Steph McGovern and Marverine Cole set for The Big Creative UK Investment Summit as landmark event returns to King’s Place

 Steph McGovern and Marverine Cole set for The Big Creative UK Investment Summit as landmark event returns to King’s Place 

Today, Monday 27 October, ‘Early Bird’ tickets have gone on sale for The Big Creative UK Investment Summit – a landmark event celebrating the extraordinary investment potential which lies within the UK’s creative industries. 

The Summit, taking place at King’s Place, London on 17 February 2026, will build on the success of last year’s sold-out edition, which featured an expo of 60+ creative businesses, alongside live investor pitching and a rich programme of keynotes and panel talks. 

Renowned journalist and television presenter Steph McGovern is set to host the day’s programme, which will shine a spotlight on opportunities for investment, and traverse topics such as access to finance for creative businesses, and the impact and opportunities around AI. 

Award-winning broadcaster and journalist Marverine Cole will host activity in the Investor Lounge: a dedicated space for pitching and networking, where investment-ready creatives can connect with a wide range of investors. 

We are delighted to announce that the expo will also return for 2026, with high growth potential businesses exhibiting successes from fields as diverse as fashion, games, content, media, film and visual art. 

In addition to the national Summit event, regional Summits are also being held in 2026.  

A West Midlands Summit will be held on 10 February 2026 at the Birmingham Rep Theatre, and the Cornwall & Devon Summit will take place on 4 March 2026 at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. More details around these events will be confirmed shortly. 

Tickets and up to date programme information for the national summit can be found at the time summit.wearecreative.uk.   

The Summit is held in partnership with Summit Major Partners: North East Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, and West of England Combined Authority, with more to be announced. 

The power of the sector and the impact of regional programmes  

The creative industries are an economic powerhouse, growing at 1.5 times the rate of the economy at large, and accounting for 5.7% of UK GVA.   

 In 2023, creative industries services exports made up 12.7% of all UK services exports, and 7.8% of total UK exports (both goods and services).  

They are also major employers, responsible for 2.4 million jobs, or 7.1% of the whole economy.  

Programmes such as CGP are designed to stimulate this growth further. Originally launched in 2022 by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in partnership with Innovate UK, CGP is designed to support creative businesses to explore and secure commercial investment opportunities in 12 English regions.    

Commenting on the Summit’s launch, Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK, said:

With the Creative Industries recently named as a priority economic sector in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, there has never been a more exciting time to invest in creativity. This Summit is a truly unique opportunity to connect creative leaders and investors with policymakers: exploring how we can supercharge our collective growth and what framework is needed to properly capitalise the creative economy.  

I walked away from last year’s sell out event feeling truly inspired – having met over 60 creative business leaders looking to scale, and investors and policymakers who share that vision for growth. This is not a talking shop. It’s a space for investors to spot opportunities – and make connections. For businesses to chart – and start –  their roadmap to growth. And for creative leaders and policymakers to share perspectives on this important sector through the vital lens of investment. I can’t wait to share the full programme with you very soon.