ArtLab -Territories, Culture, Innovation will take place in Matera for the second year to carry out an in-depth analysis of the contribution that cultural and creative enterprises give to the enhancement of tangible, intangible and digital cultural heritage. This year, as the great event of 2019 approaches, ArtLab will mainly focus on The European Agenda for Culture, on the experiences, opportunities and prospects of sustainable tourism as well as on the assessment of its impact.

A series of workshops will start in Bari on 24th October and will continue in Matera on 26th and on 27th October with debates on the current issues related to sustainable tourism and to the new rules for cultural and creative enterprises. The first meeting entitled The development of Cultural and Creative Enterprises will experiment with co-planning in cultural and creative sectors at both European and international levels.

In the morning of 26th October several meetings will take place, among which will be the workshop entitled Understanding impact for future planning, curated by the British Council in collaboration with Matera 2019. It will provide the necessary tools to ensure that the evaluation of projects’ impact is efficient and suitable for the operational management of the activities. The workshop, held in English language, is addressed to culture professionals who can register subject to availability. The meeting entitled A new European Agenda for Culture will focus on the recent proposal by the European Commission to improve mobility, learning and education opportunities, thus encouraging young people to get involved into the civil democratic society and to enhance the role of culture in social progress and economic development in Europe. Therefore, Matera will be the main focus of an international debate on the priorities of the new European Agenda.

On 27th October the opening workshop will be addressed to Changemakers and Linkers of Matera 2019 followed at 11:00 by the workshop entitled SustainableTourism: experiences, opportunities and perspectives that will offer a great opportunity for exchange. Experts in the sector will discuss the themes related to social inclusion, protection of environmental resources and respect for the cultural values of communities and will share analyses, solutions and best practices.

These are just some of the topics selected by the World Tourism Organization in the context of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism  in 2017. The 2017-2022 Strategic Plan for Tourism sets forth four strategic guidelines for Italy to stimulate reflections and action in this sector: heritage enhancement, development of competitiveness and work, collaboration between institutions and organizations dealing with tourism, development of an offer that can meet visitors’ needs.

In this context the meeting “Sustainable Tourism: experiences, opportunities and perspectives” will suggest reflections on sustainable tourism provided by institutional, private and academic actors who will analyse case studies and experiences in the local territory. It will be a can’t-miss meeting for the people who want to know about the challenges posed by the impact of new tourist flows on a global scale.

ArtLabis the independent Italian platform dedicated to innovating policies and cultural programmes and aimed to promote the dialogue among the operators of the cultural and creative ecosystem. Initiated in 2006 by Fondazione Fitzcarraldo, it is based on a partnership of over 40 Italian and European cultural networks, national cultural institutes, municipalities/regional authorities and agencies, businesses, foundations, cultural and creative professional organizations, universities.

The complete programme is at artlab.fitzcarraldo.it.

To join ArtLab18 and sign up for the events in Matera click here.