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About

Spark:Ignite 2023 was a one-day symposium that took place at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington on Wednesday 15 February 2023. It aimed to turn creative talk into creative action, and galvanise Warwick District’s creative business community around a common purpose; promotion and growth of the sector. 

Presentations and Panel Discussions

Missed a Spark presentation or want to watch it again? You can see all Spark sessions from the past four years on our YouTube channel. Here are the links to Spark 2023:

Spark 2023 thumbnail of session recording1. Placemaking: Building Creative Communities

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces. It capitalises on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and well-being. During this 60-minute session, hear from three speakers who are doing exciting things within this space. 

Spark 2023 thumbnail of session recording2. Global Leamington

Warwick District has a rich and vibrant creative sector, and many hugely successful individuals, businesses and organisations call it home. During this 60-minute session you will hear from three local organisations who are doing incredible things nationally and internationally - and putting our towns on the global stage. 

Spark 2023 thumbnail of session recording3. Creativity: Against the Odds 

We live in uncertain times, but creativity continues to flourish in Warwick District and beyond. Hear how three creatives have overcome a range of challenges to continue to make exceptional work. 

Spark 2023 thumbnail of session recording4. Emerging Creatives

By fostering and training emerging creatives, we create a pipeline of talent to fuel our sector and develop future leaders. Hear from three extraordinary creatives about their journeys into the industry and be inspired by their creative output.


 

Spark 2024: Get Involved

The next Spark Symposium will take place in Leamington on Thursday 15 February 2024.

We’re always looking for new speakers, session Chairs, demonstrators, and people to feature in our Marketplace – so get in touch if you want to find out more.

Delegate Feedback

  • 325 delegates pre-booked tickets to the event, and we approximate (by counting uncollected name badges) that 50 delegates did not attend. (2022: 338, 2021: Online, 2020: 312)
  • 91.3% of respondents would like to see Warwick District Council deliver more events like Spark in the future. (2022: 98%, 2021: 96.6%, 2020: 100%)
  • 96% of respondents would recommend Spark to a colleague or friend. Only 2 respondents were unsure. (2022: 96%, 2021: not collected, 2020: 91.6%)
  • The stand-out moments from the day were the presentations, the catering, and opportunity to network.
  • Inspiring, informative, friendly, and useful were the top four words respondents used to describe the event, which largely correlate with responses from previous years.
  • 78.6% of delegates rated quality of speakers and session content as between 8 and 10 out of 10, where 0 is poor and 10 is excellent. (2022:71.7%, 2021: 77.6%, 2020: 77.4%)
  • 70.2% of delegates rated networking opportunities as between 8 and 10 out of 10, where 0 is poor and 10 is excellent. (2022:70.2%, 2021: 59.7% online, 2020: 72.6%)
  • 97.9% of respondents felt that attending Spark was a good use of their time. 2022: 97.8%, 2021: 96.5%, 2020: 96.4%)
  • Respondents’ top suggestions to improve the programme are: shorter presentations; more presentations; greater diversity of speakers.

Spark 2023 wordle. Top words include Inspiring, Informative, useful, friendly, exciting.