Margot Bloomstein’s Post

Save the Date: Connected Audience 2025 Theater Strahl, Berlin/Germany May 21-23, 2025 The next Connected Audience Conference will address the topic of cultural participation and engagement for young people. Active encounters with cultural activities, artistic and creative content are important components of healthy adolescent development, supporting young people's personalities and opportunities for a self-determined lifestyle. But what do we know about how to facilitate these encounters? What are the challenges and opportunities? Finding answers requires an understanding of young people's cultural practices and orientations, building on these and shaping processes together. To explore and discuss this topic the Institut für Kulturelle Teilhabeforschung | Institute for Research on Cultural Participation (Berlin/Germany) in collaboration with the Institute for Learning Innovation (USA) will bring together young people, experts, researchers, and practitioners from the global cultural sector for debate and exchange. Conference Design The international biennial conference will provide inspiring discussions and productive interactions between its various participants and facilitators. There will be a minimum of “talking heads” and a maximum of interaction and participation. We seek to create a facilitating and stimulating atmosphere with a strong dialogical approach. We invite you to gain relevant experiences and insights both for your research and professional practice. Taking on more of a workshop feeling you will learn from experts and your colleagues from around the world. More information and a call for proposals coming soon!

I really admire the creative people who can share such a tough message like the one in the image below, which I photographed at the ARC exhibition. It shows how life can be unfair, with some people starting with more challenges than others. While the design is clever, it also makes me sad because it shows the reality that many face. Life isn’t the same for everyone, and some have a much harder path—even though I know I’ve clearly benefited from this system myself. For non-Hungarian speakers, a description of the image is in the comment section. #Creativity #Inequality #Awareness #ARCExhibition

Over the past few days, we have seen 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations across the country and worldwide. We have witnessed elements of reenactment, used to highlight the many sacrifices that were made and share a glimpse of what life was like at that time. D-Day was a pivotal moment in World War II “The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in history” (Royal British Legion, 2024) liberating Western Europe and marking the beginning of the end of the Second World War. This year’s D-Day commemorations were even more poignant, as it will likely be the last major anniversary in which original D-Day veterans will participate. Those of you who have watched just some of the activities over the past few days will have heard original stories of D-Day veterans, shared to educate the generations to come, with the words ‘we will remember’ echoed by so many. With this in mind, we are pleased to share this timely piece of work that really pushes the importance of ‘events’ and storytelling to help us commemorate such historic occasions, keeping history alive. Published in the Event Management Journal, special issue below “Presenting an Authentic Reflection of the Past Through Storytelling and Living History in 1940s Events”, by Zoe Leonard and Dr. Julie Whitfield of Bournemouth University Business School. Abstract:  Live events that replicate the 1940s era celebrate the heritage of a defining moment in history. This research presents the results of a study examining authenticity, storytelling, and living history in the context of 1940s events in the UK. The research demonstrates how storytelling and living history intensify the authentic nature of the event, depicting a true reflection of the past and facilitating a collective memory of the era. Through online semi-structured interviews with event organisers and attendees of 1940s events, the findings confirm that organisers feel a sense of cultural duty to tell an accurate story to the best of their abilities. This is supported through living history as presented by reenactment groups. They provide elements of the three concepts of authenticity: objectivism, constructivism, and existentialism. Reenactors provide historically accurate detail and speak with authority, generating what is perceived to be an authentic level of engagement. Our thanks to Dr Giulia Rossetti (FHEA) and Brianna Wyatt, PhD, FHEA for accepting our paper into this publication.

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱? 🍿 How do we attract not just local and returning guests, but a diverse crowd of new visitors? Hasta La Vista, Baby! is always busy—both for dinner and drinks. Now, we've introduced the 'Hasta La Vista Movie Nights'! These events sold out in a minute. We transformed our theatre area (one of the four areas) into a rooftop cinema for old-time classics. The response? Absolutely phenomenal! We decided to diversify our space. So, if you have a beautiful venue, think outside the box! Turn that space into something unexpected. Events like these bring in different types of guests and build a sense of community. Even before announcing the next dates, we received lots of requests about when the next movie nights will be. And yes: we would make more revenue if we just kept our 'theatre' podium open for the public and do more turnover. But it's not always only about the revenue...🚀 And now? We're busy planning what to do next… 🕺

