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Creative Economy and Cultural Tourism �Recovery and Growth Plan

February 9, 2023

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What would it look like if Delaware were to have a stronger creative economy / arts and culture sector?

Creative Economy and Cultural Tourism �Recovery and Growth Plan

The Delaware Arts Alliance received $1M award from Governor John Carney and the Delaware Division of Small Business through the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) American Rescue Plan Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program

The Delaware Arts Alliance is committed to investing in Delaware’s creative economy and arts and culture sectors. Through it, the wider travel and tourism sector will recover quicker and become more resilient.
We are ready to build on the work underway and act on this opportunity to think beyond COVID-19 recovery and look at how to grow and sustain a locally-produced sector, including individual artists, for-profit and nonprofit arts and culture organizations. This includes a clear focus on BIPOC and women-owned businesses.
Though the creative economy is poised to recover from the pandemic, we require a clear roadmap for the policy changes and investments needed as a sector.

Project Overview

Creative Economy and Cultural Tourism �Recovery and Growth Plan

Interactive, publicly available map of Delaware’s creative economy
Economic impact study
Recovery plans for Delaware statewide, all counties and select Opportunity Zones (cities)
Developed based on input from DE stakeholders via surveys, focus groups, meetings

1^st project of this scope in DE to incorporate both for-profit and non-profit creatives across art forms
1st project of this kind in the county by aligning state, county, and city plans
We will know we are successful if we have organized stakeholders around a common vision for the creative economy

Project Overview

Q&A with Shain Shapiro, Founder and Executive Chairman of Sound Diplomacy

Can you tell us about your background, how you came to found Sound Diplomacy, and the work your team does?
How do you define the term “Creative economy”? Nationally, where is there a trend to use this term instead of just “arts and culture sector”?

You’ve shared with me that Sound Diplomacy doesn’t have set definition of creative economy and approaches the work without an agenda. You are flexible to what DE needs and work backwards from our goals. Can you speak more about what you mean by that?

How have other countries, states, and cities leveraged a similar process to advance their creative economies?
Why is this process so important for Delaware? What opportunities do we have ahead?
The DAA board has said “We will know we are successful if we have organized stakeholders around a common vision for the creative economy” and this includes

Have you seen this play out other places? What are your reactions to this?

Can you walk us through why these three deliverables - why start with the mapping, how that feeds into the economic research, and how the community will help guide priorities for the regulatory review?
What else should this group of stakeholders know up front?

Creative Economy and Cultural Tourism �Recovery and Growth Plan

How do you see the state or you personally benefiting from the completion of this effort?
What should we be taking into consideration as we begin planning?
What questions do you have?

Local hiring
Collection of local resources and information to inform research e.g. city strategic plans, economic research, mapping efforts, news articles,
Planning for stakeholder engagement period

Project Overview