News

“The Future of Audience Development: Research, Training and Practice” conference will be held from 10-11 March 2016 in Bilbao, Spain. This international gathering is the final conference of the ADESTE project (Audience Developer: Skills and Training in Europe) being led by ENCATC member, the Fitzcarraldo Foundation in Italy.

As arts and cultural institutions look to integrate audience development more into their long-term strategies, the ADESTE consortium has developed and tested a unique training module to help professionals gain key competences to lead with an audience-focus. The consortium includes ENCATC and ENCATC members: Goldsmiths, University of London (United Kingdom); Melting Pro-Laboratorio per la Cultura (Italy); and the University of Deusto (Spain). Also joining the project from outside the network are partners The Audience Agency (United Kingdom) and the Danish Center for Arts & Interculture.

In March during the ADESTE conference the consortium will reveal key findings and present their work accomplished over the past two years. To enrich the discussions and debates, renowned experts, leading academics, and cultural professionals from across Europe will share their reactions and share contributions in research, training, and practice for the future of audience development. Among the invited guests include representatives from ENCATC member institutions Queen's University, Belfast (United Kingdom) and Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland).  

Designed for arts and cultural professionals, audience development stakeholders, academics, researchers, trainers, policy makers, students, and the wider public interested in this topic, the ADESTE conference will be an excellent environment to learn about innovative and effective approaches to reach audiences, network with peers from across Europe and beyond, and gain new knowledge and skills to improve audience development results!

During the programme's two-day line up :

• Keynote speakers will explain the key role of cultural policies to support organisations in their transition towards audience-based models with contributions by Henrik Martén, Head of Development, Kulture i Väst, Sweden and Joanna Szwajcowska, Deputy Director of the Culture Department of the Capital City of Warsaw in Poland.  
• Participants will also meet Jaime Otamendi of Donostia Kultura, as well as Iker Tolosa and Enara García from Donostia-San Sebastián 2016 European Capital of Culture to get an inside look at audience strategies behind a major project,
  

The dynamic programme also includes parallel sessions for professionals and academics, a world café session, technical visits to cultural institutions, and a fun social programme!

Do you have an interesting contribution to make for the future of audience development? 

The University of Deusto, who is hosting the event, has an open Call for Abstracts on a wide range of audience development issues. But hurry, the DEADLINE is 22 February 2016!

For more information about the conference and the call for abstracts:

http://www.adesteproject.eu/adestes-final-conference

http://www.adesteproject.eu/call-abstracts-audience-development-deadline

Running over the course of 30-months (01/11/2013-30/04/2016) this project, funded by the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme, Leonardo Da Vinci – Development of Innovation.