In October, Flint Culture’s CEOs Digby Halsby and Wol Balston attended Riyadh’s inaugural Cultural Investment Conference.
This event brought together investors, cultural leaders, policymakers, and creators to reframe how culture is conceived of. It is not simply a soft asset or symbolic pursuit, but a powerful driver of economic growth, social cohesion, and global influence.
Over the course of a few days, the conference brought together over 1,500 participants and more than 150 speakers, focusing on how to turn ‘cultural capital’ into investment opportunities.
These timely discussions were a reminder that, despite its rapid modernisation, the Gulf is at the forefront of safeguarding and upholding the past in order to secure the region’s current and future cultural economy.
While many view culture, heritage, and traditions as relics of the past, this region is capitalising on the opportunity to harness culture for growth. Investments in culture are projected to generate up to 2.5x economic return for every dollar invested; far from being a “cost”, culture is abundant, generative.
These numbers validate that which is embedded in Flint’s fabric; culture in its multiple forms – heritage, creative industries, arts infrastructure, cultural narratives – is not and cannot be peripheral but foundational to resilient, diverse economies.
Culture is capital. It is not an accessory to economic growth but an essential enabler, attracting investment, shaping global perception, and anchoring long-term resilience.
As we shift from questions like “why invest in culture?” to “how do we invest in culture responsibly?”, we slowly realize that culture is not a line item; it’s a lens through which we see identity, memories, futures, and value.
