Making the Case: Economic Impact of Design

What is the economic impact of design? What is the size and scale of design industries in your city? How can design and arts festivals and organizations make their case for support through economic impact studies?  Increasingly design weeks and arts festivals are challenged to justify government funding, corporate sponsorships, and other support by demonstrating their larger economic impact.  Come and discover what you should know before launching an economic impact study, or, if you have already engaged in one, come and share your experience! Join a discussion with members of international design weeks and festivals to share knowledge and resources.

Special Guest:
Andrew Graves, Director of Ortus Economic Research (UK)  – Andrew is a highly experienced economic research consultant and project director, having worked in the field for 28 years. Over this time he has developed a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in the field of economic development, helping clients to design, evaluate and assess the impact of policies, strategies, and interventions designed to deliver growth. Many of the assignments that Andrew has led have been focused on specific sectors or economic clusters, and he has extensive experience working in the creative industries, including design. He has led significant projects in the UK for major government and public organizations in the field, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council, Historic England, Crafts Council, and the Design Council. In his previous role as Managing Director of TBR, he helped design and deliver a seminal research study for Design Council, called the Design Economy.  This was founded on a new methodology for assessing the economic scale and performance of Design within the UK economy, demonstrating that design skills and competencies were fundamental to a much wider range of sectors and occupations than previously recognized.  He continues to pursue research interests in the creative industries and design in his new company, Ortus Economic Research Ltd, including exploring how the Design Economy method could be employed by others.
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Moderator:
Amit Gupta, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of STIRworld –  A designer, thinker, and conceptualizer for things creative, provocative, and challenging, Amit traversed into promoting design and architecture by establishing ‘vis a vis’, the first Indian design gallery in 1997. vis a vis has curated acclaimed architecture and design events across India. In 2003, ‘vis a vis’ progressed into being a globally recognized integrated lighting solutions company under the creative direction of Amit. In 2014, Amit founded STIR (See. Think. Inspire. Reflect.), a global entity that offers exclusively curated, carefully analyzed, and meticulously presented content in the domain of architecture, art, and design. In 2015, STIR launched the Indian edition of mondo*arc India, now known as ‘arc magazine’,  acclaimed as an influential and well-read design magazine in the country. Post his experience in a print publication he ventured into launching the global digital publication, STIRworld.com, in 2019, and a digital platform to bring the creative community together, STIRpad.com, in 2021. STIR today stands as a globally recognized publication.