International Markets

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has organised a UK music industry trade mission to China for 31 March – 6 April 2019 to help open the doors to business opportunities in the world’s second largest economy.

Partnered with the Association of Independent Music (AIM), British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Publishers Association (MPA), DIT will lead the week-long mission, taking place in Beijing. It will include a programme of education, networking, B2B meetings, conferences, showcases, music company site visits and other music related activities.

In mid-January 2019, British Council launched the first edition of SPARK: The Science and Art of Creativity festival, taking place at Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts in Hong Kong. 

SPARK celebrates creativity across the arts, sciences and education, and offers a platform for cultural exchange between the UK and Hong Kong. With more than 30 events over three days and over 50 creative and education partners from the UK and Hong Kong, SPARK provided a series of interactive experiences, provocative performances, stimulating talks and other innovative happenings.

The National Gallery will loan around 60 masterpieces to Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This will include Van Gogh's classic Sunflowers, its first time in Japan.

The works will be displayed, in partnership with media organisation The Yomiuri Shimbun, at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo on 3 March–14 June and the National Museum of Art in Osaka on 7 July–18 October in 2020.

British Council has now appointed Jean Cameron as Creative Director for UK/Italy Season 2020, starting in February 2019. Jean will work with British Council teams in UK and Italy, as well as directly with the UK cultural sector to create a high-impact, cost-effective season of UK cultural activity in Italy in autumn 2020.

Japan's increasing interest in the UK's creative industries has been described as a "love affair" by the UK Government as exports continue to rise in takings since 2015. Following the January visit of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, figures have been revealed that show film, music and video games from the UK are increasingly popular among the Japanese.

The World Cities Culture Report 2018 comprehensively looks at the role culture plays in shaping life in major cities worldwide.  Launched at the 2018 World Cities Culture Summit in San Francisco, is based on extensive data and practice research to reveal how 35 major global cities are in the vanguard of policymaking.  

Against a backdrop of a changing world order, increasingly divisive national politics and crises of national identity in countries around the globe, the World Cities Cul

As we head towards 2020, the importance of UK culture and creativity on the world stage will be amplified by huge events.

Exports continue to rise across the UK

The number of businesses exporting goods in the United Kingdom has increased to 110,000, according to HMRC figures.

New figures released by HMRC in December reveal that in the year ending September 2018:

The UK-Russia Year of Music will celebrate both countries rich musical cultures, traditions and achievements through a programme which will foster people-to-people connections.

It will build on the successes of the UK-Russia Year of Culture in 2014, the UK-Russia Year of Language and Literature in 2016 and the UK-Russia Year of Science and Education in 2017.

The aims of the Year of Music are to:

Business of Design Week (BODW) will be held in Hong Kong in late 2019 as a collaboration of Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and the Department for International Trade of the United Kingdom (DITUK).

BODW, Hong Kong Design Centre’s flagship programme is a world-class annual event celebrating design, innovation and brands. The 2019 event will see the return of the UK as the official partner country, after their initial and successful collaboration back in 2006.