Eight countries, one goal.

Delegates from the UK, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines met in Cebu, Philippines from 5-11 March for the third stop in a series of Creative Catalyst trips around UK and East Asia.

In Cebu, we attended Tubodfest which is a product of the newly established network of creative entrepreneurs there.  The Tubodfest is a culmination of the getting-together of creative entrepreneurs from various disciplines that used to be unheard of in Cebu given the lack of a singular event where all creative industries within Cebu can be showcased.  

There were visits to furniture showrooms, film production studios, and a fashion accessories factory as well as a conference where the delegates along with local creative entrepreneurs listened to invited UK speakers Stuart Macdonald, former director of the Lighthouse in Glasgow and John Miller, furniture designer from Cornwall, share their insights and knowledge about the creative economy in the UK and how other countries can take inspiration from them.

There were also talks by British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur winners for design like Ridwan Kamil from Indonesia, Makorn Chaovanich from Thailand and Jay Aldeguer from the Philippines on their experiences and challenges as creative entrepreneurs coupled with learning insights from Cebu’s provincial director for the Department of Trade and Industry Nelia Navarro and the Dean of the School of Design and Arts Gerard Torres on the roles that government and the academe play in supporting the creative economy and the creative entrepreneur.

Much still needs to be done to establish a true and effective network of creative entrepreneurs but with these catalyst trips, we are well on our way.