Ladies and Gentlemen and all creative minds present today,

I am delighted to welcome you to Denmark and to the Creative Business Cup.

CKO’s initiative “Creative Business Cup” is aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship in the creative industries. It is a field within the business community that is growing in significance both in Denmark and globally. These businesses create jobs and growth and provide solutions that trigger our curiosity and help drive our societies in new directions.

Yesterday, I know you discussed how traditional companies working together with creative partners can become more innovative in developing their business potential.  By working together, across business sectors, the creative partners become catalysts in generating value and innovation in the economy and at the same time, the creative companies benefit by developing their business skills, resources and their capability for growth. Creative Business Cup is about giving you, the creative entrepreneurs, better capabilities for growth.

You are all ambitious, creative individuals who are passionately dedicated to your work and fulfilling a dream of creative and commercial success. This passion and dedication I often experience when meeting with creative businesses in Denmark and abroad.

The Crown Princess and I are strong supporters of the Danish creative scene whether it be music, design, fashion, architecture or science.  To show our support we created our own Culture Prize, where we have the opportunity and privilege to honour and shed light on younger Danish artists from various creative fields, ranging from cartoonists over architects to musicians. We honour them for their artistic achievements and support them in their future endeavours, and often these achievements go hand in hand with their professional goals and commercial success.

The creative industries are important to the wealth and success of all our societies.  The creative industries are drivers of growth.

Creative Business Cup and the other initiatives by CKO will provide a solid platform for the future innovation, creativity and competitiveness of these businesses here in Denmark and globally.  

There are also other, equally important benefits: Creative products and services – music, literature, animation, art, design and fashion - bind us all together across borders, ages and times.  

I wish you, participants from 19 different countries, all the best in your future creative endeavours.

Thank you.