IFEA Europe

Dear colleagues

This newsletter features an update on our 2010 Annual Conference in Copenhagen (April 21-23.....and you better be there!), and introduces the first of two upcoming "Behind-the-Scenes"-events featuring the Edinburgh Festival (August 18-22. And you better be there, too!).

The Copenhagen conference will re-charge your batteries and get you ready for your (summer) events. Speakers and social activites in Copenhagen will be plentiful and inspiring .... and April will indeed be a great time to visit the Danish capital. The conference theme, "Festive Roads to Recovery", is chosen to send you off in the right direction, as cities and regions will have to embrace the idea of culture being at the forefront of economic development. In particular now, when the world-wide recession seems to have hit its lowest point and the economy shows signs of recovery.

The list of confirmed speakers is rather impressive, I think. And with the confirmation of a presentation by Georgian actress and film director Keti Dolidze, founder of Tbilisi's famous GIFT Festival, who was just recently sacked for supporting the political opposition to president Mikheil Saakashvili, the IFEA Europe 2010 conference will not only focus on practices. It will also step right into a discussion of the use of culture as a voice for democracy, rather than the opposite, in today's Europe.

See the list of confirmed speakers here: IFEA 2010 conference speakers. And remember that early bird registration fees are available until March 25th.

In this March 2010 newsletter, we also offer advice on marketing by www.marketinginspirations.com, information about new reports and web sites, EU policy updates, and our launch of a new IFEA Europe ambassador network, for which we welcome applications from several countries.

See you soon!

Allan X. Grige

Chairman, IFEA Europe

There are several reasons why you cannot miss out on IFEA Europe's Annual Conference 2010 coming up in Copenhagen:

* The theme, "Festive Roads to Recovery", lends itself to lively debates which will bring about trends in EU policies as well as renew and recharge your energy in regards to funding opportunities, based on the belief that investment in culture is one of the best ways for cities and regions to stimulate economic development.

* The speakers; your opportunity to meet inspiring individuals such as

• PETER HANKE, a conductor with a mission to inspire corporate leaders through the techniques of cultural operators, who will engage all attendees during the opening session,

KIGGE HVID, an amazing woman who has developed the world's largest design festival and award, and has found her seat as a panelist and theme setter among world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos,

SIMON GRAVELING, the operational brain behind the ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics, who is currently engaged with the ceremonies of the 2011 Special Olympics and advisor to London's 2012 Olympics,

• MIKE ROBINSON and JOHN HOLDEN, both acclaimed researchers whose perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for festivals and events will leave you intrigued and inspired

ANKI SANDE, operational manager charged with the challenge of ensuring the experience of 700.000 visitors to the annual Gothenburg Culture Festival

•  
•  
• ESBEN DANIELSEN, spokesman of northern Europe's largest rock festival, the Roskilde Festival, who will reveal the festival's unique way of engaging volunteers and creating a business around the core product
• STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, president of the International Festivals & Events Association, who maintains a world-wide perspective on the special events industry
•  
• WITEK HEBANOWSKI, a leading and inspiring cultural entrepreneur engaged in numerous cultural projects in his native Poland, in other parts of central and eastern Europe, and in the Caribbean.

• MIA HANSEN, GAVIN CLARKE, RICHARD HADLEY, and MARCUS ROMER, who - each in their unique way - will offer perspectives on audience engagement via social media, as a tool to build community and support integration, and to establish festival brands
• 

....in addition to featured speaker such as RASMUS TSCHERNING and SOREN WÜRTZ of the Danish Center for Experience Economy, COLM CROFFY of the Association of Irish Festival Events, KATHRIN DEVENTER of the European Festivals Association, and not least famous Georgian actress KETI DOLIDZE, founder of Tblisi's GIFT Festival, who is now in bad standing with the government for supporting the opposition, and many others..

See the full list of confirmed conference speakers here:  IFEA 2010 conference speakers (2.86 MB)

* The social programme; offering an evening cruise in the scenic harbour of Copenhagen, concerts, and an unforgetable evening in Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens; all offering great opportunity to meet and network with colleagues

* The good offer: A high quality conference offered at a low cost....and at an even better price if you book before March 25th!

