AEA Consulting is one of the world’s leading cultural consulting firms. We have over two decades of experience assisting clients in the cultural sector internationally, helping them to define, plan, and achieve their long-term goals. Specialists in facilities, operational, and strategic planning, we collaborate with public and private cultural organizations and their funders in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Asia, and Australia to help them realize the contribution that culture can make to communities. We work with our clients from the initial conceptual planning of a project through feasibility studies and detailed planning to implementation and start up, advising and supporting them all along the way. AEA’s work stands on two foundations: a strong analytical approach, and a close understanding of and empathy for the goals of stakeholders in the cultural sphere. We approach problem-solving with curiosity, creativity and integrity, and our multi-disciplinary and multi-national team brings to our work a deep understanding of a wide range of cultural environments and issues.
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“Opportunities in museums, theme parks and leisure destinations for UK companies in North America” Join Daniel Payne for this webinar hosted by Experience UK on June 17 at 4pm BST. See 👇for details:
Are you a UK company working in the experience economy sector and want to find out more about potential opportunities across museums, galleries and heritage attractions in the USA? Join Daniel Payne, Managing Principal at AEA Consulting for our latest webinar on 17 June! https://lnkd.in/ezAQzciN
What is “social impact” and why is it important? In the first of a series of articles dedicated to social impact, AEA’s Annie Bares, Emily Harney, Bella Stenvall, and Natalia V. give an overview on the importance of social impact evaluation and the opportunities it presents for the arts and cultural sector. Read the full article here 👇
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A note from our Director, Gregorio Lucena Scarpella: Months of preparation and over in a blink of an eye, but the pictures are there to tell the story, and I know the many discussions seeded at our annual convening in Athens last week will fuel the thinking, research, and activities of the network until we meet again. Our convenings always leave me with much to think about; three themes stick: 🌟 As a field, we are inherently optimistic: It’s clear that the challenges of creating truly inclusive spaces are very real, complex and difficult. Equally clear is that as a field we're keen to meet those challenges and have our sleeves rolled-up for the work ahead; 🤝 Looking forward, backward and in between, collaboration has been key: Both in the planning process and in the content shared, this convening showed us just a glimpse of what is possible when we work together to imagine a new future for our field; ✨ The power of artists and the arts go beyond presenting beautiful, emotive works: as with every convening, our deep belief in the power of the arts is manifest in the individual missions of each member and reminds us of why we do this work. Beyond the intellectual exchanges we had “in-session”, it was crucial to experience the work of artists and feel that power in various ways over our 3 days. My 4th GCDN convening (!) has been incredibly memorable thanks to our many colleagues (new and old) who took the time to join us. I’m incredibly grateful to all our members, partners and guests for making this such a successful event. Special thanks to the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic for placing us under their auspices; to Smartify, the Greek National Tourism Organisation, and the Greek Wine Federation for their major support. I’m extremely grateful to our hosts, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) and their wonderful team, without whom none of this would have been possible: Christina Vasilikou and her Visitor Experience team; Christina Coveou, Gregoria Karatzouni; Danaë Tzotzos, Evelina Sarantidi; Danai Panagiotopoulou; the incredible event producer Elli Gardiki, my counterpart and stalwart collaborator Athena Balopoulou and, of course, the amazing and inspiring Elly Andriopoulou. Every year I also have the honor of working with my colleagues at AEA Consulting who provide both emotional and intellectual support all aspects of our convening. My thanks to Daniel Payne and the whole team – especially those who helped build, plan and facilitate sessions: Catalina Casas, Annie Bares, Emily Harney, Hilary Knight, Bella Stenvall and Antoni Durski. Last but not least, massive thank you to the GCDN team who keep our engine rolling all year long but especially during our convening: Alyssa Cartwright, Stephanie Fortunato, Christos Carras, Roxani Kamperou and May Wijaya. And of course Adrian Ellis for your trust, support and mentorship. Here’s to next year! This time at The Music Center in Los Angeles!
