The Social Return on Culture: central theme of the Professional Conference at the 16th Fira Mediterrània de Manresa-Catalonia

The 16th Fira Mediterrània de Manresa presents a Professional Conference devoted to the ‘Social Return on Culture’, to be held on 7th and 8th November at the Museu de la Tècnica in Manresa and featuring 22 speakers.

They will be describing their experiences of cultural projects that forge community links, public involvement and accessibility of programmes for the people of the places that host them, including: “The very good Festival” (India), the “Festival Ganoua d’Essaouira”(Morocco) or the educational programme of the “Feria de Teatro de Castilla y León-Ciudad Rodrigo”.

There will also be a presentation of the SROI: Social Return on Investment method, used in the United Kingdom and Ireland but relatively unknown in Spain. We will find out how to measure the real social value that a cultural product generates for society. This training is supported by the Culture Department of the Government of Catalonia, through its Business Development Service (SDE).

In a similar analytical vein, Xavier Fina will be presenting the recent study published by the Basque Observatory of Culture: Assessment of the social return on public support for culture. With a view to finding out about distant, territorially diverse social and cultural situations, the same round table will include Sara Bech (Denmark) of Verdens Kultur Centret; Mohamed Fahmi (Morocco) of the Anna Lindh Foundation Network; Evelyne Chevalier (France) of the Parc de la Villette de Paris; Claudio Giagnnotti (Italy) of the music project Mascarimirì; and Gabriel Veiga (Brazil) of the Recriarte school and “Teatro para Todos”. The round table will be chaired by Esteban Linés, music editor at La Vanguardia.

As Carlos Gil, editor of the performing arts magazine Revista ARTEZ, will be highlighting in his opening speech, the arts need promoting in all spheres and this is why the Professional Conference will culminate in a Vis a Vis face-to-face session involving journalists and arts professionals discussing the question “Interessa la cultura als mitjans de comunicació?” [“Do the arts interest the media?”], with Vicent Partal (Vilaweb), Lluís Hidalgo (TV3), Lluís Cabrera (Taller de Músics), Eduard Miralles (Barcelona provincial authority) and Susana Paz (Regió 7).

The conference will have a Catala-Spanish-English simultaneous translation service

A certificate of attendance for 10 hours will be issued

Attendees must be registered as delegates for the Fira and book a place by sending an e-mail to serveijornades@firamediterrania.cat. Registration includes entrance to all the performances staged and all the professional activities.

Reduced rates up to 16th September and special benefits for members of cooperating professional organisations and arts administration students.

APGCC (Associació de professionals de la gestió cultural de Catalunya) · ARC (Associació de mànagers i promotors de Catalunya) · ACPDC (Associació de Companyies Professionals de Dansa de Catalunya) · APCC (Associació de professionals de circ de Catalunya) · La Central del Circ, APdC (Associació de Professionals de la Dansa de Catalunya) · TTP (Associació Professional de Teatre per Tots els Públics) · AADPC (Associació d’Actors i Directors Professionals de Catalunya)