7th Entrepreneurship in Culture Forum

In September, the Entrepreneurship in Culture Forum will be held in Paris, and followed by six regional forums. These are free of charge and open to everyone, and seek to foster and support business creation or development projects in the culture industry.

This series of economic and cultural events are mainly designed for entrepreneurs or future entrepreneurs in cultural industries, but are also designed for institutional stakeholders interested in the economic development of this industry. After the 2020 edition 100% in digital format because of the pandemic, the Entrepreneurship in Culture Forum is back this year from September 28 to 30. In 2019, the Forum attracted 270 speakers and about 2,500 participants. 

Online international development workshops 

The Entrepreneurship in Culture Forum presents itself as a toolkit for cultural entrepreneurship, and seeks to bring practical solutions to professional stakeholders in the culture industry to promote and foster “the French cultural entrepreneurship in its most innovative forms”. This year again, the Forum will focus on “providing information in workshops and round tables to help entrepreneurs and project leaders develop, consolidate or even export their activity”.

This is why the Ministry of Culture organises first a series of online workshops on international development and cooperation opportunities in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 27 September. These targeted workshops are designed for cultural entrepreneurs who wish to establish themselves in 10 “high potential” countries: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Romania, South Africa, Brazil, Israel, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

Practical workshops at the Paris Forum

On 28, 29 and 30 September, at the Maison des Métallos in Paris, the Forum will offer onsite practical workshops on legal and tax issues, financing and communication. Debates will rely on four pillars: The audiovisual aspect, third places, environmental issues and the Europe Creative scheme. This scheme is a framework programme of the European Commission to support the cultural and audiovisual industries. With €2.5 billion for the 2021-2027 period, the scheme should focus on music, inclusion and the promotion of female talent.

In parallel with these workshops, an pop-up incubator, already set up during previous editions, is located at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine to support the development of around thirty cultural entrepreneurs selected on the basis of their potential.

An itinerant variation in the regions

Thanks to its territorial presence, the French Ministry of Culture is organising travelling versions of the Entrepreneurship in Culture Forum in six metropolitan regions to boost “the local anchoring of cultural entrepreneurship”. 

In 2021, six regional forums will be set up: for the Grand Est region in Nancy on 4 and 5 October, for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in Limoges on 22 and 23 November, for the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region in Dijon from 23 to 25 November, for the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region in Lyon on 30 November, for the Occitanie region in Montpellier on 14 and 15 December and in Caen for the Normandy region (date to be determined).

To know more: 

- Press release from the French Ministry of culture

- Entrepreneurship in culture forum

- The Europe créative scheme

Photo credit:  © Ministry of culture