Creative Cities seeks 2020 host

UK cities have been invited to bid to host the 2020 Creative Cities Convention (CCC), which held its inaugural edition in Leeds this year and will take place in Cardiff in 2019.

Patrick Holland

The Welsh capital won a competitive bid to host the next two-day convention, which provides a meeting place for people working in creative media across the UK and travels to a different city each year.

The other candidates for the 2019 edition were Bristol and Glasgow. Cities have until January 8 to express their interest in hosting the 2020 edition, with pitches set to take place at CCC in Cardiff on April 2, when the winning city will be announced.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for independent producers or local authorities keen to bring the conversation around British broadcasting and production to their city. It’s a chance for any interested city to promote their creative media sector and bring some of the top talent in the industry right to their doorstep,” said Ruth Pitt, director of CCC.

Meanwhile, BBC2 controller Patrick Holland has been confirmed as the first speaker at CCC 2019, which will take place at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on April 1 and 2.

Hosted again by journalist and broadcaster Kirsty Wark, the 2019 convention will have a celebratory theme of ‘Let’s Be Friends,’ focusing on the importance of working together in a rapidly changing market.

“We want to visit a different city each year so we can dig deep into the big issues that concern content producers and distributors, whoever and wherever they are,” added Pitt.