John Evans, Events and Operations Officer
With a focus on events in my role, I oversee much of our programme activity and July was a big month for me. Not just in terms of logistics, but learning too. We kicked things off with our ‘Creative Cardiff: Past, Present, Future’ reflection session at sbarc|spark, where we gathered past and present team members, partners, collaborators, and students to reflect on the last 10 years of Creative Cardiff and begin shaping the next chapter. It felt symbolic to open the month with a reminder of the power of community and the relationships that sustain us and that have shaped the journey to where we are today.
This month also marked the return of our regional events. I had the pleasure of supporting our Creative Cuppa in Barry, where local creative Gosia Buzzanca offered reflections on navigating a creative career, and our first-ever Caerphilly Cuppa in partnership with Cynefin and Y Banc, with Bethan Davies of Joy House Creations delivering a brilliant talk on hosting creative events in your own community. Bethan summed it up perfectly: “Connection isn’t a luxury, it’s a nutrient.” As we continue to explore how to support creatives across the Cardiff Capital Region, these regional events reaffirmed just how vital it is to take up space outside the city. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to events. Every location and community brings its own energy, challenges, and needs – and meeting people where they are is key.
Across all our events this month – from our AMDANI writing group and DIVERGE coworking session to our regular Creative Cuppa in Cardiff (with an insightful talk from Hope Solutions on sustainability in live events), and our ‘How to Be a Greenlancer’ workshop with Media Cymru and Picture Zero – three clear themes emerged: accessibility, adaptability, and sustainability. These aren’t just buzzwords; they’re essential ingredients for events that work for everyone.
Planning and delivering creative events at the scale we do is only possible through collaboration – with speakers, partners, venues, and crucially, our own team. In a month like this, I’ve been reminded that no matter how busy things get, being part of a creative community is a privilege and makes it all worthwhile!
Tori Sillman, Digital Content Officer
July saw the Creative Cardiff team in full force, packed with events and collaborative vibes. We had the pleasure of working alongside our summer interns for the last time; Sophie, Eleanor, and Katie. Saying goodbye to them was bittersweet, but very happy to have met them ahead of their creative paths. Wishing them all the best for their bright futures! A big part of the month was supporting John and Carys with a packed schedule of events; witnessing how they pulled everything together so seamlessly, in such close succession was hardcore. A standout moment for me was hearing from Bryonie Mathews, who gave a fascinating insight into running sustainable events on a UK-wide scale. After some tough deliberation and planning, we are so happy to have publicly announced our five commissioned artists for our 10th anniversary! We are genuinely so excited to see what these incredible creatives develop for this iconic occasion. The next few months are all packed with awesome output waiting to burst!
Jess Scurlock, On-Campus Intern
Being a student intern at Creative Cardiff this summer has been such a valuable experience. From observing writing workshops to contributing my own article on creative activities to try before summer ends, it’s been a rewarding few weeks supporting their work ahead of their 10th anniversary.
Read my article on Creative things to do in Cardiff before summer ends.
Carys Bradley-Roberts, Creative Cardiff Manager
When I joined Creative Cardiff back in 2022, bringing back opportunities for in-person connection after the pandemic was a key priority for us. Since then, we’ve established our monthly Creative Cuppa, introduced Creative Cardiff Classrooms, developed new event strands and partnerships through DIVERGE, Gorwel, AMDANI and Poet Treehouse, and hosted a few Summer and Festive Parties along the way!
Over the last ten years, we have hosted 140 events with a total of 5,000 attendees, and, as our autumn programme takes shape, we are certainly not slowing down! While we have gained substantial experience in hosting events, there is always more we can do to make our events as accessible and sustainable as possible. We want to ensure that we continue to add value amidst the numerous other events taking place and do so in a way that is responsive to the sector's needs.
My top takeaways from our Creative Cuppa speakers this month:
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Planning, tracking and measuring impact is key: Bryonie Mathews (Hope Solutions) reminded us how important it is to consider sustainability in the context of event management, and ensuring that you track and measure the impact of your events to identify solutions and continually strengthen your offer. (Creative Cuppa, Cardiff)
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You set the tone of your event- be friendly, welcoming and calm: It’s easier said than done, especially when you have a room full of event attendees looking back at you, but Bethan Davies (Joy House Creations) reminded us that your role as facilitator is key to ensuring your audience feel part of the space you’ve created. (Creative Cuppa, Caerphilly)
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Be prepared to adapt: All speakers, including Gosia Buzzanca (Freelance writer), reiterated the importance of being prepared to adapt when things don’t go as planned. Accept that everything won’t go exactly as you’ve anticipated, even if you planned extensively! Coming up with alternatives if something doesn’t work will help ease any stress if the unexpected occurs. (Creative Cuppa, Barry)
I also want to say a special thanks to John Evans who has brilliantly organised our events this year, Tori Sillman who has completely refreshed and strengthened our digital communications and branding and our wonderful student interns: Sophie Martin, Eleanor Kay, Katie Bowen and Jess Scurlock. I'm feeling exceptionally lucky to be surrounded by such a fantastic and hardworking team - diolch o galon, 'da chi gyd yn sêr!
