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Last month at the Annual IFEA World Convention four European festivals were awarded with IFEA/ Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards in different categories. They competed with top festivals from around the globe and did very well.
Congratulations go to The Hague Festivals, who took seven major prizes home and a new competitor on the scene and directly high in the charts: the Ludwig Van Beethoven Association claimed as many as five prizes. Previous prize winners, Rotterdam Festivals and Festival Lent, were again amongst the European victors.
IFEA Europe is currently executing an Impact Study amongst its members. If you have not yet filled out the Questionnaire that was emailed to you by the Office, please do so now.
Non-Festivals are kindly asked to fill out the relevant 2nd part of the questionnaire.
Please return your form ASAP by email to office {at} ifeaeurope(.)com.
THANK YOU!
Thursday 23, Friday 24 & Saturday 25 October 2008
Venue: Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool
Against the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage waterfront and in the year of European Capital of Culture, BAFA brings its Annual Conference to Liverpool in 2008.
Focussing on ‘Showcasing Culture’ both local and international, the conference, open to anyone, will be a platform for inspirational discussion and practical investigation into the festival sector.
Speakers from both European Capitals of Culture will bookend the conference: Phil Redmond CBE, Creative Direction, Liverpool 08 and Mary Miller, Director, Stavanger 08. In-between the varied practical workshops and seminars will provide a rich resource of knowledge & advice.
New for 2008, BAFA is programming a specialist parallel strand to the main conference agenda. With sessions that are designed especially for the Chair & Board Members of arts organisations, and covering such governance issues as: best practice and recruitment, special delegate rates are available both to attend this single day and to organisations that bring more than one person to the conference to make attendance a little more feasible.
The programme and a detailed booking form are now available on the BAFA Website: www.artsfestivals.co.uk or email the BAFA Office for more information: info {at} artsfestivals.co(.)uk
Euclid is known as the UK Cultural Contact Point for the European Union and also known to many as a consultancy and training agency. What not everybody might appreciate is that Euclid is also the publisher of a large number of useful informative website related to culture in Europe.
www.euclid.info
www.culturefund.eu - REVISED
http://euronews.culture.info - NEW
http://eufunds.culture.info - the funds in summary – REVISED
http://transnat.culture.info - about the trans-national funds – NEW
http://structural.culture.info - about the structural funds – NEW
http://interreg.culture.info - about the Interreg programme – NEW
http://thirdcountries.culture.info - about third country programmes - NEW
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The IFEA Europe Conference 2009, held in the beautiful Danube city of Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, will explore the multitude of festivals and cultural events in Europe, their cultural roots, and their ability to serve sometimes supplementary, sometimes conflicting interests of organizers, cities and commercial interests.
Human Rites
City Lights
Commercial Interests
Join us at the IFEA Europe 17th Annual Conference, March 18-20 2009, hosted by BKIS, Bratislava Culture & Information Centre.
Readers of our newsletter will be informed about the programme and Early Bird rates before the end of 2008. Meanwhile, mark the dates in your calendar and check out info on Bratislava at www.bkis.sk
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Like in previous years, members of IFEA (globally) receive a subtantial reduction on the Delegates Fee of WOMEX, the world music expo.
Click here to read more about the Special IFEA Offer.
Over the past years, IFEA Europe has developed strong ties with other pan-European networks such as Culture Action Europe (formerly European Foundation for Arts and Heritage), and the European Festival Association. We also maintain contact with networks such as the IETM and NOEA. Although aims and undertakings of these organisations vary greatly, we find that there is great benefit to sharing experiences, organisational practices, and concrete knowledge about our niches in the cultural sector in Europe. During the fall, 2008, IFEA Europe will seek to expand cooperation with some of these networks, leading to a more comprehensive sharing with our member of European financial and organisational practices in the cultural sector at the IFEA Europe 2009 Annual Conference.
These days, media across Europe report on the effects of a world-wide recession caused by (or leading to) falling real estate prices, increasing fuel prices and higher interest rates. In such times, it would be easy to assume that the leisure industry is also affected, as people may travel less and have fewer discretionary funds available for entertainment.Yet, one might also find arguments for exactly the opposite, namely that a time of recession is actually when the entertainment industry thrives, since people seek comfort in the social bonds nurtured by time spent with peers in theatres, at the movies, at concerts and at festivals. If this is true, our industry might have great times ahead.
Is there any such thing as an “objective truth” about the current state of affairs of IFEA members and other festival organisers? It would be my guess that different cultures have different reactions to national and international recession. It would also be my guess that certain festivals in certain countries - because of their magnitude and their nature of constituting annual “traditions” in certain communities - might be less affected than more permanent entertainment offers such as theatre or outdoor leisure parks. It would also be my guess that other festivals of less “important” nature to their host communities may be experiencing the same kind of difficulties as boutiques selling luxury goods, as people in general are opting to spend less money on items they can do without.
But what is your opinion? In IFEA, we’d be curious to know about our members’ situation, and find out how you are dealing with recession, if at all. Do you reposition your event; make programming cuts, look for new audiences, or offer extra discounts? Or is it just business-as-usual?
Please send any thoughts that you would like to share with your colleagues should be sent to news {at} ifeaeurope(.)com.
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IFEA Europe is currently working with BKIS, Bratislava Culture and Information Center, to realize the 2009 IFEA Europe Annual Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, in March, 2009. The official announcement and further information about the 2009 conference will be sent to members shortly.
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Report from the 2008 “Behind-the-Scenes”The 2008 IFEA Europe “Behind-the-Scenes” took place in Borlänge, Sweden, at the end of June. For the attending IFEA members, it became a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience, as IFEA Board member Maria Anderberg of “Kulturproduktionen” guided the group, quite literately, through the gorgeous Swedish landscape for meetings both with the dedicated idealist behind the “Peace & Love” Festival and the organisers of the nearby “Tällberg Forum”. The Peace and Love festival is an idealistic project featuring workshops and exhibitions, alternative theatre and eight downtown stages with all sorts of rock/pop/metal music, and has in a few years grown to be Sweden’s largest festival of its nature, attracting thousands of young people who by looks and attitudes are clearly the modern day Woodstock generation, driven by a desire to bring - as the name of the festival implies - peace and love each other and the world. The logistics behind this city center festival were amazing, as was - or is - the festival’s concern for the environment, and for ensuring a peaceful and friendly relationship with the permanent residents of Borlänge’s downtown area. How many other festivals do you know who actually offer older downtown residents a free weekend in the countryside, in case they don’t want to stay in town in midst of all the concerts?
Visiting the Tällberg Forum was a contrasting experience. Situated on a beautiful hillside at the eastern shore of the Siljan Lake, Tällberg has become host to an annual summer gathering of hundreds of politicians, scientists, and leaders in international industries and organisations. The means might be different, but the goals are, essentially, the same as those of the festival in Borlänge on fifty-some kilometers away; to advance fruitful and peaceful dialogue and cooperation - or, if you will, to bring peace and love to the world.
One may wonder if the music festival or the dialogue event is the most successful in achieving this goal. Lots may result from a currently non-existing cooperation between the two events. But both a amazing events in their own right, and I am sure that they both make the world is a better place.
For the members of IFEA Europe, visiting both events was most inspiring. Thank you, Maria!
