Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Creating sustainable innovations for cultural tourism
This September, Dr Julia Calver - from our UK Centre for Events Management - took part in an international Hackathon event in Brussels, as the Chair of Saltaire Inspired - an arts charity creating quality contemporary arts events in unique settings.
Myself and Peter Reed, also from Saltaire Inspired, teamed up with Swedish partners - Christina Shearer of Rydal’s Museum (near Gothenburg) and Ana-Karin Ciurana of the International Weaving Centre from Västra Götaland, Sweden, along with 18 other teams from six regions. These were Basilicata Region, Italy; Aragon Region, Spain; Larnaca Region, Cyprus; Bač, Sremski Karlovci and Irig in Vojvodina Region, Serbia and North East Romania and Moldova cross border area.
The purpose of the Hackathon was to co-create and test sustainable human-centre innovations for circular tourism across the six regions. Each team applied design thinking tools to develop value propositions, value chains, stakeholder mapping, monetisation strategies, and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) impact wheel, in order to create an overall societal impact canvas depicting an innovative experiential solution.
The Saltaire Inspired and Västra Göteland team proposed an artist and community led programme enabling co-creation between both areas involving textiles, linking to the Bradford Industrial Museum and textile designers and artists across Bradford District. Connecting communities and artists to bridge the traditional and contemporary arts practice through textiles, generates new platforms for collaboration and supports regenerative tourism through events.
At the end of the three days each team filmed a one- minute pitch and delivered a 10-minute presentation to a panel of influential judges from across the EU.
The Circular Cultural Tourism Innovations event was held at ICHEC, Brussels. It formed part of a new Horizon 2020 EU-funded project – BE:CULTOUR (Beyond Cultural Tourism).
The teams from the event will now be working with the Be.CULTOUR programme on a four- month acceleration programme run by the ICHEC Brussels Management School to develop their innovative projects further.
For more information on the Sweden/UK link, please email Dr Julia Calver.
Dr Julia Calver
Dr Julia Calver is Course Director of UK Centre for Events Management and Hospitality Business Management courses. Julia worked across the UK in the creative industries, and undertakes consultancy projects as well as holding Director/Trustee positions in the arts sector.
