CIDA: creative industries training programmes

About the Programmes

We’ve partnered with the Cultural Industries Development Agency in east London to develop and deliver several training programmes.

Sustain to Gain

Sustain to Gain was a five-day business planning programme. Highly interactive, it was designed not only to develop participants’ knowledge and understanding of business planning practice but also to provide moments of critical reflection. Participants could reflect on their current situation and determine what they need to do to achieve their goals and be financially secure.

• Back to Basics and Effective Management: Exploring values and motivators, mission and vision, and balancing them in your plan.
• Putting on the Nuts and Bolts: Explaining what needs to be in a business plan and why, including budgets, cash flows, risk analysis, and clear targets.
• Translating what we’ve got into a thriving organisation: Focusing on action and milestone plans for immediate practical use.
• Fundraising and sponsorship: Exploring what successful fundraising looks like and where to focus efforts.
• Marketing: Exploring target audiences, branding, and how to create and action a marketing strategy.

Time to Think

Time to Think focused on planning, managing, and delivering better festivals and events. It was designed to hone event managers’ and festival directors’ strategic planning skills as well as their understanding of practical matters such as licensing and risk assessment.

• Business planning and financial management
• Income generation and marketing
• Event management
• Licences, health and safety, and risk assessments
• Venue negotiation and team management

The course was highly interactive, with participants encouraged to share previous experiences and engage in real-life exercises focused on licensing and risk assessment.