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Next Stage Capacity-Building Workshop: Advancing Sustainability, Inclusion & Digital Transformation
Next Stage Initiative
This March, we hosted two enriching afternoons of Next Stage Capacity-Building workshops, offering our members dedicated spaces to explore three core themes shaping the future of the performing arts sector: sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation.
Each session brought together expert partners and cultural professionals from across Europe to share knowledge, exchange best practices, and engage in meaningful dialogue.
Workshop on Sustainability & Inclusion
On 16 March, we focused on two of the Next Stage Initiative’s central pillars: sustainability and inclusion & accessibility.
Sophie Brune and Isabella Dahm from the Aktionsnetzwerk Nachhaltigkeit (Action Network for Sustainability in Culture and Media) introduced participants to practical tools and methodologies for integrating sustainable practices into institutional operations and long-term planning, drawing on their extensive work supporting ecological transformation across the cultural and media sectors. Complementing this, Adam Kratochka and Leo Ciferri from BPI Learn led reflections on how opera and dance organisations can foster inclusive leadership and build more equitable environments. As a learning consulting company specialising in unlocking organisational and human potential, BPI collaborates with us to offer workshops that support lasting cultural change and strengthen inclusivity within the performing arts field.
Workshop on Digital Transformation
On 24 March, we gathered again for a session dedicated to digital transformation, led by our long-standing expert partner, the IMZ International Music + Media Centre.
The workshop was guided by Peter Maniura and Leonie Bartels from IMZ, a Vienna-based non-profit organisation founded under the aegis of UNESCO in 1961 to preserve the performing arts as a cultural asset.
IMZ’s mission is to promote the performing arts through audiovisual media, ensuring that music and dance performances remain accessible for future generations while supporting institutions in reaching and engaging broader audiences.
Participants explored how digital tools, media strategies, and innovative production approaches can strengthen artistic expression, audience development, and organisational resilience.
Across both workshop days, participants had the opportunity to reflect on current challenges, engage with peers, and gain practical insights to bring back to their organisations. These sessions reaffirm our commitment to equipping the performing arts community with the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to innovate and thrive.
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