📢 Invitation to the Symposium on Storytelling, Interaction, and Societal Impact 🗓️ When: 15 October, 9:15 AM - 1:00 PM  📍 Where: Theaterzaal, Muntstraat 2a, Utrecht, the Netherlands Join us for a transformative half-day symposium organised by the Universiteit Utrecht (Utrecht University) Language & Communication research group in collaboration with Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, and sponsored by Institutions for Open Societies. Dive into the world of storytelling and its profound impact on society across spoken, written, and visual forms. 📜 Highlights include: - 9:45 AM: Exploring real conversations and their narrative elements. - 10:10 AM: The intricate art of slow storytelling for deeper meanings. - 11:05 AM: Interactive narratives and their potential societal impacts. 🌟 Keynote speaker: me - Discover from 15+ years of research how storytelling has influenced consumer behaviour and societal norms. We offer a detailed exploration from various disciplines on how storytelling is defined, becomes interactional, and the vast societal impacts it can achieve. From academic insights to practical applications, this event promises rich discussions and networking opportunities. 🥗 Catering: Coffee, tea, and a vegetarian lunch provided. Please indicate any dietary preferences on the registration form. We look forward to seeing you there and engaging in these crucial conversations that shape our understanding and use of narratives in everyday life and beyond. Organisers: Tessa van Charldorp, Karin Fikkers, Hans Hoeken, Madelijn Strick ✍️ Please register to ensure your spot as spaces are limited! 🔗 Registration: https://lnkd.in/eDqtkV6d #CommunicationResearch #ErasTour #ResearchDissemination #SocialImpact #StorytellingSymposium

Interesting insights on recent trends, some of which seem quite non-obvious. A quick take on one mentioned in the research: How does social media affect the concert and entertainment industries? It’s funny, but a few years ago, I realized that during concerts, I spent more time filming the performance on my phone than actually watching and enjoying it. Since then, I’ve stopped filming altogether 🤣 For many, such events have become more about creating Instagram-worthy moments than actually immersing themselves in the experience. Sharing pics and videos with their networks often takes priority over fully engaging with the event. Surprisingly, performers have responded with shorter showtimes and even skipping encores, which impacts the business around performance venues. To support sustainability in entertainment industry let’s keep performers happy by engaging more with the actual show to encouraging encores! 😁 #research #socialmedia #entertainment #trends #social https://lnkd.in/d_g6zyAm

Thinking Outside the Book   Last week, we had the incredible opportunity to experience the vibrant atmosphere of the Edinburgh Festival of Creativity— a four-day celebration of art, Fringe performances, literature, the iconic Tattoo, and more. Eight spectacular Edinburgh events proudly serve up the most incredible smorgasbord of culture you could ever imagine, filling the city's performance venues, event spaces.  Every August, Edinburgh becomes a hub of provocative mind-play, showcasing boundless imagination and the profound value of art in all its forms. The festival's roots trace back to 1947, when it was first held to celebrate peace after World War II, offering residents a chance to look forward and embrace creativity. It's so much important for the nowadays!   This spirit of creativity — developing new ideas and sharing imagination without fear or doubt—holds lessons for many corporations. By embracing this mindset, companies can unlock hidden talents within their teams and combat inertia. In today's VUCA world, channeling resources in this direction can significantly elevate a company's X-factor, positioning it for strong leadership in the long term perspective. https://lnkd.in/eZgCzHfz #creativity

From the Business Conference stage to the bustling halls of the Future Festival, here are some of the highlights from an exciting, illuminating Day 2 of #RakutenOptimism 2024.

#throwback from 4 years ago. Our CEO @Kristin shares: 💬 "@Manuela Hartel (digital artist) @elizabeth carr (curator of the Kunsträume am See) and @gunter pretzel (Munich Philharmonics) had conceptualized this artsy concept - and we at @overw8 got to support them with the festival look and feel as well as yes, posters. The whole affair was super artsy, quirky, clairvoyant even a bit. Why? Because "BeyderZeit" meant a reference towards the Baroque and the topics inbetween human vanity vs. us all having to die at some point. The pandemic was just about to begin when the festival took place, all of us having no freaking idea what was ahead of us. This is one thing we love about being able to work with creative brilliant people like these... it gives you a truly different perspective and they might be sensing something that is in the air. So, for me, this poster, this layout of ours, is a clear pre-pandemic milestone and I am really grateful we're off of that hook at least in the meanwhile." What is one of your "shortly before pandemic" milestones? ℹ There are quite some cool features around that branding, check it out here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/d8JHinF3 #reflect #adapt #agile

If you are planning your conference and events schedule for the year ahead, don't forget to SAVE THE DATE May 7-9 this years Festival of Organization Design in The Twin Cities. https://lnkd.in/efHCp3As Watch this space, because details about the sessions are coming soon for this year's theme: Where big ideas meet real-life applications If you joined the 2023 Festival of Organization Design, let people know why they should add this conference to their 2024 schedule by sharing in the comments what you found most valuable.