The business of creativity

Join us for a relaxed buffet lunch, while we hear from Professor Jonothan Neelands, Academic Director for Cultural Partnerships at Warwick Business School, and Nigel Elliot, Chair of the Talisman Theatre.

The UK's creative industries contributed £124.6 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2022. This represents 5.7% of the total UK GVA.

The sector also employs 2.4 million people. In Warwickshire figures from 2017 showed Warwick District's creative sector contributed nearly half a billion pounds in Gross Value Added (GVA) and the Warwickshire visitor economy supported 23,919 jobs in Warwickshire, with a total value to the Warwickshire economy of £1.27billion in 2023.

Warwick Business School is doing valuable work to bring the future value of culture to the fore in our economic thinking and development of identity at an economic and strategic level, however the Talisman are doing it at a grass roots level, with an oversubscribed theatre, bursting at the seams.

The theatre puts on 12 productions a year and a monthly fringe event, with a wealth of participants and volunteers.

We will also be launching the Kenilworth Fringe, which is an opportunity to celebrate our hospitality and cultural businesses and organisations throughout the town.

Lunch will be a buffet style, provided by Andrew Davis Bakery.