Cultural operators can develop much more effectively and contribute to the cultural offer of Sofia if they collaborate with areas such as technology, marketing, planning, interaction with business. For this to happen, however, all sectors need to be open to the idea and the cultural sector needs to be visible and recognizable. In this regard, Sofia Development Association organized workshops as part of the AGORA project, where private cultural operators and independent artists shared with local government representatives their experiences and opinions on what tools could help them to develop their full potential.

During the discussions held on 19 and 30 of November at SofiaLab, realistic and innovative ideas emerged, ranging from the creation of an internal contact network between all managers of cultural spaces to the implementation of training programs for niche specialties such as lighting technicians; from the provision of funding for specific tasks to basic grants to support private cultural venues according to their contribution to the implementation of municipal policies. In the independent sector's view, it would always be better to work with foreign organizations and trainers when providing non-financial support to ensure diversity, exchange of experience and greater sustainability.

Participants in the discussions agreed on the creation of a platform linking users and cultural venues, as long as such a platform facilitates both parties and does not only serve to publish information provided by cultural operators. So far, Sofia does not have such a tool that includes both private and public cultural venues. Both the public and private sectors are aware of the importance of the way cultural activities are communicated and are united around the idea of creating a city PR, marketing and communications team to assist all cultural operators. Both sectors are ready to join forces and establish long-term partnerships.

This workshop is the second of three workshops, the outcomes of which aim to develop an Urban Regeneration Agenda of cultural spaces.

The AGORA project is implemented under the INTERREG Danube program and is co-financed by the European Union funds (ERDF, IPA II).

Find out more about the project and upcoming activities at  http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/agora and https://www.facebook.com/InterregAGORA