FACTORY is an ERDF funded project, delivered in collaboration with the Chamber, BCB, and Staffordshire University. It supports innovation-led-practices for the SME Creative Industries in Stoke-on-Trent. Our partner organisation BCB has also a webpage dedicated to FACTORY available here

FACTORY offers support to growing creative businesses, delivered through a series of bespoke support activities, including advice and guidance, start-up support, business development workshops, sector-driven events, and networking opportunities.

FACTORY has been a long-running initiative, originally created by Stoke-on-Trent City Council with support from Staffordshire University and Burslem School of Art, set up to support creative businesses and practitioners across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. In 2015, the City Council and Staffordshire University partnered with Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce through our ERDF-funded “Mentoring Growth” initiative that carried on the activities of Factory. The Chambers and Staffordshire University continued to support Factory through a second “Mentoring Growth” instalment in 2018, again supported by European Regional Development funding. During this phase, new partners of BCB and ACAVA joined to continue the support of our creative SMEs.

Through the Chamber, Staffordshire University and BCB, we hold a number of workshops and events each year. These can be CPD workshops on areas such as social media, product photography and more. In addition, we run specific business skills workshops, such as how to develop a business plan, create a marketing plan or understand finances. FACTORY also holds social events to get creative businesses together to network, collaborate and more.

tive businesses, delivered through a series of bespoke support activities, including advice and guidance, start-up support, business development workshops, sector driven events, and networking opportunities.

Factory has been a long-running initative, originally created by Stoke-on-Trent City Council with support from Staffordshire Univeristy and Burslem School of Art, set up to support creative businesses and practitioers across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. In 2015, the City Council and Staffordshire University partnered with Staffordshire Chambers of Commerice through our ERDF funded “Mentoring Growth” initiative that carried on the activities of Factory. The Chambers and Staffordshire University continued to support Factory through a second installment of “Mentoring Growth” in 2018, again supported by European Regional Development funding. During this phase, new partners of BCB and ACAVA joined to continue the support to our creative SMEs.

Through the Chmaber, Staffordshire University and BCB, we hold a number of workshops and events each year. These can be CPD workshops on areas such as social media, product photography and more. We run specific business skills workshops, such as how to develop a business plan, creating a marketing plan or understanding finances. Factory also hold social events to get creative businesses together to netowrk, collaborate and more.

Below you will find upcoming events, resources of part events and links to additional resources. We hope to see you at our next events.

2023 Season

Factory Seminar – A Beginner’s Guide to Funding and Grant Applications with BCB Artistic Director and CEO Clare Wood

Date and Time: 11 Jan 2023, 6:00pm–7:30pm
Location: Online
For more info and to book now: Click here!

What is A Beginner’s Guide to Funding and Grant Applications about?

This is an online seminar for artists and creative businesses who need an introduction to gaining funding from trusts and foundations.

January Arts Marketing Surgeries with BCB Marketing Manager Gabriella Rhodes

Date and Time: 17 Jan 2023, 2pm and 3pm are currently available (limited sessions available)
Location: Online
For more info and to book now: Click here!

What are the Arts Marketing Surgeries about?

The Arts Marketing Surgeries are an opportunity to receive one-to-one marketing advice.

In-person Factory Seminar – Making a Living Part 2 with Amy Louise Davis and Monica Cru-Hall

Date and Time: 18 Jan 2023, 6:00pm–7:30pm
Location: Room L410, Flaxman Building, Staffordshire University, College Road, ST4 2DE
For more info and to book now: Click here! (please note this is an in-person event based in Stoke-on-Trent)

**Light refreshments will be provided

What is the Making a Living Part 2 session about?

In this in-person seminar you’ll learn how to identify your values and purpose as a creative business and turn that into professional progression in 2023.

*This Factory seminar is in partnership with the Stoke Cultural Education Partnership (CEP)

Factory Lunch Hour – Juggling Practice with BCB Joanne Mills and Artist Karen Henry

Date and Time: 19 Jan 2023, 1:00pm–2:00pm
Location: Online
For more info and to book now: Click here!

What is the Juggling Practice session about?

This is an open and frank discussion about the quest for balance between creative practice, home and everything else life throws at us.

Factory Seminar – A Guide to PR for Creatives with PR Consultant Iliana Taliotis

Date and Time: 26 Jan 2023, 6:00pm–7:30pm
Location: Online
For more info and to book now: Click here!

What is A Guide to PR for Creatives about?

In this seminar you will learn how PR works, how it can be used to build your profile, and how to set yourself apart from all the other talented creatives fighting for those column inches!

2022 Season

The Factory Programme will be hosting a series of exciting events to support creative business across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. Find out more information and book your places below.

