Understanding the global shift, and Ireland’s opportunity to turn creativity into economic impact.
Setting the Context: Ireland’s Creative Economy Advantage
The programme opens by framing the global opportunity, where creativity, technology, and IP are converging to reshape economies and how Ireland is uniquely positioned to contribute, grow, and create long-term value.
Featuring perspectives from across industry, policy, and the creative industries sector.
Exploring how creative strength can translate into sustainable, scalable business growth.
Creative Capital: Unlocking an IP-Driven Economy
What does it take to turn creativity into scalable economic value? This session explores the policy, funding, and investment models needed to move from policy to practice, and from ideas to investable businesses.
Bringing together leaders from investment, enterprise, and policy.
From Fragmentation to Scale
How do we move from strong individual players to more connected, globally competitive ecosystems? A focus on clusters, regional strengths, and coordinated development.
With insights from regional and national ecosystem builders.
Showcasing how creativity is already driving enterprise, innovation, and growth across sectors.
The Creative Economy in Action
Real-world insights from across film, TV, games, animation, immersive, and design, showcasing how Irish companies are building IP, exporting globally, and evolving as businesses.
Featuring voices from across Ireland’s creative industries.
Where Growth is Happening
A focused look at key subsectors — animation, immersive/XR, games, film & TV, and design, highlighting current trends, opportunities, and future direction.
Insights from practitioners working at the forefront of sectoral growth.
Building Ecosystems that Scale
A strategic provocation on how Ireland can better align enterprise, policy, and investment to support long-term, sustainable growth.
Offering a strategic perspective on ecosystem development.
Building the talent, capability, and global connections that enable creative businesses to scale.
The Founder’s Edge
Paul Young (Cartoon Saloon) shares the journey from creator to CEO, and the realities of building a globally scalable, IP-led business.
In conversation on leadership, growth, and global ambition.
Creative Intelligence: Talent, Research & AI
Exploring how talent pipelines, research, and AI are shaping the next generation of creative and creative-tech companies.
Bringing together expertise from research, industry, and innovation.
Closing EDGE26 with an outward-looking perspective and a forward-facing vision for Ireland’s creative economy.
Global Insights: Scaling Internationally
Daniel Crane (2112, Chicago & Story7) brings a global perspective on investment, ecosystem development, and how creative businesses scale internationally.
An international perspective on building and scaling creative ecosystems.
Future Focus: Ireland 2036
A forward-looking discussion on the opportunities ahead, and the actions that can support Ireland’s creative economy to grow and compete over the next decade.
Featuring a cross-sector perspective on Ireland’s creative future.
