As Baltic Creative CIC gets ready to operate a new facility in Southport the Liverpool business is also establishing trade links in South East Asia. Tony McDonough reports

After helping turn Liverpool’s forgotten Baltic district into a thriving digital and creative hub Baltic Creative CIC is now forging links with businesses in South East Asia.

Last week LBN reported how Sefton Council had named Baltic Creative as its preferred operator of the new Enterprise Arcade in Southport. The 15,000 sq ft hub will be aimed at individuals, freelancers, enterprises, and independent digital sector professionals.

And the organisation’s impressive reputation has led to a new partnership with Malaysia and five other South East Asian countries. 

Facilitated by the British Council, the agreement will connect Liverpool city region digital and creative organisations with like-minded businesses in South East Asia. This will create opportunities for international trade, learning and collaboration.

Businesses engaged with the programme will connect through the Creative Hubs Malaysia website. This a platform created with the aim of connecting Malaysian creative hubs and increasing their visibility to policymakers and the public.

As lead UK partners, Baltic Creative will work in conjunction with the British Council to use its network to co-curate the content of the platform with input from the UK sector. It will also coordinate events and networking activities with UK businesses.

Baltic Creative CIC was instrumental in the transformation of the decaying Baltic Triangle district of Liverpool. A little more than a decade ago the area was a collection of old docklands warehouses. Now it teems with creative, digital and leisure businesses.

Baltic Creative offers 120,000 sq ft of commercial space and is home to 170 businesses employing around 600 people.

Dr Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs, chair of the Baltic Creative board, said: “Liverpool has long been a hotbed for digital and creative talent. We’ve found at Baltic Creative that one of the best ways to facilitate its growth is to enable collaboration.

“The nature of the sector is that it’s always evolving too. It’s important that we continue to seek out new connections and learn from others’ experiences. Our partnership with the Creative Hubs for Good programme is a unique opportunity for not only our tenants but other hubs across Liverpool.”

Florence Lambert from the British Council added: “Creative Hubs Connect Network is a bridge that will connect hubs communities from the UK, with hubs communities from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines and Thailand. It will be a window open to knowledge, connections and best practices.”

Businesses looking to engage in the programme are encouraged to sign up to the live engagement event by clicking here.