Building Momentum for Ireland’s Creative Economy.
EDGE26 Summit Report Highlights Growing Momentum for Ireland’s Digital Creative Industries
Six weeks after more than 350 delegates gathered in Galway for EDGE26, Ireland’s Creative Economy Summit, CREW has published its EDGE26 Summit Report, capturing the key themes, conversations and opportunities that emerged from the event.
The report reflects how EDGE26 brought CREW’s Strategy 2025–2029, Where Creativity Means Business, to life, demonstrating the power of collaboration across industry, education, research and government to support the continued growth of Ireland’s digital creative industries.
Held at Dexcom Stadium, Galway, the summit welcomed more than 350 delegates, 34 national and international speakers and 30 startup and SME exhibitors from Ireland, Europe and the United States. Together they explored the opportunities emerging across innovation, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, talent development, internationalisation and ecosystem collaboration.
With Atlantic Technological University as Lead Patron, the summit demonstrated how collaboration across industry, education, research and government can help unlock the opportunities emerging across innovation, entrepreneurship, talent development and internationalisation.
The Summit Report demonstrates how EDGE26 aligned with the four strategic pillars of CREW’s Strategy 2025–2029: supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening infrastructure and resources, driving industry growth and internationalisation, and building long-term capacity for the digital creative industries. Rather than being a standalone event, EDGE26 forms part of CREW’s wider programme of activity to position the West and North West of Ireland as a globally recognised centre for creative enterprise.
The momentum generated through the summit will continue through CREW’s CLIMB (Creative Leaders Innovating for Market & Business Growth) initiative, supported by Enterprise Ireland through the SMART Regions Programme. CLIMB will continue to build leadership capability, innovation capacity and commercial readiness among creative enterprises across the region, ensuring that the conversations and connections established at EDGE26 translate into long-term impact.
One of the outputs of the summit was the launch of From Momentum to Scale, a research report commissioned by CREW and prepared by UrbanLab at University of Galway. The report identified 1,045 digital creative companies operating across the West and North West and helped inform discussion throughout the day.
Beyond the programme itself, EDGE26 also delivered benefits for the wider region. The summit attracted delegates from across Ireland and internationally, generating more than 150 hotel bed nights in Galway and an estimated €125,000+ in direct expenditure associated with event delivery and visitor spending.
Reflecting on the publication of the report, CREW CEO Niamh Costello said:
“EDGE26 demonstrated the strength, ambition and potential of Ireland’s digital creative industries. More importantly, it demonstrated what is possible when industry, enterprise, education, research and government come together around a shared vision for growth.
The summit was never intended to be a one-day event. It was designed to strengthen relationships, spark new collaborations and build momentum behind CREW’s long-term strategy. This report captures that momentum and reinforces our commitment to supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and growth across the digital creative industries.”
The EDGE26 Summit Report provides a lasting record of the discussions, insights and collaborations that emerged from Ireland’s Creative Economy Summit and reflects CREW’s continued commitment to strengthening the digital creative industries across the West and North West.
Download the EDGE26 Summit Report below and join the conversation.
EDGE26 Summit Report can be found here: EDGE26 Summit Report
