Brugge Festival and Event Management Masterclass

The internationally acclaimed Festival and Event Management Masterclass is returning to Belgium! This highly regarded workshop offers essential insights and inspiration for anyone involved in creating, developing, managing, or supporting festivals and events. Feedback from past participants consistently highlights the value of the information provided, the fresh ideas they gained to enhance their events, and, most importantly, the inspiration they drew from the Masterclass.

The Masterclass has attracted a uniquely wide range of organizations, ranging from large city events like Malmöfestivalen to small-town celebrations such as Kinsale Arts Week. Participants have included organizers of every kind of music festival imaginable, from the Ottawa Jazz Festival and Calgary Folk Festival to the Savonlinna Opera Festival and Flow Festival. Other attendees have represented film festivals (Rotterdam International Film Festival), dance festivals (Oslo International Dance Festival), book festivals (Saskatchewan Festival of Words), and family events (Horsens Children’s Theatre Festival).

The course is popular among city and provincial council staff from both large cities like Gothenburg and smaller towns such as Smiths Falls, as well as professionals working in museums, galleries, and concert venues (Estonian National Museum, Art Gallery of Burlington). It has also welcomed participants managing performing arts groups, including theater companies and symphony orchestras. Attendees range from city center event coordinators (Downtown Winnipeg) to destination marketing professionals (Toerisme Oostende). This incredible diversity of participants contributes to the dynamic atmosphere of the Masterclass.

Here are just some of the Belgian organizations that have attended previous Masterclasses:
Gent Jazz Festival, Cultuurcentrum Brugge, Toerisme Vlaanderen, Zebrastraat, Stad Harelbeke, Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, European Commission, Sacred Places, Stad Mechelen, Sfinks, Zomeropera Alden Biesen, Riches-Claires Theater, Stad Brugge, Festival van Vlaanderen Antwerpen, Stad Lier, Hogeschool Vives, Davidsfonds Cultuurnetwerk, Stad Veurne, Universiteit Antwerpen, Provincie Vlaams-Brabant, Herita, Ha Concerts, Stad Izegem, Quilombo, Centre Culturel René Magritte, Trez Recordz, and Toerisme Oostende. Details of all the organisations that have taken the Masterclass can be found in Who Has Attended section on our website www.festivalmanagers.com

Join the Masterclass to gain knowledge, connect with like-minded professionals, and discover the inspiration to take your events to the next level.

The cost of the course is €390 if booked by 1 March or €450 if purchased after 1 March.  The cost is only €295 if more than one person from your organization attends.

The Masterclass is a highly practical course full of ideas and examples that participants can put into practice immediately to improve their events. The individual sessions are:

Day 1

Developing Great Festivals and Events

This session draws inspiration from successful festivals, events and destinations, looking at what we can learn from their approach, models and creative programming.

People and Partnerships

Looks at how effective festival organisations manage their teams and staff, their relationships with stakeholders and collaborations with partners.

Programming

The key to the success of any festival is the strength and imagination of the programme. This session explores a number of successful programming strategies.

Sponsorship and Fundraising

This session considers how to approach sponsors and explores other vital ways of generating valuable income.

Festivals, Tourism and Placemaking

This session considers how festivals can play a crucial role in raising the profile of a destination.

Day 2

Festival Marketing

This session examines a number of successful marketing approaches adopted by leading festivals

Venues and Festival Infrastructure

This session considers how to make the most of the venues available to your festival and developing the infrastructure required to run events successfully

Working with the Media

Every festival needs a good relationship with the media and this session considers how best to achieve this aim.

Festivals – Impact and Evaluation

This session considers how festivals should look to maximise and evaluate their impact economically, socially and culturally.

The Masterclass is presented in English

The cost of the course is €390 if booked by 17 January or €450 if purchased after 17 January.  The cost will be reduced to €295 if more than one person from your organisation attends.

Cancellation Policy

10 days or more before the course start date –  Full refund will be given

2 – 9 days before the course start date – 50% refund will be given

Less than 2 days before the course start date – 25% refund will be given

Here are some comments from participants at previous masterclasses. They are taken from the post course survey.

Stockholm The course was a vitamin injection in how to manage a festival and also how to evolve it. In short: The ultimate Crash Course in festival management!   City of Sodertalje

Stavanger I found the workshop both interesting, inspiring and helpful. I have gained new ideas for my own festival and also important confirmation of things we have done that seems to be the right thing to do. In short: I loved it! Nordlysfestivalen, Tromsø

Bergen  The course was well planned and insightful. Paul has loads of experience, is confident in himself, yet informal and easy to talk with, and great at involving the participants. I would recommend the course both for learning and motivational purposes.  Nordland Music Festival

Melbourne As a local government officer providing support for event organisers in our municipality, this course provided me with a variety of tips and tools that I can pass on as well as giving me the opportunity to look more critically at how we as a council support events and what we can do differently or better. The course was also a great way to meet others working in the events field from across Australia and create new mutually beneficial contacts. Alpine Shire Council

Göteborg All we talked about I can apply to my own way of thinking when it comes to our event, and I got so many new ideas and also confirmation that what we do is right, which leads me to believe that our dance festival will be even more successful this time around. Thank you Paul for two packed, and inspiring days!    Abundance International Dance Festival

Utrecht The two days masterclass really stirred things up in a positive way. And we look forward to showing our audience what we got for them.   Festival Mooie Woorden

Great story’s, enormous amount of useful information and I met a lot of interesting people. But above all it has given me a much wider view on (my) events. Smartlappenfestival, Oktoberfest

Copenhagen I’m happy I participated this class. It gave me new energy and inspired me to think about my own events and projects from another perspective – because sometimes you can get stuck in your own way of doing things and then it’s good to get new input.  bazART, Center for Arts & Interculture.

Oslo The sky is the limit! The course confirmed in many ways that our little festival is on the right track, and that gives us so much renewed energy. You can’t put a price in that! Sirkusfestivalen, Sarpsborg.

Helsinki Paul has the amazing ability to coach event management professionals participating in his Masterclass without them even knowing it! He inspires participants to think and connect the dots in a creative way in order to create stronger programmes, partnerships and networks for their festival and events. His passion is contagious Culture Export Management and PR Lounge

Overijssel The masterclass on festivals gave me lots of new insights and ideas. It also gave me the possibility to evaluate the current approach. Furthermore it gave great energy to our group and will lead to a better cooperation in (near) future. A must to for everyone involved with the programming and (collective) promotion of festivals! Festivalbureau Overijssel

Trondheim You`re sharing so much practical knowledge and brilliant examples, I got one A-HA moment after another. LOTS of useful ideas (and energy!) to bring back home. Hilmarfestivalen, Norway

 There is much more feedback on our website www.festivalmanagers.com