As part of the ongoing international project Parks4All, the first educational program, Event Lab: Open-Air Event Management for Cultural Managers and Producers, has been completed. This program consisted of four days of lectures and workshops for young professionals, focusing on cultural engagement in public spaces, participatory planning, ecological principles, and production management.
This was also the first module of the project, organized by the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Foundation, one of the project partners. The program took place in the District last week and was attended by around 20 young event managers and cultural professionals aged 18 to 30, selected through an open call.
„The Event Lab program featured highly experienced lecturers who shared their expertise in organizing open-air festivals in an interactive and practical way. Among the lecturers were Martin and Eva Tomko, producers and marketing managers from Germany and Poland, who spent five years working on the Garbitz Festival in Poland. Additionally, our colleague Sanja Popov Leban from Slovenia shared her experience organizing the Sajeta Festival, which takes place annually in the beautiful natural setting along the Soča River. Representing the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Foundation, artistic director Monika Ponjavić Bilbija shared her experience in organizing the Kaleidoscope of Culture,“ said Milica Rašković from the Foundation.
Event Lab is an educational platform that combines theoretical and practical learning through four training modules in four different cities, led by top experts in event management and cultural production. The program aims to provide young professionals with comprehensive education and hands-on experience by working on four innovative festivals in 2025 and 2026.
„I am very pleased with the program because it covers all the essential topics related to event management and festival and open-air event management in general. All the lectures were excellent, and we had the opportunity to learn new things that will help us develop our careers and work in these fields,“ said Milica Lazović, one of the participants.
This innovative program, funded through the Interreg-IPA CBC Hungary-Serbia program, offers participants the opportunity to gain knowledge, practical experience, and professional connections in the dynamic field of open-air event management.
„I expected the training to be great, but I was further impressed by the professionalism and well-structured program. I especially appreciate the invited lecturers. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on the social aspects of festivals and the involvement of local communities in festival events,“ said Karolj Njari, another participant.
The next module, Module 2: Risk Management and Artistic Programming, will also take place in Serbia, in Kanjiža, at the beginning of April. The third and fourth modules, Module 3: Communication and Marketing of Open-Air Events and Module 4: Event Implementation and Evaluation, will be held in Hungary at the end of April and early May this year.
The general goal of the Parks4All project, coordinated by the Cinema City Association from Novi Sad, is to strengthen cooperation and capacity-building between the Hungarian and Serbian contemporary cultural and creative sectors. The project aims to create a sustainable tourism offer by enhancing professional competencies and artistic production among 36 young cultural managers and artists, particularly those from vulnerable groups, through a series of 19 innovative and inclusive public space events during the educational program.
Project partners include the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Foundation, the Youth and Cultural Association Wemsical Serbia, the Catholic Youth Foundation, and DDTG Duna Fejlesztő Transznacionális Csoport.
