Maker Speed Dater looks to link Dundee creatives and businesses

Published On Tue 20 Oct 2015 by Roddy Isles

Maker Speed Dater is an exciting new initiative that aims to bring together manufacturers and designers, to encourage innovative change - and to make exciting new products happen. It comes to Dundee this Thursday and local manufacturers and businesses are invited to take part.

Make Works, a Scottish factory-finding platform for artists, designers and makers has teamed up with Creative Dundee to bring Maker Speed Dater to the city. Professor Mike Press, of the University of Dundee, is hosting the event which will take place at Drouthy’s on Perth Road.

 This unique event provides an opportunity to have a conversation and learn about what can be made in Dundee. Hastened conversations, buzzers, score cards— Make Works, Creative Dundee and DJCAD are inviting 20 designers and 20 manufacturers to the same room, have a couple beers, and then get speedy networking. This a bit like speed dating, but for finding new projects and contacts to work with locally – and, most importantly, Make Work!

As Fi Scott, founder of Make Works explains, “Maker Speed Dater was born out of a desire to break down barriers by getting face-to-face, bringing designers, makers and manufacturers together in a room, taking time to learn about each other's practices and hopefully finding some opportunities to work together.”

For Director of Creative Dundee, Gillian Easson, it’s a means of extending the creative community in Dundee. She said, “The city’s design community has come together a great deal over the last few years and raised its profile internationally. Extending links with the manufacturing sector is a natural next step!”

Professor Press said, “As UNESCO City of Design our next challenge is to strengthen links between creatives and industry. The key idea here is to link manufacturers and makers who have unique skills and processes with designers who often have great product ideas. It’s through creative collaboration that we can grow jobs in the city’s manufacturing sector.”

Maker Speed Dater will take place at Drouthy’s, 142 Perth Road, DD1 4JW Dundee, Thursday, 22nd October from 7pm to 10 pm.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head of Corporate Communications
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384910
Mobile: 07800 581902
Email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk