CIN – building creative relationships

From music to marketing, art to architecture, the creative industries now make up 7.3% of the UK economy and are growing at 5% per year – almost twice the rate of the rest of the economy. Defying traditional categorisation, the creative businesses are being built around ideas, images, symbols, designs and cultural expressions. The UK leads the world and our creative industries are set to play an increasingly important role in our economic and cultural lives.

CIN is here to support the development of the creative industries in Derbyshire and beyond. Initially set up by a group of young creative business owners in Derby in 2001, CIN today is a well established organisation run by creatives for creatives. We provide services to help individuals build the relationships they need to be successful – relationships with other creatives, with customers, suppliers, funders and others. In a sector where many people work alone, or in small organisations, CIN plays a vital role bringing people together, sharing information and skills, and providing support and inspiration.

This website is central to CIN’s service and delivers a source of regularly updated information – including industry news, jobs, supplier deals, a directory of members’ services and much more. We encourage you to come back often. But CIN is much more than a virtual network. We put on monthly social events with educational speakers open to all creatives, host regular workshops, and coordinate a programme of training and one-to-one support across the county. We pride ourselves on being informal and welcoming.

If you run your own creative business - or are just starting out – we’d like to encourage you to join CIN as a member. CIN is a non-profit making company effectively owned and driven by our members. Joining us will give you the chance to showcase your work online, get involved and take advantage of our many membership benefits. Of course, there are ways non-members can benefit too – sign-up to our free e-newsletter with just a couple of clicks if you like.

CIN also encourages other businesses to get involved with the creative industries in the region. Any company looking to purchase creative services can use our comprehensive directory to find local companies, or even advertise for staff. Suppliers are encouraged to make special offers to our members or to advertise their services.

We hope you enjoy this website and will consider this the start of a fruitful new relationship. Whatever your goals and whoever you want to meet, think CINfully!