Hundreds set to celebrate investment into Midlands creative industries

 The event will celebrate businesses that have completed the DCMS Create Growth Programme, which is run by Creative UK in partnership with West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central.

The Create Growth Programme, which helps creative businesses become investment-ready, has recently secured funding for 2025 as part of a £60 million boost for the sector. Creative UK has already supported over 50 businesses in the West Midlands.

The summit will be hosted by Good Morning Britain newsreader Marverine Cole and will feature an expo of local businesses. 

A key part of the event will be a fireside chat between Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Creative UK CEO Caroline Norbury OBE.

Speaking about the upcoming West Midlands summit, Caroline Norbury OBE, Creative UK CEO said:  “I’m thrilled Creative UK will be showcasing some of the most exciting cultural and creative companies to have come out of the West Midlands at our upcoming investment summit. 

"The region is thriving, and it has been a pleasure to witness the ingenuity and innovation of the 50 cultural and creative companies that have been part of the West Midlands Create Growth Programme. 

"Our WM Regional Summit, in partnership with Create Central and the West Midlands Combined Authority celebrates these companies and the dynamic individuals behind them, supporting them to take the next step, and showcasing them to investors and decision-makers from across the region. I’m excited to see how much more they will flourish once investors see what they have to offer.”

Ed Shedd, Chair of Create Central, added: "It is fantastic to see the creative businesses that have benefitted from the West Midlands Create Growth Programme on their journey toward investment-readiness. One of Create Central's key missions is to increase opportunities to monetise content, charting pathways to markets that not only foster a business pipeline for scalability but also ensure sustained growth.

"As a future-facing cluster, and with Creative UK as our delivery partner, we are developing the right market conditions to allow businesses to scale and grow, supported with specialised expertise and financial backing.”

The West Midlands summit is one of several regional events organised by Creative UK, with a national summit planned for London on 4 March, featuring Robert Peston as the keynote speaker.

For more information on the event visit The Big Creative Summit website.