8 reasons not to miss the 4th European Creativity Festival
The 4th European Creativity Festival is a unique opportunity to reshape the way you think. Intimate and diverse, it’s curated by dynamic thinker Kris Hoet, and combines the best of European creativity – from advertising to design, from culture to process, all aspects of the industry are covered.
Here we’ve picked out some of the top reasons to attend below.
Barcelona
A trip to Barcelona is always a treat. The Festival takes place at the Disseny Hub, located in the Poblenou area of the city, which is renowned for its cafés, bars and live music scene. An icon of avant-garde architecture, the Hub has a mission to invigorate the design sector in Barcelona. Sounds like the perfect location!
A new concept
This year’s Festival will be centred on the theme of ‘Imagineering Creative Intelligence’. It’s a challenging concept, but one that is increasingly relevant. As we move beyond technological limits, the Festival speakersand workshops will ask us to evolve our relationship with tech. As Festival curator Kris Hoet explains, “Today we can make pretty much anything with technology. So the real challenge is not so much about making it, the real challenge is coming up with ideas.”
Talks
When we asked our speakers what they were most excited about, they chose Festival curator Kris Hoet’s talk — “He’s fascinating for his ability to combine business thinking with technological innovation” said fellow speaker Tom de Bruyne. Wildbytes’ Julio Obelleiro also chose Steve Vranakis, ECD of Google Creative Lab, who will inspire us to be creative activists. Meanwhile Helge Tennø promises to help your strategic thinking, Fernanda Romano will give her take on the hot topic of AI and Luna Maurer looks at the social effects of technology. The welcome speech will be given by ADCE President Ami Hasan, who will highlight major issues that face the industry, including transparency and technological apathy. We just hope your brain can cope!
Workshops
Nothing beats the feeling of getting hands-on, and the Festival workshops provide ample opportunities to do just that. You’ll work in close quarters with world-class facilitators, and make new friends in group work sessions.
There’s a huge variety of workshops to join, whether you’re interested in data, ideation or communication. Choose a topic you’re know, or challenge yourself with something completely new.
Exhibitions and screenings
Fans of art and illustration will be excited about SELF. Curated by Angelo Palma and Max Porta, the show will explore the implications of the selfie era through self-portraits. The line-up of artists on display spans the globe, from Jamaica to Portugal, India to Brazil and the opening will feature a live demonstration by London based artist Patrick Tresset of human portraits drawn by robotic agents.
Meanwhile the Dear Data exhibition will allow you to get up-close to Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec’s hand-drawn postcards, depicting the data of their daily lives. Having gone viral online, seeing their data-viz dialogue in print will be a treat.
Designers will be in for more delight with the Spanish premiere of Graphic Means, a major new documentary charting the evolution of graphic design production.
Awards Winners
You’ll be the very first to know who has won at the ADCE Awards 2017. Representing the best of the best from across the continent, it’s a unique collection of work. Discover the campaigns that passed you by, watch the blockbusters on a big screen, and meet the teams behind them.
Parties
Featuring live music, drinks, and a special keynote by Afghan artist Moshtari Hilal, the opening of the SELF exhibition on Day 2 of the Festival will also be a great opportunity to compare notes on the day’s talks.
The closing party has all the ingredients for a good time: drinks, music and food. The celebration takes place at the legendary El Molino venue, often referred to as Barcelona’s equivalent of the Moulin Rouge. The highlight of the evening will be the announcement of the most important recognition of the ADCE Awards: the Grand Prix 2017.
Change your environment
Emphasis at the Festival is on empowerment. It’s been designed so that you can take away tangible ways to improve your working practices. As Kris Hoet explains “We’re creating a place where people can learn from each other; to see how other people can influence you is something we believe in. Most importantly, when visitors get back to their workplace they’ll be able to change the very nature of their ideas.”