Thursday 05 June 2026
On Thursday, December 12, the High-Level Group of the Wallonia European Creative District project (WECD) met for the second time. After the "Ple Image de Lige", the "Muse des Beaux-arts de Mons" was chosen this time as the meeting place. A busy day of presentations and constructive contributions.
On Thursday, December 12, the High-Level Group of the Wallonia European Creative District project (WECD) met for the second time. After the "Ple Image de Lige", the "Muse des Beaux-arts de Mons" was chosen this time as the meeting place. A busy day of presentations and constructive contributions.
Highlighted in recent weeks for hosting the famous Andy Warhol exhibition "Life, death and Beauty", the "muse des Beaux-arts de Mons" also hosted, on December 12, the second meeting of the High-Level Group of the Wallonia European Creative District project. As a reminder, Wallonia was recognized by the European Commission as European Creative District. Until summer 2015, the academic experts and operators of this group will be responsible for four tasks : discussing the strategy and methodology of the WECD project; assessing the Creative Wallonia plan; analyzing the results of the WECD project and making recommendations; indicating the tools of the Creative Wallonia plan (coworking spaces, master in creativity...) that could be exploited on an international scale.
Creative Wallonia is now experimenting assessment
The High-Level Group plays the role of a think tank for the WECD project. The main theme of the meeting of 12 December dealt with food and the improvement of the dashboard of the Creative Wallonia programme as well as the assessment (and the indicators) of the impact of creativity and creativity policies on society and the economy.
The Secretariat of this "scientific committee", the SPW/DGO6 has presented the three levels of assessment of Creative Wallonia that are in operation : within the Economic Policy Directorate (DPE)/DGO6, by Technopolis and finally as a graduate school, through a partnership established with HEC-Montreal / Mosaic.
Having covered the structure this assessment would take, the experts were then given the opportunity, one by one, to present some recommendations and specific interests for actions covered by the Creative Wallonia programme. Quite a relevant way to hear the echoes of the latter abroad and consider some improvements for the future. The first results of this assessment will be published in spring 2014. As for the next meeting of the High-Level Group, it will take place between the months of April and May, in a new creative and innovative city in Wallonia.
Before visiting the now famous Andy Warhol exhibition, the experts have also benefited from a presentation of the St'art Invest investment fund supporting creative businesses. Start is one of five partners of the European Creative District. It is responsible for the actions related to the access to finance for creative industries.
Before the debate, in the morning, Jolle Kapompole, deputy mayor in charge of town planning, housing, culture and tourism in Mons, took the floor to highlight the many benefits of the city of Mons. "In addition to being the European Capital of Culture in 2015, the city of Mons has a rich heritage (3 masterworks listed at the Unesco); a strong entrepreneurial base particularly present in the Con-nexion coworking space and a series of creative appointments such as Pecha Kucha Night, Les Rendez-Vous du Pixel or Le Caf numrique.
"Following the example of the Digital Innovation Valley or Coeur du Hainaut measures, we want Mons to be a city that is further connected, open to the world and whose economic and creative capacities are acknowledged and valued. According to me, creativity goes beyond a fad and the Creative Wallonia programme provides an opportunity for everyone to bloom both personally and professionally."
"Lille 2004 has earned 10 years of development in the city"
Philippe Degeneffe, representative of the Mons 2015 project, highlighted the "tremendous leverage for economic, social and tourism development that offers the title of European Capital of Culture" that Mons will have in more than one year. "Just look at the benefits that this event had on Lille, in 2004. Martine Aubry presided over Lille 2004 at the time and, according to her, the operation gained 10 years in the development of her city", says Mr Degeneffe. "On 24 January 2015, Mons will host a wide opening party in which nearly 100,000 people are expected to come. The date will be a great challenge both in terms of art and mobility as some twenty events will take place across the city including light installations, video mapping, urban facilities, etc."
To get an image of the talent of local startups, two companies based in Mons have been invited to present their activities : I-Movix et Fishing Cactus.
The first one, I-Movix, specializes in the manufacture of ultra slow motion cameras in the sports field. Allowing to "perceive every detail of the scene (strands of grass flying, knee of a motorcycle rider which hits the asphalt ...) and generate a great emotion to the viewer, these visual effects provide world visual productions with added value", says Stphane Ducobu, Sales Manager. This high tech has been possible after eight years of research and development and allows today this SME with 20 employees to be the world leader in its field. Young business anchored locally, "I-Movix addresses a niche market and mainly employs persons who have made their studies in Mons, in the university or high schools", says David Taquin, Internal Sales Representative. Founded in 2005, the key-members of the startup regularly travel around the world to try to attract the market. Demonstrating its competence, I-Movix was awarded last September a prize at one of the two world broadcast fairs (IBC Amsterdam).
A startup from Mons in the Deloitte Technology Fast50
Included in the top 50 of technology companies with the fastest growing, Fishing Cactus uses new technologies to develop video games. Represented by Laurent Grumiaux, the CEO of this young company explains that "we try to do things that some of our competitors do not and our obstinacy begins to pay", he says.
"The important thing, regardless of your area of activity, is, according to me, to always keep one foot outside the office. We do the same in the game industry." From four employees, Fishing Cactus grew to 30 full-time employees and is working now with major brands like Samsung, Microsoft, Sega ... With some fifty games to its credit, the young company generates 75% of its turnover abroad. With several hats, we develop games to order but we are trying increasingly to develop games on our own, for the largest commercial potential this represents. Video games have a bright future in Belgium, but a macrocosm has still to be developed, otherwise we will be forced to move abroad."
Initiated in 2010 by the cabinet of the Minister of Economy, Creative Wallonia has been heavily involved since its launch in the enhancement of the image of Wallonia abroad. Following the success of the Competitivevess Clusters, Wallonia is now seen as an innovative, original territory at the forefront of innovation. Recently, a new partnership has been established with the State of Rio de Janeiro and Colombia was very interested by the measures dedicated to boosting the creative economy in Wallonia.
The European Creative District project is evolving and continues its actions. Collaborations established within the project are taking shape and the first results are emerging.
www.creativewallonia.be/wecd
Follow the progress of the project on Twitter : #WECD
@wall-inno
@creativewal
Contact:
DG06/ Economic Policy Directorate
Chlo Faton, Attache - Project Officer Wallonia, European Creative District
T: +32 (0) 81 33 39 38