REGISTER NOW ..... at www.ifeacopenhagen2010.eventbrite.com

You've read about it. Now you have a chance to see it in action this August 18-22!

The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland has achieved what no other festival has managed to do: It features seven annual festivals under one umbrella during the month of August, animating the entire city.

In a special "Behind-the-Scenes" seminar hosted by IFEA member Charlotte DeWitt of International Events, we will explore five of these festivals:

• Edinburgh International Festival, world-famous for the best in classical artistic programming
• Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a spectacular performance on the ground of Edinburgh Castle;
• Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival;
• Edinburgh International Book Festival, the largest book festival of its kind, with 700 world-class authors and thinkers, and the newest addition to the lineup,
• Edinburgh Art Festival, featuring the most exciting and intriguing artists of the modern and contemporary visual arts world.

Learn from those who make it happen in specialized workshops, panel discussions, and tours. See performances. Catch the fever!

Whether you produce festivals, book performers, or work in tourism and economic development, the innovative ideas are in Edinburgh this August. For inspiration, read an overview of the Edinburgh Festival at www.internationaleventsltd.com/publications.

"Behind the Scenes of the Edinburgh Festival" is endorsed by IFEA and IFEA Europe, and produced by International Events Ltd, Boston (USA). Attendance may be used towards IFEA's Certified Festival and Event Executive accreditation. Those attending who are new to the IFEA family will receive a complimentary membership of IFEA Europe for the remainder of 2010.

Additional information will be published in upcoming newsletters.

For inquiries, please contact Charlotte DeWitt at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The 6th edition of the Babel Med Music - music Trade Fair takes place in Marseille, March 25-27, 2010 . Babel offers festivals, concert venues, cultural centers and other organisers/artistic programmers a free official pass.  The event is one of the structuring events of Marseille European Capital of Culture, in 2013, and the 3 day schedule include a market area with 190 organizations (booking agencies, labels, professional organisms, equipments & services… promoted through exhibition stands, more than 1 800 professionals from 60 different countries. The EFWMF (European Forum of World Wide Music Festivals), debates, and 3 stages programming 10 concerts each evening. For more information, go to http://www.dock-des-suds.org/babelmedmusic2009. To register for free, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Since 2004, a series of conferences have been held throughout the world focusing on the ”creative potential” of cities. The Agenda 21 for culture was established, and around 150 cities in the world have signed the Agenda 21 for culture declaration. While Korea was the last country to host a world-wide conference in 2007, the city of Lexington, Kentucky, will host a creative city summit in April 2010. Visit the website for information about the event, which takes place in furtherance of Richard Florida's theories on creative economies.

Council of Europe’s CultureWatchEurope Platform (CWE) promotes culture as "the soul of democracy" by offering an innovative and evidence-based overview of culture, heritage and media developments in Europe. A conference on June 10-11 2010 in Brussels will focus on the role of public cultural policy and the impact of the financial crisis on culture and cultural provision. Download brochure here.

In September 2010, The Talking Drums of Africa holds a conference in collaboration with Kenyan artists, cultural organisations, and a number of NGO's, entitled Drum Café 2010. For information, go to http://drumcafe2010festival.blogspot.com/2009/11/festival-info.html

Culture Action Europe reports that the EU's DG EAC will soon publish a Communication about the current status of the European Agenda for Culture. EU member states, the Open Method of Coordination working groups, and the Structured dialogue Platforms have been asked to provide input at different levels.

Following the publication of the Communication, the Parliament should publish a report, and the Council of Ministers will then adopt final policies as part of its work plan for the period 2011 -2013. A radical review of the three objectives of the European Agenda for Culture does not seem to be planned, but other EU initiatives will have impact on the arts and culture sector.

First and foremost, the Commission's ambition to tackle intellectual property rights is important to parts of the cultural sector, and secondly, efforts to focus on creativity and cultural diversity are continuously seen as important to Europe, although no special initiatives are planned to develop this potential in a direct way in the years to come. EU's cultural and creative industries therefore have to continue to develop argumentation for the importance of supporting a creative environment in Europe by facilitating the working conditions of culture professionals, and by facilitating a broader access to culture for all. A Green paper on cultural and creative industries will be presented during the European Forum on Cultural industries organised under the Spanish presidency patronage in Barcelona on 29 and 30 March. This long awaited political document could bring new opportunities for the sector, both in policy development and funding terms.

