
It does look stupid as fuck having those ads in there but I’m sure the magazine has to put stuff like that in to cover costs? It’s free and the money to publish it has to come from somewhere. It definitely looks stupid but I suppose no money from ads means no magazine? Didn’t notice any ads from the likes of art galleries or whatever in the town in the 3 issues that I’ve seen? I do know (heard today, actually) that there has been trouble getting one art gallery in particular to even respond to the magazine’s requests for an interview. What the fuck are they supposed to do in that case if the people who the magazine wants to include can’t even be bothered to become involved?