Hamdan bin Mohammed launches Al Quoz Creative Zone

The new zone will offer an array of facilities, services and incentives to drive innovation and boost investment in creative businesses.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said the new zone is the first of numerous plans and initiatives to be launched under the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy, with goals to transform the city into a world capital of innovation.

By offering new permits and exemptions as well as multipurpose spaces that support creative professionals and businesses, Dubai seeks to raise its status as a leading destination for talent from all over the world, while also developing its wider creative ecosystem. The advanced creative incubator provides a space for artists and creative talent to innovate and grow.

Al Quoz Creative Zone was launched in the presence of Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and First Deputy Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed issued directives to establish a committee, chaired by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to oversee the complete implementation of the project and ensure strategic objectives are met. Committee members will include representatives of relevant authorities from the public and private sectors.

Artists with projects and activities in Al Quoz Creative Zone and emerging creative entrepreneurs will receive the exclusive ‘Al Quoz Creative Membership’, which gives them access to a wide range of incentives including fees exemptions, reduced rents and logistic business support. The membership also provides access to relevant training and programmes to help artists transform their creative ideas into business.

The new creative zone creates a one-stop shop for all creative-related services and permits. Entrepreneurs and active professionals in the creative sector will be able to issue freelancing permits and a single license to practice diverse creative business activities, apart from other official permits. The zone will also provide rental services, financing solutions and other creative transactions under one roof.

As part of the new strategy, flexible creative legal frameworks will ease business procedures for creative SMEs and support their growth.

Other incentives include exemptions from import and export fees, visa issuance fees, licensing fees and Dubai Chamber fees.

Al Quoz Creative Zone will feature multipurpose spaces to enable designers, artists and creative professionals to live, work, exhibit and sell their products, as well as organise art workshops.

A smart platform will enable companies and entities to display rental spaces for creative professionals across Dubai at affordable rates. The online rental platform aims to leverage available spaces to encourage innovation and grow creative products.

The integrated zone will facilitate mobility through new scooter, walking and cycling tracks, and bus stops. The creative zone will also have outdoor food kiosks, shops and exhibitions. Roads and signages are also part of the area’s new advanced infrastructure.

The new zone also features the ‘Al Quoz Vanguards’ programme that aims to attract world leading brands to open branches and shops in Al Quoz, as part of efforts to enhance Dubai’s profile as a leading destination for creatives around the world.

The Al Quoz Creative Zone will cover a range of fields including publishing, writing, print and audio-visual media such as cinema, music and video, as well as artistic and cultural industries, cultural heritage museums, historical sites, archives, major cultural events, libraries, and the software and video gaming industry.

It also includes design in all its variations, whether related to fashion, gaming, software, or architecture.

The Al Quoz Creative Zone marks the beginning of bigger projects and initiatives aimed at developing the creative sector in Dubai and boosting its contribution to the national economy under the overarching Dubai Creative Economy Strategy.

The Strategy, which aims to make Dubai a global capital for innovation by 2025, seeks to upgrade the legal and investment environment to enhance Dubai’s attractiveness to creators, investors and entrepreneurs as well as local and global investments in creative industries.

The integrated initiative also aims to develop the creative industries sustainably by rolling out the requisite legislative, investment and technical frameworks. To advance this aim, a number of flexible packages, incentives and advanced creative incubators will also be provided.

The Strategy focuses on providing a suitable and stimulating climate for creatives to generate added economic value from their creative activity. This will be done by integrating creativity with capital investment opportunities that can bring significant returns.