Malta and Utrecht Invest in Excellence
Cindy Dekkers, managing director of Designer Café in Utrecht, spent some intensive days in Malta last October. This visit will soon have a follow-up: Cindy is asked to be a mentor for the fashion project, give the candidates training sessions and in that way share her experience and knowledge.
Utrecht is famous for it's creative industry and cultural entrepreneurs. One of the initiatives is Designer Café, a fashion house in the city centre. Collections of Dutch fashion designers are produced, promoted and sold there. It has everything in-house; you can shop, create a unique outfit, you will meet designers, fashion-loving public and you can join professionals at one of the many workshops. Designer Café is co-financed by the City of Utrecht and the European regional development fund.
Cindy was the right person to judge business plans for INVEX, a fund for entrepreneurs in creative industry. 5 companies are selected for funding and coaching. The following three years Cindy will be involved in the process along with her colleague Stephan Aarts. Being involved in ABSRD for gaming and social media he will advice entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.
For Cindy this is an interesting experience. 'I was touched to see how people in Malta work hard to get things done. I'm convinced that connections between Malta and Utrecht can be beneficial for the whole creative industry. ' Cindy and Stephan want to connect different projects and disciplines to enlarge the local knowledge and the market and develop a sustainable network.
Check: http://www.designercafe.nl/english
And http://www.absrd.com/Home.html
