KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — The UK-SEA Creative Hubs Connect (UK-SEA CHC) is an initiative supported by the British Council and powered by Mereka Connect as the anchor SEA partner and hosting platform, and Baltic Creative CIC as the anchor UK partner.
The British Council has been supporting creative hubs’ communities in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines through its regional creative hubs program since 2014 (Hubs For Good in Malaysia). The regional program was implemented across 37 cities, provided 7 research, 57 capacity-building activities, and workshops, 71 grant collaborations, as well as advocacy and networking opportunities benefitting over 67,000 art practitioners and hub communities. Building on this effort, the UK-SEA CHC program offers the UK and South East Asian creative hub communities an opportunity to come together to connect, exchange, collaborate, and form a lasting network, as well as grow their audience.
Florence Lambert, head of arts and creative industries at British Council Malaysia said, “Creative Hubs Connect Network is a bridge that will connect hubs from the UK with hubs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand. It will be a window open to knowledge, connections, and best practices. We hope it will lead creative hubs to reach new audiences, explore new markets and foster creative explorations and collaborations. The British Council is proud to support this new and unique networking platform. We encourage you to join us and meet new partners on the platform.”
The program aims to bring the network together via curated online activities including country-specific engagement sessions with creative hubs in the months of June and July 2022, a Grand Launch event on July 29, 2022 featuring Dr. Tarek Virani, associate professor of creative industries at UWE Bristol as the keynote speaker and sharing from the South East Asia region leading hubs, and upcoming networking events to further bridge connections.
UK-SEA CHC network’s online community building will be enabled by the Mereka Connect platform. The platform’s ‘Connect Community’ forum feature allows creative hubs to interact and explore collaborations. The platform also functions as a repository for a vast selection of creative economy resources such as funding opportunities, a library of open source research reports and toolkits, and links to helpful digital tools and solutions which support the operations and management of creative hubs.
Chair of the Baltic Creative CIC Board Dr. Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs said, “Liverpool has long been a hotbed for digital and creative talent, but we’ve found at Baltic Creative that one of the best ways to facilitate its growth is to enable collaboration. The nature of the sector is that it’s always evolving too, so it’s important that we continue to seek out new connections and learn from others’ experiences. Our partnership with the UK-SEA Creative Hubs Connect program is a unique opportunity for not only our tenants but other hubs across Liverpool to come together and expand their networks for the benefit of their own businesses and the region.”
The Mereka Connect platform is designed and will continue to improve to support creative hubs to connect and network with each other, share resources, learn and make a positive impact on social, cultural, and economic growth while growing their business by utilizing the platform’s integrated bookings management system for events, exhibitions, educational programs, and workshops.
Group CEO, Biji-biji Initiative and Mereka Connect Rashvin Pal Singh said, “As we come out of a devastating period of a global shutdown, the UK-SEA CHC program offers a creative ecosystem of SEA and the UK to reconnect, pool their resources, and find new waysto collaborate. Through this network, we aim for hubs to learn from their peers across the region, connect with a wider pool of audiences, and secure higher bookings for their services and experiences. It was with these goals in mind that Mereka Connect is built upon to better serve the unique needs of the creative ecosystem.”
Creative hubs across SEA and the UK interested in finding out more about the UK-SEA CHC program can visit here. The Grand Launch event is open to both creative hubs and members of the creative ecosystem. Details of the event is as follows:
UK-SEA CHC Grand Launch: Bridging Creative Hubs Across Southeast Asia and the UK
Date: Friday, July 29, 2022
Time:
- 4:00-5:30 pm Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam
- 5:00-6:30 pm Malaysia and the Philippines
- 10:00-11:30 am England – London
Format: Hybrid – online (open to all), physical at Mereka Space, Publika, Malaysia (by-invitation only)
Those interested in joining the online event can RSVP here.