The GCDN Annual Convening is also an opportunity for the AEA team based in New York, London, Dubai, Los Angeles and Rome to come together, an occasion we look forward to every year! Pictured: Laura Zucker, Gregorio Lucena Scarpella, Annie Bares, Daniel Payne, Lucinda Little, Adrian Ellis, Alyssa Cartwright, Mayssa Kanaan, Ryan Martins, Bella Stenvall, Maria-Edmée di Sambuy, Emily Harney, Hilary Knight, Antoni Durski, Catalina Casas, and Natalia V. 📸 Photos by Nikos Karanikolas/Courtesy GCDN
You are invited to join a virtual facilitated Listening Session on June 5 at 6pm ET/3pm PT for a conversation about the recent developments, barriers, and opportunities in the field. The Listening Session is facilitated as a part of a National Endowment for the Arts dance & disability field scan which will conclude with a report for the field. Please register to join the discussion. More info and registration details at: https://lnkd.in/gxNapdyy #dance #disability #fieldscan
We're finding time to reflect on last week’s GCDN Annual convening, held at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, where we explored a variety of topics: from Feminist Citymaking to processes of migration, integration and social cohesion; we looked at the complexity of building modern ‘agoras’ (shared public spaces) from the top-down, bottom-up, and everywhere in between. We enjoyed learning from our peers through workshops on performance and placemaking, developing nimble organizational structures, experiments in governance and new technologies, and creating decision-making frameworks for our changing times. 💡 Our main takeaways? The ‘agora’, with its roots in Ancient Athens, offers the opportunity to define, refine and redefine who we are and what we stand for. It provides a catalyst for creating a sense of belonging, social interaction and strengthening the social fabric of a city. Agoras give us the opportunity to celebrate creativity, harness the power of the arts and artists, while fostering inclusivity, and civic and societal growth. Most importantly, they encourage collaboration and demonstrate how we can enrich our lives and those around us by working together. We've left feeling inspired and ready to get to work! A post-convening report from the team Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) is to follow! Stay tuned!
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Very glad to have been representing PLATEFORME 10 at the 10th Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) covening, held in Athens at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), with the support of AEA Consulting, to discuss the role of cultural districts in shaping cities…
🏵 Bits and pieces from the past few days at the SNFCC that composed a diverse program of talks, workshops and joyful experiences in the context of the 10th Annual Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) Convening! 🔸 From welcoming distinguished guests as Olga Kefalogianni, Minister of Tourism, Government of the Hellenic Republic followed by Christos Dimas, Deputy Minister of Culture, Government of the Hellenic Republic, to formally open the first day’s proceedings, to a presence of speakers and attendees who both shared their invaluable expertise and formed fruitful discussions on ways of creating modern-day agoras in the cultural realm. Break out sessions, art tours and performances, athletic recreation and gastronomic experiences, among others; undoubtedly this convening had it all! 🔸 Throughout the three days event, guests reflected on the intersection between culture and an array of current global issues such as inclusivity, free dialogue and opinion exchange, governance, ownership and digital placemaking - a workshop powered by Smartify. 🔸 SNFCC Chairman of the Board of Directors and Gladstone Professor of Government, Stathis Kalyvas except from his keynote speech, participated in a thought-provoking panel discussion on nurturing dialogue and protecting expression, while SNFCC Managing Director Elly Andriopoulou, shared views and best practices on the Athens perspective on cultural districts, in conversation with Adrian Ellis, Director of AEA Consulting and chair of the GCDN. 🔸 An inspired performance by the Greek National Opera Ballet choreographed by GNO’s Ballet Director Konstantinos Rigos took place at the Dome, a curatorial walkthrough led by Syrago Tsiara, Art historian, Exhibition curator, Director of the National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum was implemented at Alex Mylona’s Fullfilment exhibition in the Esplanade, a wine discovery and tasting session was held at the Lighthouse, a walkshop in collaboration with Artworks took place in the Stavros Niarchos Park. And of course cocktail, dining and various meet & greet sessions under the Athenian evening skyline assembled this extraordinary schedule of events. 🙌 Shoutout and a big thank you to the Greek National Tourism Organisation for its major support as well as the Greek Wine Federation and Smartify, without whom the co-hosting of this convening would not have been possible. The Convening took place under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and was powered by AEA Consulting. SNFCC Lead Donor: Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Two days and over 20 sessions, the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) Annual Convening culminated with a final series of brilliant discussions: 🔮 Professor Stathis Kalyvas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) Cultural Center and Gladstone Professor of Government and fellow of All Souls College at Oxford, gave the keynote address on "How Politics impacts Cultural Institutions". 🎨 The keynote was followed by “Nurturing Dialogue and Protecting Expression” with Professor Stathis Kalyvas, Adrian Ellis, Director of AEA Consulting and chair of the GCDN, and Lily Cabatu Weiss, Executive Director, Dallas Arts District; and moderated by Patrick McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. 💡 And finally, Charles Landry, Co-Founder of GCDN's strategic partner Creative Bureaucracy Festival and father of the “Creative City” concept, closed out the convening by sharing his reflections on the discussions he participated in and participated in over the past two days. 📸 Nikos Karanikolas/Courtesy GCDN
