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 The 2010 Douglas Hyde Conference will take place on 15th October in the Abbeyfield Hotel, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon. Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will officially open the Conference, which will highlight the role of Creativity in Education, Innovation, Economy, and Society.
Commenting in the run up to the conference, Minister Hanafin said “The creative sector holds a wealth of opportunity and potential for Ireland in the coming years, not only for its own considerable inherent value to society, but also for the contribution creativity can make to industry, to education, cultural tourism and ultimately to our economic wellbeing. The creative sector will be at centre of our economic recovery and growth over the coming years and will continue to be a priority area of investment, as it an acknowledged area of strength both at home and abroad."
“The line-up of speakers at this year’s conference will be of particular interest to creative businesses, community and voluntary organisations and policy makers operating in the arts and culture sector”, said Frank Dawson, Roscommon County Manager. “The conference Chair, Theo Dorgan, will lead discussion and debate about the role of creativity in education and innovation and the economic value of the creative sector to both rural and urban economies”, he added.
The four keynote speakers are Kevin Stolarick, Director of Research at Richard Florida’s Martin Prosperity Institute, Toronto; Joe Hallgarten, Programmes Director with Creativity, Culture and Education, UK; Arantxa Mendiharat, Director, Conexiones Improbables in Bilbao and Michael D. Higgins T.D.
Gillian Buckley, Acting Chief Executive and Investment Manager at the WDC said, “We also look forward to hearing from high profile artists, entrepreneurs, strategists and policy lobbyists who work within the creative sector, which is worth €270m to the Gross Value Added of the regional economy. The panel discussions at the conference will give delegates an opportunity to hear first hand how creativity and innovation can be nurtured in the workplace on a daily basis in order to fuel this level of economic activity”.
The Conference will serve as a platform for research into the Creative Sector with a view to having the research findings impact on policy and programmes at local, regional and national levels. The Creative Sector has been identified as a particularly attractive opportunity for the future of the country as it benefits society as a whole as well as driving innovation in the wider economy. It has strong growth potential, generates high quality employment, facilitates innovation in other sectors, plays a key social role and can stimulate rural and regional development.
For booking and further information on the conference including biographies of speakers and panellists, please see www.roscommonarts.com/hyde
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