| District Focus 
CASE STUDIES 

Increasing Knowledge
A key objective in Maidstone is to attract moreknowledge-intensive businesses from the service sector. One such is Towergate Partnership whose purpose-built eco-friendly headquarters at Eclipse Park houses over 100 staff. The £12m building totals 38,000 sq ft of high-quality,modern office space over four floors and occupies aprime position at the gateway to Kent. Peter Cullum, co-founder of Towergate commented: We have quite a big presence in Kent and Maidstone is where we really started to get traction in the business. Facing up to the challenging times, he continued: ÒOur aim is still growth...and if youve got cash, now is a great time to be investing

Media Savvy
Maidstone is also proving highly attractive to media companies. Helping to drive this growth is MediaTree, a Maidstone-based Kent wide networking organisation for the creative industries. MediaTree works with leading media businesses in Maidstone to support talent and make the most of opportunities in the area, with a strong emphasis on benefiting the local industry. Geoff Miles of Maidstone Studios enthused: ÒMaidstone benefits from an attractive blend of hi-tech facilities, heritage and experienced professionals. MediaTree is doing a great job putting together a network based around the 790 media and creative businesses already here. And with more than 600 students at The University for the Creative Arts in Maidstone, the town is set to continue to attract new media businesses to the area. Tofind out more about MediaTree visit www.mediatree.org.uk