In the study, the experts from the Department of Cultural and Regional Geography examined the potential and requirements of creative entrepreneurs and freelancers in Offenbach. They provided the city with very specific suggestions as to how it could promote this young, dynamic and promising sector of the economy and bind companies to the location. This laid the foundation for the promotion of the creative industries in Offenbach.
In addition to the inventory and survey of Offenbach's cultural and creative professionals, a definition was drawn up of which sectors in Offenbach are included in the creative industries. Another very important part of the report was the derivation of recommendations for action for the city's economic development department on how to promote companies in the creative industries in Offenbach and thus secure the company's existence and promote the growth of the submarkets and the establishment of new companies.
The main results
- In 2007, around 900 companies with around 4,100 employees could be attributed to this sector.
- The companies surveyed were mainly active in the fields of management consultancy, advertising and marketing as well as IT and design.
- A relatively high density of companies and employees was identified. Around seven percent of jobs in Offenbach in 2007 were attributable to the creative industries.
- The reasons for the relatively high density were seen on the one hand in the favorable location within the Rhine-Main conurbation and on the other hand in the local University of Art and Design (HfG), which could be described as a hotbed.
- The comparatively low commercial rents were recognized as a further advantage of the location.
- It was found that around 55% of the companies identified were one-person businesses and only 5% had more than ten employees.
- The majority of cultural and creative professionals had a university degree.
The key recommendations for action
- Networking of creative companies with each other and with companies from other sectors.
- Increasing the visibility of the creative industries and thus the location.
- Institutionalization of measures and exchange platforms.
Since the publication of the study, many activities to promote the creative industries have been carried out by the city's economic development agency in cooperation with various partners. In addition to fixed formats such as a summer festival and a kick-off event in spring, there have been many changing formats over the past ten years that have been aimed at the creative industries as a whole or at specific submarkets. There is also an intensive exchange with the University of Art and Design and, in addition, activities with other colleges and universities in the Rhine-Main region with the aim of making Offenbach's creative industries known and anchoring them in the knowledge landscape and creating forums for exchange. An internet platform for creative professionals to exchange ideas with each other, present their own business models and thus increase the visibility of the companies and the location has also been offered for years and is constantly being expanded and adapted.