Factory Seminar – A Beginners Guide to Funding and Grant Applications (In-person)
Delivered by: Clare Wood
Date: 26^th October, 2022
Time: 6-7.30pm
Location: Room L410, Flaxman Building, Staffordshire University, College Road, ST4 2DE
More info and to Book Now

Factory Lunch Hour – Keeping it Simple: Admin and Organisation
Delivered by: Natalie Armitage and Rhiannon Ewing-James
Date: 1^st November, 2022
Time: 1-2pm
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

Artist Development Surgeries
The BCB Artist Development Surgeries are an opportunity to talk about a project or idea that has a connection to Stoke-on-Trent, its people, place or industries. This opportunity is for people feel they would benefit from speaking about it with a member of the BCB Artistic Programme/Exhibitions team.
Date: 7^th November, 2022
Time: 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm.
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

Factory Seminar – To Pitch or Not to Pitch: Responding to Procurement Tenders and how this could be an opportunity (Online)
Delivered by: Andrew Palmer
Date: 7^th November, 2022
Time: 6-7.30pm
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

Factory Seminar – The guide to knowing your audience
Date: 30^th November, 2022
Time: 6-7.30pm
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

Factory Lunch Hour – Knowing your worth: Pricing your work and time
Delivered by: Fiona Wilson
Date: 1^st December, 2022
Time: 1-2pm
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

Factory Lunch Hour – Streamline Your Client Management
Date: 14^th December, 2022
Time: 1-2pm
Location: Online
More info and to Book Now

2021

Season Spring/Summer 2021

Ceramic Study Day – Stoke-on-Trent – September 15^th, 10am-3pm. More information and registratio at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/factory-ceramics-study-day-in-stoke-on-trent-tickets-165235518885

25/06/2021 Factory: (Re)Connecting with people and communities, 10:30am
21/05/2021 Portfolio Ready – Photographing your work, 10.30-12.25am
The session will be delivered by photographer Jenny Harper and photographer/creative director Ben Farr of IFSOBCZWHY studio at Spode. It will include useful tips for photographing work on a budget, in situ and in a studio setting. (part 1 slides pdf; part 2 slides pdf ) (video link part 1; video link part 2)(to note video links are held externally)
16/04/2021 In touch – Delivering creative workshops online (Experts: Sarah Fraser, Steve Mattisone, Mel Bose) (info) (pdf) (video)

And if you have a moment of time, please do consider leaving us an evaluation at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FFWZJT9

2021 Season

Season Autumn/Winter 2020

26/03/2021 The poetry of your work (Experts: Gabriella Gay and Becki Kremer) (pdf)
19/02/2021 Make Networking work for You (Experts: to Bisila Noha and Rebecca Davies) (pdf)
29/01/2021 Imposter syndrome makes us human – here’s how to make friends with it (Experts:Gemma-Louise Walsh) (info1) (info2) (pdf)
04/12/2020 Creative Recovery – How can artists, arts organisations and addiction recovery services work together? (Experts: Vicky Lomas & Joanne Ayre) More info (pdf)
13/11/2020 Prepare to Sell: Retail and Auctioneers (Experts: Designer Reiko Kaneko and Studio Ceramics specialist Jason Wood of Adam Partridge Auctioneers, Macclesfield) More info (pdf)
09/10/2020 Creative Studios and Shared Spaces (Expert: Dan Southward, ACAVA) (pdf)

Season (Lockdown) Spring/Summer 2020

FACTORY COVID19 UPDATE: During lockdown in spring/summer 2020 we organised online meets, where we had the opportunity to come together and chat informally about topics around current challenges for our Creative Communities. In the era of Covid19, we and our creative sectors have specific challenges when wanting to connect with audiences, creatives, customers, networks and each other. Each meet had a speaker, and there were opportunities to share experiences and network within our communities. We collated a list of resources from those meetings that creative professionals in our regions might find useful.

03/07/2020 Socially engaged art – extending your practice to work with the public (Experts: Alice Thatcher and Sarah Fraser) (pdf)
19/06/2020 How to look great in your next video conference (Expert: Richard Mellor) (pdf)
05/06/2020 How to win at social media – for artists and creatives (Expert: Gabriella Rhodes) (pdf)
2/05/2020 Photography for locked down artists (Expert: Jenny Harper) (pdf)
01/05/2020 ‘Not a Pub Crawl, but…’ Video conferencing tools for creative professionals (Expert: Carola Boehm) (pdf)
20/04/2020 Funding and Finance Update
17/04/2020 From Physical to Digital During COVID-19 (Experts: Rhiannon Ewing-James and Sharon Roberts) (pdf)
06/04/2020 Links and Resources for our Creative Communities (pdf)