The Economy of Creativity Conference is that has been convened twice by The GoDown Arts Centre in collaboration with Mimeta (Norway) and The Swedish Institute. The first meeting was in 2009 and took the format of a talk show with a workshop component.

The 2010 convening was a 3-day regional gathering with over 80 delegates including artists, arts organizations, policy makers and entrepreneurs from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. The pan-African Arterial Network was also represented. Its focus was on several issues including the strengthening of the Creative Economy value chain – networks, markets etc; as well as looking at ways of developing the interstitial spaces in the creative economy in East Africa.

The expectation was that the conference would stimulate cooperation between players in the East African cultural region through inspiring presentations, critical debates and the sharing of knowledge from very diverse participants.