INNOVATION BY THE OCEAN
INITIATIVES
Ten-Town Bump
What’s a bump? Some might call it networking, but it’s more active than that. It’s entrepreneurs, idea people, and creative thinkers getting together—bumping—on a regular basis. Bumping is how the area around San Jose, CA, became known as Silicon Valley. We want to make that happen here.
Research completed in the spring of 2008 found that ten communities account for 73 percent of all North shore creative economy enterprises. This inspired the “ten-town bump,” which launched in Salem on July 24, 2008, with a networking event to bring members of Salem’s creative economy together to stimulate business and collaboration. Similar events followed in the other targeted towns and cities.
All of the communities—Amesbury, Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Lynn, Marblehead, Newburyport, Peabody, Rockport, and Salem—are supporting these events enthusiastically, aided by CEANS’s comprehensive “how to” tool kits that included everything from mailing lists to banners and planning logistics.
In surveys of the eight communities that have participated, 38% of attendee have reported collaborating with, hiring or being hired by another creative economy company. The talent North of Boston exists, and we are happy to report that these collisions are generating business.
The final report of an extensive study by ConsultEcon, Inc. and Karl F. Seidman Consulting Services discovers key finding about the size and impact of the local creative economy. The study identified key clusters and outlined short term and long term goals to foster economic growth.
- Over 2,200 creative economy enterprises are located on the North Shore (Massachusetts) and employs up to 20,000 workers.
- The Creative Economy accounts for 10-12% of Boston's North Shore total private sector employment (bio tech is 2%).
- North Shore creative economy enterprises contribute over $3 billion in annual sales.
Read the Full Report
Key Facts
Executive Summary
Literature Review- Emerging Best Practices
The first statewide conference on the creative economy was held at the Hawthorne Hotel and the Peabody Essex Museum on May 3, 2006. More than 200 thought leaders from across the state participated. From all reports, the conference was a huge success. To quote one participant: "This is the first time that the right speakers were in the right room with the right participants."
Innovation Agenda Conference Final Report
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