November 18th, 2022
Brussels, 18 November 2022
On 17 and 18 November, Pearle* - Live Performance Europe held its 64th conference in Paris. It was hosted by the French national federation of public and private employers in performing arts (FEPS) and chaired by Pearle*’s President Morten Gjelten.
With representatives coming from more than 20 European countries, the conference opened with a debate on sustainability policies for the cultural sector, moderated by journalist Saskia de Ville. Guests included the French Ministry of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, her Deputy director of cabinet, Karine Duquesnoy, MEP Emmanuel Maurel, Frédéric Hocquard, Deputy at the Mairie de Paris and President of FNCC (Fédération Nationale des Collectivités Territoriales pour la Culture), and Aline Sam-Giao, director of the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon and president of Les Forces Musicales.
While the 27th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change just opened this week in Sharm El-Sheikh, environmental sustainability was at the core of conference discussions. Morten Gjelten, President of Pearle* said:
“In the current economic context and with the growing concerns for the climate emergency, it is essential to meet with colleagues from across Europe to tackle together the challenges we are facing in the live performance sector. On the topic of environmental sustainability, Pearle* will soon launch a White Paper to present how our sector can best contribute to the EU Green Deal and international Climate goals.”
For two days, delegates of member organisations were also able to exchange on various topics such as the impact of new technologies, labour law, copyright, and taxation.
Pearle* also had the honour of welcoming Mr Toussaint Tiendrebeogo, Head of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Entity at UNESCO. In a second keynote address, Ms Ekaterina Travkina, coordinator of Culture, Creative Industries and Local at OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) provided some insights on how the creative sector can positively impact societies at local, national, and international levels.
During the conference, Pearle* members bid farewell to Mark Pemberton, former Chief Executive of the Association of British Orchestras. Two new members were welcomed: the Union of Independent Theatres in Poland (UTN) and Trans Europe Halles, the European network of cultural centres and venues.
***Ends***
Note to editors:
Pearle*- Live Performance Europe is a European federation representing through its members more than 10,000 theatres, theatre production companies, orchestras and music ensembles, opera houses, ballet and dance companies, festivals, concert halls, venues and technical suppliers and sole traders within the performing arts and music sector across Europe. The aim of this non-profit making organisation is the establishment of a stable environment by supporting sustainability and promotion of Live Performance across Europe.