New Creative Trade Forum to boost UK creative industries announced at Edinburgh International Festival

In a strategic move aimed at enhancing the international footprint of Britain's creative sectors, a new partnership known as the Creative Trade Forum was inaugurated in Edinburgh during the city's renowned international festivals.

The initiative unites government authorities and prominent figures from a diverse array of creative fields, including film, television, music, advertising, gaming, design, and artificial intelligence. This collaboration seeks to facilitate the expansion of UK creative businesses into overseas markets, enabling them to commercialize their talent and innovative products globally.

The Forum’s launch coincided with the Edinburgh International Festival, a significant cultural event contributing approximately £800 million annually to Scotland’s economy and generating thousands of jobs. It is led by Co-Chairs Francesca Hegyi, CEO of the Edinburgh International Festival, and Michael Frohlich, Chief Marketing Officer at WPP, signifying a strong alliance between public and private sectors.

Reporting to the Creative Industries Council, the Forum assembles representatives from major organizations such as YouTube, the British Film Institute, the British Council, BBC Studios, and Goalhanger. Its mission includes identifying growth barriers, providing industry-driven recommendations to government, attracting investment, and nurturing international commercial partnerships.

The government highlighted the creative industries as vital economic drivers, contributing over £145 billion to the UK economy in 2024 alone. The Forum is designed to grant creative enterprises direct access to expert guidance, enabling them to penetrate new markets and translate British creativity into commercial success.

Alongside the Forum’s establishment, Innovate UK announced a commitment to further funding for creative technology companies through its Next Wave programme. This initiative, which follows a successful £10 million pilot phase, aims to assist startups and small-to-medium enterprises in fields such as gaming, AI-driven film production tools, and other creative tech innovations to scale and access global markets.

The programme’s future funding rounds, scheduled for 2027, will focus on supporting the UK's leading creative sectors: film and television, video games, music, performing and visual arts, and advertising and marketing. This financial backing is intended to stimulate private investment, increase exports, and contribute to broader governmental objectives of fostering inclusive economic growth across all regions.

Government officials and industry leaders emphasize that the UK’s creative industries possess world-class ideas and talent but face challenges in scaling their international presence. The Creative Trade Forum is positioned as a vehicle to overcome these obstacles by integrating creativity with commerce and technology, thus treating the creative economy as critical infrastructure for future growth.

During the Edinburgh launch, government ministers engaged with key stakeholders from the Creative Trade Forum and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society to discuss strategies that enhance access to European and global markets. This reflects a broader ambition to leverage trade agreements and dismantle barriers that restrict market entry for UK creative businesses.

The Forum includes a wide range of sector experts and institutional leaders, from the British Fashion Council and UK Interactive Entertainment to the British Phonographic Industry and the Royal Institute of British Architects. This diversity ensures a comprehensive approach to addressing the unique needs of multiple creative sub-sectors.

By fostering collaboration between government and creative industries, the UK aims to solidify its reputation as a world leader in innovation and cultural production, while ensuring that the economic benefits of creativity extend throughout the country. The initiative marks a significant step towards a more integrated strategy for supporting creative exports and nurturing the next generation of British creative enterprises.