CreativeLab: A Workshop Promoting Creative Economy Takes Place in Thessaloniki!

Many times people who live in Thessaloniki, the second biggest town of Greece, complain because they believe that they are neglected compared to those who live in Athens. They say that when somebody lives in Athens has more opportunities for doing business, more opportunities for networking, more opportunities to take part in “big” projects or/and conferences. I cannot say that they are wrong! (I live also in Thessaloniki)

But, because I don’t like to complain and I always see the “light side of the moon”, in this blog post I refer to a project of non-formal education, which is going to take place in Thessaloniki (yes! Not in Athens!), from 25 to 30 of June, entitled “CreativeLab” and during which I am honored to play the role of the main trainer of the 28 participants coming from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain.

CreativeLab Workshop Project aims at backing up those 28 participants, who have recently set up their businesses in the field of Creative Economy, on topics related to Idea Management, Project Management, Branding, Design Thinking, Idea Pitching, Business Strategy Development, Self-Branding and Networking. More information about this project follows.

What particularly makes me happy is that through this project, the 28 participants, as well as, creative entrepreneurs doing business in Thessaloniki, will have the opportunity to meet, to exchange ideas, opinions and experiential knowledge via the study visits which are going to be implemented (except from the basic, more “strict” training) in co-operation with Creativity Platform. This way, Thessaloniki, a town with many creatives who create real value, will become more famous at European level

For this opportunity, which is going to be given to Thessaloniki, its creative entrepreneurs and to me also-to communicate with creative people and to share my knowledge and my experiences-the “responsible” person is Mrs. Myrto-Elena Pertsinidi, who lives and works the last five (5) years in Dresden, at the organization Jugend- & Kulturprojekt eV. We would like to thank her! I hope this project to become a source of inspiration and to act as a mobilazer, so as more projects like this to be implemented in the future! Because Creative Economy is the future!

 

Dimitra Zervaki, EMBA, PMP, TTT

The CreativeLab Project

The CreativeLab training course brings together 28 creative entrepreneurs from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain who have recently set up their creative business and wish to learn more about how to develop them and build an international network.

The CreativeLab TC aims at the exchange of experiences and best practices in the field of Creative Economy, CCS (Cultural and Creative Sectors) and Entrepreneurship. Along the way the participants will engage with a series of tools, exercises, assignments and challenges that will help them develop their skills and ideas. Moreover, this course aspires to assist in developing a range of inter-personal and practical enterprise skills to help them spot and profit from opportunity.

Through a series of workshops, the participants will learn how to focus, create a vision, negotiate a freelance commission, construct different types of networks, understand essential terms of entrepreneurship and CCS and help them to achieve their goals.

Learning about these topics will assist the participants in pursuing an entrepreneurial outlook which can inspire a new sense of direction. The course includes sessions on idea generation, publicity stunts, innovation, branding, trend forecasting, crowdfunding, presentation and creating an inspired sales pitch.

Through this course, the creative entrepreneurs will develop entrepreneurial skills such as:

• Creative thinking
• Connected learning
• Planning skills
• Communication skills
• Presentation skills
• Reflective thinking

The first session took place between the 29th of March and the 6th of April 2016 in Dresden and Berlin and the second session is going to take place between the 24th of June and the 1st of July 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Topics:

Idea Management Framework

Participants will be introduced with the Idea Management Framework developed by Ms Zervaki, in order to clearly understand the process of building a business effectively and to learn which business tools and best practices are used during each of the following four (4) complementary and non-linear phases:

• Idea Development
• Idea Enchainment
• Idea Implementation
• Idea Pitching

Applied Project Management

• Project Management Skills Assessment Test
• What is a Project
• Project Life Cycle
• Project Management Processes
• Feasibility Study/Business Case
• Stakeholders Identification and Analysis
• Market Research Best Practices
• Creation of a Work Breakdown Structure
• Project Cost Estimation
• Development of Project Charter based on the Project Charter Canvas developed by Dimitra Zervaki

Branding

• Brand & Branding vs Marketing
• Branding Strategy vs Marketing Strategy
• The “Why-How-What” approach in creating a winning branding strategy
• Differences between Features and Benefits
• Types of Value
• Value Proposition Development based on the “Value Proposition Canvas”
• Value Proposition vs Brand Positioning
• Creation of a Branding Strategy based on “The One-page Branding Strategy Canvas” developed by Ms Zervaki

Design Thinking & Business Strategy

• Design Thinking and why entrepreneurs should care about it
• The four step approach to Design Thinking
• Designing a Business Strategy
• Creating a Business Strategy using “The One-page Business Strategy Canvas”
• The difference among Business Strategy, Business Model and Business Plan
• Development of a Business Model using the “Business Model Canvas”

Brand Story

• What is storytelling
• What is Brand Story
• How companies tell their stories
• Creating a Brand Story based on the brand story model “The Customer is the Hero”
• Creating a Brand Story based on the brand story model “Get your Business Funded” developed by Ms Zervaki
• Creating a winning website based on Branding Strategy and Brand Story

Idea Pitching

• What is Idea Pitching
• The model “Pitch like a Mastic Tree” developed by Dimitra Zervaki
• How to develop a winning Pitch Deck
• How to Pitch effectively your Ideas to investors, peers, upper management

Self-Branding & Networking

• The future of jobs
• Stretch-Stay relevant in your work life
• What is Self-Branding and why is needed
• Create a personal and professional brand using the Framework “My Life Project” developed by Dimitra Zervaki
• Creating an Action Plan for Networking based on the Self-Brand
• Elevator Pitch of yourself

Creative Placemaking and urban policies for social participation

Cities and human capital: a win-win situation

From sustainable ideas to sustainable plans

This project is a cooperation with Wir gestalten Dresden and Creativity Platform Thessaloniki and is funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme.