2011 ENCATC Congress - Culture Forecast

Helsinki, Finland

Culture Forecast

A wind of change is blowing over our societies and reshaping our political, social and cultural paradigms. Increased urbanization, uneven social redistribution, a digital shift and an array of new audiences accessible mainly with the use of new technological tools – these are motors of change which provide as many challenges as they do opportunities. Can the education and cultural sector predict these changes so as to position itself at the peak of future developments? Are we capable of monitoring future trajectories of change? How can the city adapt and what role will culture play in shaping the future urban and rural landscapes? Which tools do cultural managers need to retain its current audience and reach out to new ones? And how will technological developments and the emergence of new means of communication help us to build new partnerships? In an attempt to forecast trends and future needs, ENCATC held its 19thAnnual Conference 2011 in Helsinki, Finland on October 12-14th 2011. 

Entitled "CultureForecast”, ENCATC’s 2011 Annual Conference centered around three themes that have recently been focal points in arts and cultural management and which will determine future developments in the cultural field: Culture and the City, New Audiences and Networking. It featured renowned policy makers from UNESCO, the Council of Europe, European and national parliaments, representatives from the European Commission, academics, educators, cultural managers, young researchers, artists and students from Europe and beyond.

Working themes of the Conference

Amongst the topics discussed, the ENCATC Annual Conference centered around three themes that have recently been focal points in arts and cultural management. These are:

  • Culture and the City – Is the face of the culture of tomorrow going to be seen in the cities today? What are the tensions that are shaping the culture in rural and urban areas?

  • New Audiences – As cultural managers how can we keep our present clients and attract new ones? Who are our future clients? What are their needs going to be?

  • Networking – What are those technological tools that help us to build up new partnerships? How is this new interaction shaping our ways to communicate with each other?

2011 ENCATC Congress - Culture Forecast