UK Trade Associations
Creative Industries Federation
The Creative Industries Federation is the new representative body of the UK’s arts, cultural and creative industries. As a membership organisation, the CIF represents the views of the UK’s creative industries, while challenging and assisting the sector to stay ahead of the international competition.
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In alphabetical order
British Fashion Council (BFC)
The British Fashion Council was formed in 1983 out of the Fashion Industry Action Group, an ad hoc group created in 1981. The British Fashion Council aims to showcase British designers and develop London’s position as a major player in the international fashion arena. As a result, London Fashion Week ranks alongside New York, Milan and Paris as one of the ‘Big Four’.
> britishfashioncouncil.com
Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)
The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) is the lead qualifying body for Architectural Technology and represents those practising and studying within the discipline. CIAT qualifies Chartered Architectural Technologists, MCIAT, and professionally qualified Architectural Technicians, TCIAT.
> ciat.org.uk
Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
CBI is a lobbying organisation for UK business, including a recently launched creative industries campaign, including a report ‘Creating Growth: A Blueprint for the Creative Industries’.
> cbi.org.uk
Creative and Cultural Skills
CC Skills is the sector skills council for craft, cultural heritage, design, literature, music, performing and visual arts, including a number of useful industry reports and advice for careers in these sectors.
> ccskills.org.uk
Creative Coalition Campaign (CCC)
The CCC brings together business and unions to ensure that jobs are protected, to enable creative industries to flourish in the future, and to allow new and innovative legal online services to launch and compete in a fair market place. Its membership includes 30 leading organisations in the film, music, publishing, games, and sport sectors, as well as trade bodies and trade unions.
> creativecoalitioncompaign.org
Creative England
The network of regional screen agencies was established by the UK Film Council in 2002 to deliver film culture and nurture talent across the country. Since then, the independent screen agencies have grown and diversified to work across the full range of creative media industries, in many cases attracting significant funding from other sources for a range of projects. Their activity has supported both the ‘screen-related’ sector of film and television, as well as the wider creative industries such as games, digital, new media, design and fashion.
> creativeengland.co.uk
Nesta
Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is an independent charity that works to increase the innovation capacity of the UK.
The organisation acts through a combination of practical programmes, investment, policy and research, and the formation of partnerships to promote innovation across a broad range of sectors.
Nesta was originally funded by a £250 million endowment from the UK National Lottery. The endowment is now kept in trust, and Nesta uses the interest from the trust to meet its charitable objects and to fund and support its projects.
> nesta.org.uk
Performance Textiles Association Ltd (MUTA)
MUTA is the trade association for the UK temporary structures and technical textiles industries, representing suppliers and manufacturers of textile products used in sectors as diverse
as marquees, healthcare, aerospace and bouncy castles. The Association runs the health and safety accreditation schemes MUTAmarq, for hirers of marquees and temporary structures, and
PIPA, for inflatable play equipment
> members.muta.org.uk