Finally, in the context of the 2010 EU Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, opportunities to raise attention on the social and integration role of culture should appear, especially during the second semester of the Year, under the Belgian Presidency of the EU.

The Event Resource Marketplace is IFEA's worldwide listing of service providers to the industry. The Event Resource Marketplace is prominently displayed on the IFEA

Web site (http://ifea.com). The directory can also be found at http://eventresourcemarketplace.com. The site has 5,800 unique vistors per month, offering plenty of

opportunities for advertisers, from $150 Priority Placement ensuring first page display, to a full $5000 Banner Campaign for Banner or Skyscraper Advertisements.

Banner advertisement is also available on www.ifeaeurope.com. A full year front page display of your banner on the site costs € 1000; other rates are available for

other placement or other types of marketing.

For advertising on the IFEA Event Ressource Marketplace, contact James Riddle, Online Services Manager, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For advertising on www.ifeaeurope.com, contact Claire Heskin, AOIFE/IFEA Europe services, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

IFEA EUROPE is currently seeking NATIONAL and REGIONAL NETWORK COORDINATORS

At a time when festivals and other public events are becoming increasingly more important to cities, regions, and countries throughout the continent, there is a growing need for IFEA EUROPE to be an organisational frontrunner, exchange partner, and source for knowledge and inspiration not only on a European level, but also nationally, regionally and locally. Therefore, IFEA Europe wishes to build and engage a network of highly motivated individuals who can act as regional or national representatives of the organisation.

The role is intended to mutually and reciprocally benefit the Network Coordinator and IFEA Europe.

Reponsibilities:

As Network Coordinator, you will have three primary responsibilities and opportunities:

1. To plan and host in your country or region one annual conference (or as agreed) for local festival/event organisers, to which IFEA Europe lends its name as a host or partner organisation, and at which IFEA Europe will deliver one or more subject-relevant guest speakers. The conference budget and general parameters shall be set to ensure low risk and enable shared revenue earnings from the conference
2. To grow the regional/national membership numbers of IFEA Europe on the basis of shared revenue earnings. Depending on region and ressources, you may do so through structured sales or more informally, but membership numbers should seek to reach agreed goals in the contract period. and
3. To maintain an updated contact database of regional/national event organisations and those related to the industry, and supply IFEA Europe with updated contact information on a regular basis.

Qualifications

The succesful candidate is entrepreneurial and already has a network among festival/event organisers, city officials, educators, tourism managers and others involved with festival/events, and/or wishes to establish and grow such a network through the opportunities offered by associating with IFEA Europe. We imagine the coordinator to be a graduate student of tourism, culture management, events management, or similar, yet may also be in an established position.

Benefits

The Network Coordinator will receive a percentage of new IFEA membership fees generated by the coordinator in his/her region; amounting to 20% percent of paid membership first year.  Addionally, the NC will receive 50% of net income generated through organisation of local conference events, as described above.

The Network Coordinator has personal, free membership of IFEA Europe and is offered free participation in the annual IFEA EUROPE conference, and can thereby expand his/her international network and grow professionally.

The position is by no means a full-time position, and IFEA Europe shall not be liable for communication expenses or other direct costs, yet such costs should be covered by income derived from the activities mentioned above.

The Network Coordinator is at first a two-year position, with the possibility of extension.

Countries/areas:

We are looking for Network Coordinators in the countries listed below. As countries vary in size and cultural traditions, you may specify in your application is you are interested in filling the NC role in a country, in part of a country – or maybe in more than one country. For countries marked with an asterix (*), we will be looking for regional coordinators. 

Albania - Austria - Belgium - Belarus - Bosnia - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Croatia - Cyprus - Estonia - Finland - France * - Germany * - Italy * - Latvia - Moldova - Montenegro
Norway - Poland * - Romania - Russia * - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain * - Switzerland - Turkey * - Ukraine *

Application procedure:

If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, please send a message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You will be then be sent a questionnaire to be completed along with your application. We also advise that we shall ask you to submit two letters of personal endorsement from teachers or industry professionals that know you well.