Local Entrepreneurship Policy: The Festival of Lights of Frederikshavn Lucio Carlos Freire, PhD Candidate Dept. of Planning & Developement Aalborg University (Denmark)

WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS A FESTIVAL HAVE TO DO WITH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ??

Denmark: low employment Highest employment in labour force. EU-27. 3Q.2008 Source: Eurostat

Source: Eurobarometer 2007 Lands of opportunity for entrepreneurs: Denmark, Israel and Singapore The Economist Issue on Entrepreneurship March 14 th -20 th 2009

Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity Rates and GDP Per Capita, 2008

Intrapreneurship is crucial to understand Denmark Pct. of new ventures engaging in intrapreneurship (Denmark GEM 2004)

Small & Medium Enterprise policy worldwide Purpose: Increase supply of entrepreneurs and growth of firm (Reynolds et al. 2000, Lundström and Stevenson, 2005) –Basic features very similar worldwide –No matter so much of political orientation

Entrepreneurship policy areas Promotion Education Counseling and information Financing Administrative burden Target groups Policy relevant research (Lundström, 2005, 2009)

place matters! “The city/region has an important role to play in entrepreneurship policy. As every city/region is different, it needs a specific strategy, instruments and delivery”. Potter, OECD Local Entrepreneurship Review, 2004

Municipality of Frederikshavn (Denmark) population major city Traditional Industrial Economy Periphery / Provincial Lower average income –2015 Energy City –Experience Economy GERMANY SWEDEN NORWAY DENMARK

Entrepreneurship Policy (Local level) Limited maneuver on taxation, regulation, etc. Possibilities: 1.Provide info / advice 2.Incubators, tech parks 3.Develop rich networks (incl. public, private, education) 4.Help local products to stand out. 5.Local annual festivals. Sources: Hart et al 2004, Holtz-Eakin et al. 2004, Mourdoukuotas & Papadimitriou, 2002 and Julien 2007

Entrepreneurship Policy (Local level) Limited maneuver on taxation, regulation, etc. Possibilities: 1.Provide info / advice 2.Incubators, tech parks (not that effective S&G 1999, Florida 2003) 3.Develop rich networks (incl. public, private, education) 4.Help local products to stand out. 5.Local annual festivals. For Frederikshavn Sources: Hart et al 2004, Holtz-Eakin et al. 2004, Mourdoukuotas & Papadimitriou, 2002 and Julien 2007

The impact of local festivals… “can extend far beyond the economic repercussions of tourist inflows, if they help create a sense of belonging and pride among local residents, thus fostering the sharing of local resources and local purchases, and even helping keep much needed workers in the area instead of migration to the cities” Julien, 2007

Evolution of the festival ?

The Light Festival in Frederikshavn Street Light Projects Education Light Camp International Conference Other Activities: Expositions, Downtown open, Concerts (streets & restaurants), Children activities, etc.

Main sponsors: Original Idea: Local Goverment

Main stakeholders (2008) Local Media

Educational Light Camp 4-day student workshop 50 Students of design, architecture, engineering, theatre and technology Lighting equipment loaned from manufacturers Lighting and technical knowledge provided by educators and experts

Light Camp Students

This Entrepreneurship Policy can: Increase collaboration between businesses, higher education, arts and culture. Enrich networks Helps stand local products Enhance business performance

How supporting such a policy can affect the private and the public PrivatePublic Marketing Owners promote their buildings. (Special prices from light firms) Increase tourism (present) Projects can be photographed (future) Firms can try and showcase their products to clients Brand city Education Companies educate potential employees (tech & designers) Increase social and human capital Quality of place Employees increase satisfaction Citizens pride of place. Retain young people

Local Entrepreneurship Policy: The Festival of Lights in Frederikshavn L. Carlos Freire, PhD Candidate Dept. of Planning & Developement Aalborg University (Denmark)