Finnish Northern Karelia Festivals working together online_КА9031

Submitted by KA9031 on
Big Music for Small Cities_working session

The first part of the festival network under Big Music for Small Cities project was held on November 17, 2020. The main topics of the online seminar were related to the attractions of the festivals and the production of experiences. An electronically fillable pre-assignment prepared by Susanna Markkola oriented the festival representatives to the topics of the seminar.

In her opening remarks, Susanna Markkola discussed cultural tourism, productization for international markets, festival USPs (Unique Selling Points) and target groups. In small groups, festival representatives were able to deepen the topics by discussing and recording their thoughts.

Anna Tomchik recalled an online survey conducted by the Big Music for Small Cities project team previously. She briefly reviewed the results of the survey and at the same time spoke about the new Face Book chat group, to which all festivals involved in the project can join on both sides of the border. Anna Tomchik also told a fascinating success story about the Ruskeala Symphony. It was encouraging to hear how, in a few years, a successful and attractive international art festival has been achieved.

Anna Rauhansuu inspired the audience by telling about Myssyfarmi Oy's operations, values, materials and opportunities for cooperation. The company, which relies entirely on domestic materials and manpower, has released a new collection, Myssy x Nightwish. This and many other partnerships were a good example of the possibilities and limitlessness of cooperation.

The seminar ended with Susanna Markkola's introduction to the festival experiences and how they are served to a wide audience and tourists. The issue was again raised in small groups.

The first part of the seminar was thought-provoking, motivating and provided new ideas and tips for success. Thank you to all the speakers and the festivals involved! Continued on 24.11.2020 at 13.00 with new topics.