Zollverein Foundation takes the CultureInvest! Congress to the city of Essen in 2019

ESSEN, Germany - Feb. 22, 2019 - PRLog -- Berlin/Essen. "Aufbruch nach Europa! Transform the Culture" is the motto of the 11th CultureInvest! Congress taking place from November 7 to 8, 2019 on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein. Zollverein Foundation has succeeded in bringing Europe's largest cultural congress to the city of Essen with the presentation of the European Cultural Brand Award. This is possible with the kind support of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Under the patronage of Dr. Stephan Holfhoff-Pförtner, Minister of Federal, European and International Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, 100 renowned initiators from the fields of politics, business, culture and the media will present the latest trends in the european cultural market in 12 themed forums and develop future visions for cultural brands with 750 participants expected from all over Europe. The Zollverein colliery, built in the Bauhaus style with its famous double trestle winding tower, is considered to be the "most beautiful colliery in the world", the lighthouse and landmark of the metropolitan Ruhr region. The monument, the only world heritage site in Germany that is not only being preserved but also converted into a tourist attraction and economic hub, offers an impressive setting for the Congress, which will be dedicated to the transformation process of the industrial society into a creative service society in 2019.
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Since 2009, the CultureInvest! Congress has successfully been bringing together personalities from the worlds of culture, business and politics from all over Europe. It has generated a strong international reputation in the European cultural market with the conferring of the European Culture Brand Awards, the most advanced cultural prize in Europe. This innovative think tank presents projects of artistic excellence, discusses innovative, in particular European topics of cultural management, marketing and investments, and provides important stimuli for cultural institutions and cultural investments in Europe through the internationally acclaimed two-day debate on culture, business, media and the public sector.

Twelve themed forums with keynote lectures, specialist lectures, practical examples and discussion panels form the framework of the proven congress architecture in six eventlocations on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein. These include trend-setting topics such as Europe, transformation, migration, digitalisation, culture financing, cultural sponsoring, cultural education, industrial culture, creative industries, cultural tourism as well as brand staging and brand management of cultural projects. There will be exclusive guided tours for congress participants across the Zollverein site and the Ruhr Museum, as well as the ceremony for the 14th European Cultural Brand Awards at the "Night of Cultural Brands" on November 7, offering an attractive fringe programme.

The world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein is an icon of the hard coal mining age, tourist attraction and as a young, growing power generator of the creative industry and thus indeed a highly suitable venue for the 11th CultureInvest! Congress. With the exit of the coal industry and the closure of the last hard coal mine Prosper Haniel in 2018, the age of coal and an important period of European history are drawing to a close. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein is resolutely facing up to the transformation process that has been going on for decades and in recent years has evolved into an educational campus and a growing cultural and economic centre. The settlement of artists, museums and companies from the creative industries as well as the new building of the Folkwang University of the Arts with the Design Department are components of the Zollverein master plan and the associated principle of "Preservation through Conversion". With around 1.5 million visitors per year, Zollverein is one of the best-visited cultural tourism destinations in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The CultureInvest! Congress 2019 is funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition, 50 other partners support the unique congress format: These include E.ON, SAP, RSM, Bayer, innogy Stiftung für Energie und Gesellschaft gGmbH, Mihai, Meyer Architekten, Bundesvereinigung City- und Stadtmarketing e.V., Deutsche Welle, ARTE Magazin, Securitas SE, Ruhrtourismus GmbH, ecce and EVENTIM. The congress is presented by the Zollverein Foundation and curated by Causales - Society for Cultural Marketing and Sponsoring, which is also the initiator and organizer of the event.