2007 – 2025. After 18 years of passionate work for Styria as a creative location, Creative Industries Styria closed its doors on 31 December 2025. We — the entire team at Creative Industries Styria, together with all our partners in local, national and international networks — are proud of what we have accomplished during this time. And we are confident that the creative industries, a long-standing cross-cutting topic in the Styrian economic strategy, will continue to play an important role in the future. Thanks to 18 years of development, awareness-raising and networking, the foundations for continuity are firmly in place.
Over the past 18 years, much has been achieved: the economic potential of the creative industries was recognised and Creative Industries Styria was founded. Building on the momentum of Graz’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2003, we worked to strengthen the city’s positioning as an open, creative and cultural hub. A highlight of this effort was Graz’s inclusion as a UNESCO City of Design in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2011. In addition, Design Month Graz was launched in 2009 — a festival that, in 2014, was ranked among the “20 Most Vibrant Design Events” worldwide.
Our sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed to Design Month Graz, Erlebniswelt Wirtschaft, Styrian Products, Design Transfer and many other projects. And to Eberhard Schrempf — he shaped Creative Industries Styria into what it became over its 18 years: a network, a platform, and more than that, a visionary and pioneer.
Photos: Foto Fischer, timski, GEOPHO, Miriam Raneburger, Regine Schöttl, Frankl, Creative Industries Styria
Building on the work of the past 18 years, these stakeholders aim to initiate a transformation and to position the topic of creative industries and related services in an even more cross-sectoral way. At the same time, they will systematically raise awareness of the economic value of creative methods. Through this further development, solutions will emerge that will have an impact across industries and business sizes — thereby becoming even more effective in serving the wider economy.
