The award-winning IGNITE Festival of Creativity is set to launch a free Business Programme, open to students and graduates from the University and Plymouth College of Art.
This hands-on programme will support participants to develop key enterprise skills and gain the confidence to grow their creative businesses after graduation.
Eight evening workshops will be delivered by Mark Cotton, an independent business development consultant, founder of Mark Cotton Consultancy, and Non-executive Director and Trustee of KARST, Plymouth’s largest independent contemporary arts space.
Including business planning, digital marketing, customer insight, and pitching, the workshops will equip participants with the practical skills to pursue their business ambitions and prepare their products or ideas for market. Students and graduates with existing business will also benefit from best practice in how to grow or diversify their business, as well as mentoring opportunities.
Running from 23 May to 1 June 2022, places must be booked online in advance on Eventbrite*, where details are also available for how students from other Plymouth-based educational institutions can apply to join.
Now in its fourth year, the IGNITE Festival of Creativity celebrates the work of hundreds of creative graduates from over 30 of the University's and Plymouth College of Art's degree programmes across a series of exhibitions and events across multiple city-wide venues, including galleries, studios and event spaces.
Dan Howson, Producer of IGNITE, said:
“The IGNITE Festival, which has been running since 2019, has been a boost to graduate profile building and employability. Our students and graduates have benefitted from the Ignite Futures talent promotion website, from exhibition and promotional opportunities around the city of Plymouth and from participation in business facing seminars and training sessions."
IGNITE is supported by Plymouth City Council as part of the iMayflower project, and by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund (administered by Arts Council England).