Tampa Bay gets creative

The creatives in Tampa Bay, FL knew they were important to their city, they just didn’t know how to communicate that… until Richard Florida, author of the best-seller Rise of the Creative Class, presented to 500 of them in April 2003.

Later that year, CreativeTampaBay was founded, a nonprofit “dedicated to connecting and energizing the community’s assets to cultivate an environment that encourages innovation, expands the economy and is a magnet for creative people.”

Their principles include: “Invest in the infrastructure that fosters creativity. That includes arts and culture, nightlife, the music scene, restaurants, artists and designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, affordable spaces, lively neighborhoods, spirituality, education, density, public spaces and third places.” Also, “Invest in and build on quality of place. Be authentic. Value risk-taking. Embrace diversity.

They network, research, host events, publish a newsletter and host an informative website. Most significantly, they’ve identified themselves as a true market to be catered to.

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neilkt