Creativity as a Growth Driver: KBSU Expert on the First Interregional Forum «Creative Elbrus»
The first interregional forum of creative industries, «Creative Elbrus,» was held at the Multifunctional Youth Center of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. It brought together over 500 entrepreneurs, designers, and specialists from 24 regions of the country. Asker Tumov, an expert from the Kabardino-Balkarian State University, moderated the section on social capital.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Government organized the «Creative Elbrus» forum, inviting not only local businesspeople but also speakers from the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Higher School of Economics, the Russian State University for the Humanities, Kavkaz.RF, and the National Association of Event Organizers, who shared their knowledge and experience.
The program included a plenary discussion with the Head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Kazbek Kokov, breakout sessions, presentations by federal experts, a fashion show, and a fair and exhibition of products from representatives of the creative industries. The main goal of the forum was to discuss the current state and development prospects of the creative sector of the Kabardino-Balkarian economy and develop an industry strategy.
Participants discussed government support measures for SMEs, promoting regions through gastronomy and tourism, and enhancing the region’s investment attractiveness. The discussion was divided into four sections: «Territory of Meaning: Branding, Events, Communities,» «Creative Leadership: From Personal Brand to Product,» «Open Mic Section,» and «Social Capital of Creative Industries: Partnership, Heritage, Communications.» The last section was moderated by Asker Tumov, Deputy Director of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University’s Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities.
«We discussed how to launch and scale local businesses and reviewed successfully implemented cases, from fashion brands to tourism projects. Many representatives of the creative industries share the theme of searching for identity—it becomes a source of inspiration, develops into research, and then into business ideas,» — Tumov emphasized.
In a panel led by a KBSU expert, guests from Ingushetia presented a project to revive the republic’s folk arts and crafts, specifically isting—the art of weaving solid felt carpets. Local speakers shared their experiences developing clothing capsules with national motifs and literary routes based on the Nart epic. Federal experts discussed the development of festival activities in regional tourism and the importance of philanthropy in building partnerships.
Following the forum, a package of proposals will be compiled for review by the Kabardino-Balkarian Government. All decisions are aimed at increasing the share of the creative economy in the republic’s gross regional product (GRP) and should drive the region’s development.
As a reminder, a federal law with an updated classification for creative industries came into force in 2025. The Russian Ministry of Economic Development officially included more than 50 types of economic activity in the list, ranging from design and urban planning to video game development, film production, and media. According to the relevant agency, in the North Caucasus Federal District, the contribution of SMEs in the creative industries to revenue is less than 1.5%. The main goal is to increase this figure to 6% nationwide.