This week, the AEA team was in Athens for the 10th Annual Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) Convening, participating in discussions about creating inclusive public spaces that foster social cohesion and collective wellbeing. Our team was also on hand to lead discussions at a range of sessions: 🏛 Building Modern Agoras: The Top-Down Way Moderated by Antoni Durski (Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting), this session explored how leaders from different geographies create contemporary communal spaces, transforming their districts into vibrant and inclusive multifaceted ecosystems. Tamsin Ace (Director, East Bank), Tim Reeve (Deputy Director, Victoria and Albert Museum; Chair, East Bank Board), Charalampos (Harris) C. (Executive Director for Culture and Arts, Qiddiya | القدية), Youssef hayat (Communications Director, Agence d'Urbanisation et de Développement d'Anfa (AUDA), Michael O'Leary (Deputy CEO, Project Director, Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co)) and Lucie Renou (International Project Manager, Samoa) discussed activities in their districts, which were all developed as part of ambitious master plans. 🎱 Experiments in Governance and Ownership Moderated by AEA's Annie Bares and Emily Harney, participants explored how new governance models expand ownership and democratize decision-making to ensure that cultural districts remain affordable for artists and accessible, equitable public spaces for all. With Vivian Doumpa (Co-founder, STIPO Greece), Natassa Dourida (Founder, Communitism), Konstantinos Karalariotis (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) Youth Council Member), Dina Ntziora (Founding Director, We are Community). ⚡ Nimble Structures, Global Impact The Harbourfront's "District" is a pilot project at the intersection of art and commerce, developed in collaboration with leading international arts organizations and powered by blockchain technology. In this workshop moderated by Hilary Knight (Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting) and Tim Robertson (Chief Digital Officer, Harbourfront Centre), participants explored the entrepreneurial journey within the framework of established institutions – examining the shifts in mindset, strategy, and operations required to nurture entrepreneurship and drive revenue. 🎭 Performance and Placemaking Performance artists around the world have been harnessing their power to shape the social and physical character of their cities, attracting and engaging new audiences along the way. In this guided journey organized and led by AEA's Alyssa Cartwright and Bella Stenvall, the group toured the SNFCC park alongside local artists, exploring their original site-specific works and discussing the impact performance can have on creative placemaking strategies. Featuring artists Chara Stergiou, Iria Vrettou and Konstantinos Papanikolaou 📸 Nikos Karanikolas and Maria Maraki (outdoor workshop) (Courtesy GCDN)
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There are some days in your professional life that make you feel bright, connected and inspired, and for sure, the 2-days experience of the GCDN Convening in Athens, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) was one of these! I mean, just take a look at our faces and smiles! Grateful to the hosts and organisers Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) and AEA Consulting for inviting me to represent Placemaking Europe and STIPO/STIPO Greece and be part of this platform and community. I have learned about inspiring initiatives from around the world, got my thoughts provoked and sparkled, but most importantly, met generous people. Big big thanks to my fellow "fishbowlers" Natassa Dourida, Konstantinos Karalariotis, Dina Ntziora, Annie Bares and Emily Harney for holding the essence of "Experiments in Governance and Ownership" discourse together with care and trust. Ramon Marrades, Robyn Bennett, Charles Landry, Nourhan Bassam, Eva Grigoriadou, Robin Abad Ocubillo always inspired and excited to spend time with you. Till next year! (or hope to see you again soon at Placemaking Week Europe 2024 in Rotterdam)
The Dome, nestled within Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)’s beautiful gardens, was the perfect setting for our “fishbowl-style” breakouts, including: ✨ Experiments in Governance and Ownership As cultural districts and the organizations that comprise them are under increasing pressure due to issues of affordability, polarization, safety, and inclusivity, new models for governing cultural spaces have emerged. We explored how these models expand ownership and democratize decision-making to ensure that cultural districts remain affordable for artists and accessible, equitable public spaces for all. Featuring: Vivian Doumpa (Co-founder, STIPO Greece), Natassa Dourida (Founder, Communitism), Konstantinos Karalariotis (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) Youth Council Member), Dina Ntziora (Founding Director, We are Community); moderated by Annie Bares, Emily Harney (AEA Consulting) 🌟 Feminist Citymaking What kind of intersectional urban planning and policymaking would enable us to create thriving agoras at the heart of our cities and communities? In this active dialogue, we discussed the inherent social inequities that are woven into the built environment and the shortcomings of the traditional urban planning practices that underpin them. Through the lens of leading initiatives from different parts of the globe, we unveiled what a feminist approach to citymaking rooted in principles of collaboration, generosity, non-hierarchization, adaptability, flexibility, and care looks like in practice. Featuring: Nourhan Bassam, Ph.D. (Founding Director, The Gendered City), Eva Grigoriadou (Founding Director, Urbana), Ana Buritica (Advisor, Secretary of Women Affairs of Bogota); moderated by Robyn Bennett (International Programme & Partnerships Lead, Creative Bureaucracy Festival). 📸 Nikos Karanikolas/GCDN