European Cultural Capitals

European Cultural Capitals New! European Cultural Capital Report

Volume 2

In collaboration with Robert Palmer and his team at Palmer/Rae Associates, TRAM is engaged in a wide range of research and advice work related to the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) event.

Robert Palmer is widely acknowledged as the leading expert in the field of European Cultural Capitals, having directed two previous events: Glasgow in 1990 and Brussels in 2000. Robert has also advised the European Commission and many of the cities on the design and implementation of the ECOC programme. Robert directed the evaluation of the ECOC between 1995 and 2004 for the European Commission and was special adviser to an 18 month process of evaluation of 12 cities in the UK, and selection of Liverpool as ECOC for 2008..

Greg Richards has been engaged in researching and analysing the ECOC event since 1999, producing reports on the ECOCs in Rotterdam and Porto (2001) and Salamanca (2002) as well as contributing to the 2004 report to the European Commission. In 2007 he completed the evaluations for both of the ECOCs in that year - Luxemburg and Sibiu (Romania). You can download a copy of the Luxemburg European Capital of Culture 2007 report here. The final report for Sibiu European Capital of Culture 2007 can be ordered from the ATLAS bookshop. He also acted as an International Jury member for the selection of the Hungarian Capital of Culture for 2010.

At present Palmer/Rae and Tram are working with Luxembourg (2007), Sibiu (2007), Liverpool (2008) and Stavanger (2008) and a number of future aspiring cities. We are always happy to talk to cities and regions about their plans for the ECOC or other major cultural events. Please contact Greg Richards in Barcelona for more information.

As part of this ongoing work, they have now produced the European Cultural Capital Report, which updates and expands the work carried out by Palmer/Rae in 2004. The second volume of the report is now available from the ATLAS bookshop.

The European Cultural Capital event (ECOC) is arguably one of the most successful EU cultural programmes, attracting increasing interest from policy makers, academics and the media every year. As more and more cities are involved in competing for the ECOC title, there is also a growing need for information about and evaluation of the event and the host cities.

The European Cultural Capital Report aims to update the wealth of information contained in the original ECOC evaluation report produced by Robert Palmer, Greg Richards and other experts for the European Commission. In doing so, it aims to provide essential information for those organising, implementing and evaluating the ECOC.

This report seeks to cover the many different aspects of the event, including its cultural, economic, organisational, political and social implications. It provides an independent analysis of the ECOC, identifying trends and best practice which can help those involved with this and other major cultural events to take better informed decisions. By extending and enriching the data collected for the Palmer Report, this publication will provide new insights into the workings and function of the ECOC.

Regular updates will be produced which will keep a finger on the pulse of the ECOC and its stakeholders, providing timely and relevant information. Each edition of the ECOC Report will concentrate on different themes related to the ECOC, as well as featuring case studies of different cities or different aspects of management and organisation. This first issue concentrates on profiling the host cities in general and identifying trends in economic issues. In forthcoming issues, the spotlight will be turned on other issues, such as organisational issues, marketing, economic impact studies and tourism flows.

This publication should be of interest to all those involved in the planning, organisation, analysis and assessment of the ECOC, as well as cultural events in general.

Main Contents, volume 1 (October 2007):

Introduction
Methods
Programme trends
- Seasonal programmes
- Multi-annual programmes
- The European Dimension
Selection Procedures
The Host and Candidate Cities
- Regional partnerships
Economic Impacts
- Operating costs
- Capital costs
- The budget
- The cultural programme
- Marketing
- Infrastructure
- Cultural spending
- Tourism impacts
- Business and employment impacts
- Legacy of the ECOC
- Critical success factors
- Shortcomings
- Overall assessment
- How does Lille 2004 compare with other ECOCs?
- Sources
Building for the future: the Legacy of the ECOC
Bibliography

Main Contents, Volume 2 (January 2009):

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Introduction	
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Methods									
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News, trends and developments					
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2008: Liverpool and Stavanger
2009: Linz and Vilnius
2010: Pécs – too little too late?
2010: Istanbul – new models for management?
2010: Essen for the Ruhr?
Future candidate cities
Programming trends
Regions as Cultural Capitals

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The new ECOC selection process						
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Media coverage and marketing						
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ECOC Legacies 								
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2005 – 2006: The lost years?

Sibiu – building pride in the city

Case Study - Impact of Luxemburg and Greater Region 2007				
Aims and objectives
The budget
The cultural programme
Marketing and communications
Infrastructure
Cultural spending
Tourism impacts
Business and employment impacts
Legacy of the ECOC 
Comparing 1995 and 2007
Critical success factors
Shortcomings
Overall assessment and lessons for other cities from Luxemburg 2007
Sources

Cultural capital clones - the Arab Capital of Culture

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Bibliography									
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The authors:

Robert Palmer is an independent cultural adviser who works regularly on international projects and assignments. He has worked in the cultural sector for more than 20 years, and has advised the European Commission, Council of Europe and 10 different European Cultural Institutes on cultural matters. In 2004 he directed the evaluation team which produced the Palmer Report on the European Capitals of Culture for the European Commission. His experience as the Director of two Capitals of Culture - Glasgow in 1990 and Brussels in 2000 - made him uniquely qualified for the job.

Greg Richards is a consultant with Tourism Research and Marketing (Barcelona) and a Reader at the Centre for Tourism, Leisure and Society in Bristol. He has been involved in researching and evaluating the ECOC programme for the past eight years. He has conducted surveys during a number of ECOC events, including Rotterdam (2001), Porto (2001), Salamanca (2002) and Sibiu (2007). He also organised an international cultural event as a project in the Sibiu ECOC. He has also published widely on the impacts of the ECOC and was a member of the Palmer Report team in 2004. In 2005 he was appointed to the international jury for the selection of the 2010 ECOC in Hungary.

Order your copy of the European Cultural Capital Report from ATLAS

European Cultural Capital Report, Issue 2

Robert Palmer and Greg Richards
Arnhem, ATLAS, 85 pp.
January 2009
Price: 60 Euro
Price: 45 Euro - ATLAS members

(Discounts available for purchasers of both volumes)

ATLAS

info@atlas-euro.org
Tel: +31-26-4452699
Fax: +31-26-4452932
ATLAS shop

For more information on Cultural Capital research, contact:

Greg Richards, TRAM Barcelona

greg@tram-research.com
Tel: +34-932174826