Members of Warwick district's creative sector join annual event with presentations, workshops, and demonstrations

Sing it Loud choir from Leamington at Spark 2024. Photo supplied by WDC

Members of the creative sector in the Warwick district returned to Leamington’s Royal Spa Centre for an event with presentations, workshops, and demonstrations.

Spark: Ignite returned for a fifth year on February 15.

The annual event for the creative sector is designed to turn talk into action by bringing together and promoting the growth of the arts and digital industries across the Warwick district.

The panel left to right is Mark Hughes-Webb, Alan Heap, and Graciela Melitsko Thornton. Photo by WDC

The event was structured around five core themes: voice, placemaking, pathfinding, engagement, and innovation, with 280 delegates attending from industries, including film and TV, the performing arts and the visual arts, to name a few.

For this year’s Spark event, the programme of sessions included ‘Creative Industries and the Climate Emergency', where the audience heard how three organisations are addressing the climate emergency; ‘Creatives and Artificial Intelligence’, which, during this session, a panel of three speakers explained how AI is being used within a variety of creative businesses and ‘Funding: how to make it work for you, yes you...’ where the Sasolo team provided advice on strategy and funding.

Other talks and workshops explored podcasting, social media marketing, empowering neurodivergent and disabled employees, funding, intellectual property, and Climate Justice.

Paul Roberts, arts manager at Warwick District Council, said: “This year's Spark: Ignite was fantastic.

"It provided an excellent opportunity for us to bring together the creative community and celebrate the creative offering we have here in Warwick district.

"The event continues to grow from strength to strength and is widely regarded as the best local creative networking event in the area.”

Cllr Ella Billiald, portfolio holder for arts and economy at Warwick District Council, said: "This event, now in its fifth year, provided all those from the creative community an opportunity to meet, engage, learn from one another, and feel inspired.

"The topics ranged from funding to A.I.

"Thank you to Paul Roberts and Johnathan Branson for their superb organisation and for providing such a key event in the creative networking calendar. We are proud to support events such as these."

The next events will be Ignite 2024 on July 11 and Spark 2025 on February 14 2025.