The Arts in a Digital World Summit
The Canada Council for the Arts faced an existential decision: let trends decide how technology shapes the Canadian arts sector, or proactively adopt technology and leverage it's advantages. Find out how they succeeded in mobilizing their wider community towards a greater technology-enabled future.
The
Story.
The fast growth of digital technologies was consider as a huge threat for many members of the canadian art community. But new technologies will inevitably continue to grow with or without our involvement. Therefore there were 2 path for the community and the best one speak for itself :
Keep being refractory and let the world decide how it will shape and change the art sector OR Adopt new technologies and find our ways to leverage and shape it to our advantages and interests
In 2017, the Canadian governement injected 88.5M$ to support the art community in that matter. The Canada Council's for the art was assigned to manage that fund and decided to create an event to launch the related fund. The event intented to regroup the different spheres of the art community into a national discussion that was to shape and refine the priorities and direction of the newly created fund.
Along with the fund leader and council team, Franck Munn was assigned to lead the design & production of this experience. Franck did regroup a very special tact team made of highly specialized skills and knowledge. A stakeholder (Council executives and key team leaders) alignment workshop was performed from which emerged a framework and a formal path to design this amazing experience. The design of a social circle to target very specific invitees, the development of the event identity & communication plan, the design of a multidimensional interactive and engaging learning experiences, the selection, integration and activation of a unique venue, worldwide speakers, latest technologies, business contributors, were some of the high level components included in this production.
The Arts in a Digital World Summit was meticulously designed to be a one in a lifetime experience while it was successfully filling its objectives.
The
Story.
THE OBJECTIVE.
The Summit goal was to spark a series of crucial conversations within the arts community on how to scale up its use of digital technologies to reach a wider public and be more sustainable in the long term. It aimed to develop concrete and pragmatic approaches to foster digital thinking and tools to strengthen our practices as artists, cultural workers, leaders, mediators and citizens.
The Council was also aiming to gather enough input to refine the fund priorities and approach while getting the core of the community onboard before the official launch of the fund to occur in the following months.
THE CHALLENGE.
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To start with we had to deal with an audience that was refractory toward the main topic and the money that was allocated to it by the government, perhaps many wished such fund to be allocated to artist for their core activities.
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Selecting 300 attendees that will speak, be representive and spread the messages toward all canadian art sectors was a huge challenge while overcoming usual cynicism within the larger community across Canada.
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Integrating latest experiential technologies and key worldwide speakers while creating a unique, meaningful and engaging experience for a wide range of attendees, perspectives and high level expectations.
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A massive and historical blizzard occured the day before and the 35cm of snow fall paralysed the entire city as well as the airport which compromize the arrival or our attendees and speakers and therefore our entire event pacing
THE STRATEGY.
Every endeavor is a calculated reaction, where strategy and creativity collide and fuse, giving birth to a dazzling display of achievement.
THE
DELIVERABLES.
THE OUTCOME.
Attendees walk out of this event with a totally refreshed perception and positive vision toward technologies and its place within the art community. Attendees went back in their respective sectorial community and spread the message and free up the path to make that fund well accepted and successfully launched a few months later.
Within 4 years, 88.5 milllion dollars were allocated to various project across Canada that were aligned with the priorities and directions defined during this event.
