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Breaking news…latest speaker announced Pat Abrahams, Former Director of Greater London Arts and Assessor for Arts Council England English bids for Capital of Culture 2008.

 

Last few remaining places available for this unique interactive event contact enquiries @arts-research-digest.com to find out more and reserve your place today.

 

 

When?

Informal networking evening 6.30pm, Wednesday 22^nd October 2008

Full day event 9.15am – 4pm, Thursday 23^rd October 2008

 

Where?

The Holiday Inn, Lime Street, Liverpool

 

What?

Twenty four years ago, Liverpool hosted Britain’s first international garden festival. Every other year for the next ten years, international garden festivals (involving a significant input from artists) took place in Stoke on Trent, Glasgow, Gateshead and Ebbw Vale.

 

From 1992 to 2000, the Arts Council of Great Britain (as it then was) nominated a different city or region to organise a year-long celebration of a different art form, culminating in a UK-wide Year of the Artist in 2000.

 

In 1985, Athens was the first city to be nominated European City of Culture. Renamed European Capital of Culture in 1999, a different city (and since 2007 more than one city) has competed for the title every year. Liverpool is European Capital of Culture 2008.

 

What role has research played in the process of bidding for, and measuring the impact of, large-scale cultural events? How, if at all, have attitudes and practice changed over the past 20 years? How relevant is research to the people who plan, run and pay for such events? 

 

The BIG Question is a one-day event, organised by Arts Research Digest (a regularly funded organisation of Arts Council England) to find out what you as cultural sector managers, policy makers, funders, regional and local authority officers (in arts, leisure, regeneration, economic development), consultants, researchers and academics think.

 

This event offers a rare opportunity for 80 participants with a shared interest in large-scale events and research to come together to:

• share their experience of commissioning and using research to bid for and evaluate big events
• ask questions of others with more or different experience
• look at the ways in which our use of research in this context is changing.

 

The event will combine short, stimulating presentations, questions and answers, panel discussions and facilitated discussion groups.

 

All participants will receive, in advance, a copy of a literature review of research, from the past 10 -15 years, on the impact of large-scale cultural events, commissioned from the Impacts08 team.

 

Who?

Chaired by Sara Selwood, cultural analyst and Visiting Professor at City University.

Sir Bob Scott, leader of Liverpool’s bid to be European Capital of Culture 2008, Chairman of Manchester’s unsuccessful bids to host the Olympic Games and of its successful bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

Dr Beatriz Garcia, Director, Impacts08, European Capital of Culture Research Programme

John Gold, Professor of Urban Historical Geography, Oxford Brookes University

Maggie Gold, Senior Lecturer, Arts and Heritage Management, London Metropolitan Business School

Stella Hall, Creative Director, culture10, NewcastleGateshead Initiative

John Kennedy, former Director of Cork, European Capital of Culture, 2005

Pat Abraham, Arts Consultant, Arts Council England Assessor Capital of Culture Bids 2008, former Executive Director of Dance4

 

The morning session will be opened by Sir Bob Scott, followed by three speakers on the changing attitudes to research in relation to big events. There will be a panel discussion and facilitated discussion groups.

 

In the afternoon, Beatriz Garcia will present, for the first time, her findings into the impact of Liverpool’s nomination as European Capital of Culture 2008 on inward investment to the city.  

 

In the second afternoon session, Sara Selwood will chair a panel, with experience of running large-scale events, about what kind of research do the organisers of big events need? Delegates will then break into smaller discussion groups.

 

There will be a short plenary session at before the event ends at 4pm. 

 

*** APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING – PLEASE CIRCULATE TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED ***

 

European Capital of Culture Research Programme

 

 

 

School of Sociology and Social Policy
University of Liverpool
Eleanor Rathbone Building
Bedford St South
LIVERPOOL   L69 7ZA

UK

 

Tel: +44 (0)151 794 2988
Fax: +44 (0)151 794 2997

URL: www.impacts08.net