Reflecting On 2023 & Exciting Plans For 2024!
After a busy and exciting 2023, the Sound Diplomacy team has hit the ground running with many exciting new projects. As we look ahead to all that the coming year has in store, it’s hard not to reflect on a successful year past - one filled with collaboration, growth, and strengthened relationships.
2023 Highlights:
In 2023, Sound Diplomacy turned 10! Our team was engaged by many new clients from cities to nations, tourism agencies to chambers of commerce, investment funds and urban developers, to deliver insights and strategies for projects spanning the entirety of the creative economy.
In late December, we launched an updated website and released several new Case Studies outlining the unique and impactful work our clients are undertaking around the world.
It was exciting to see a return to in-person roundtables and other events in 2023, and we were thrilled to launch many new projects.
Completed Projects
Uncovering Economic and Social Impact of Young Voices Concerts in 2023
Sound Diplomacy's assessment of the 27 Young Voices concerts in 2023 reveals substantial economic and social value impact, with a £4.82 gain for every £1 invested and a remarkable social return on investment, underscoring the profound and multifaceted benefits of the initiative on local economies and communities.
Designing Place with the Andy Warhol Museum
We supported The Warhol Museum with a strategic vision and action plan for the Pop District, a proposed creative district in the North Shore area of Pittsburgh, as well as acting as expert consultants for the design of the new 1,000 capacity live music venue also approved to be developed in the District.
Assessing Digital Music in Zimbabwe
We delivered our first project in Africa, providing UNESCO and the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe with a baseline study of the digital music industry in Zimbabwe, to support a long term strategy to create a robust, creative and economically sustainable music sector.
Enhancing Tourism in Niagara Falls
We developed a Music Strategy for the City of Niagara Falls to support its effort to diversify the Niagara Falls Tourism sector, grow the local music ecosystem, and build Niagara Falls' idenity as the entertainment capital of Canada.
What's in store for 2024?
Our team is engaged in many projects across the full spectrum of the creative economy in all areas of the world.
Here’s a taste of what we’re currently working on:
Music Strategy for Memphis, Tennessee
Sound Diplomacy has been appointed by the Greater Memphis Chamber to develop a music strategy for Memphis Tennessee. We are thrilled to be working alongside local consultants as we engage the community and provide insights to support and grow the local music ecosystem. As part of this work we will also be providing strategic recommendations relating to the future of the iconic Mud Island.
Plan for Arts and Culture in Lexington, Kentucky
We are working with LexArts to deliver an Arts and Cultural Audit and Strategic Plan in Lexington Kentucky, with the aim to identify specific actions to grow and support the sectors while also unifying the community in a wider investment thesis to support the creative economy.
Supporting Music, Entertainment, and Cultural Sectors in Puerto Rico
Our team is in the process of wrapping up our work in Puerto Rico, where we have been working on a Music, Entertainment and Cultural Industries Strategy, and will be travelling to share the report with our Puerto Rican counterparts in the coming weeks.
Developing New Cultural Infrastructure in the UK & US
Our Infrastructure and Built Environment division has grown from strength to strength, we are working on feasibility assessments, strategic visions and designs for an array of cultural hubs, venues and amphitheatres.
Adding Culture to the Agenda at UKREiiF
We will be hosting an event in collaboration with Studio Egret West at UKREiiF in May 2024. "Monolith, Mosaic or Mashup?" will be an immersive debate on how to evolve and curate cultural ecosystems within large-scale regeneration projects. If you are attending, keep an eye out for more information to sign-up