PRESENTATION

The relation between economy and culture is not new. Having overcome the initial phases of the economy at the service of culture, subsequently supplemented by an outlook by which culture was placed at the service of economic development, today the relation between culture and economy must be based on a more complex analysis which goes beyond these two visions while encompassing them at the same time. The approach of the International Conference on Economy and Culture is based on the idea that economy and culture are two realities with many and steadily increasing and enriching intersections. In a society in which intangibles and persons are acquiring ever greater significance, the distance between the world of the economy and of enterprises, on the one hand, and of culture, on the other, is diminishing.

The main purpose of the International Conference on Economy and Culture is to project the importance of culture, cultural creation and culture enterprises in the advanced societies. The Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Barcelona, within the frame of its task of defending the general interest of the corporate fabric, wishes to contribute significantly to convincing society of the fact that culture is a strategic sector of the future.

The International Conference on Economy and Culture is structured along five lines of discussion. Prominent figures from the corporate, academic and institutional spheres will be discussing issues which affect transversally the enterprises of the culture sector, regardless of their field of action.

1. The culture, wealth and welfare of nations. The weight of culture in the economy. Culture’s weight in the economy, overall and by sectors, public and private. The inter-relationship among culture, creativity, innovation and advanced economy. Intangible creation of prototypes versus series production processes. The symbolic perspective.

2. Culture and the new economy: creative enterprises and innovation. The value of intangibles. Value parameters. Human capital and competitiveness. Efficiency filters in the market versus filters inside the cultural community. The opportunities of the new economy in the digital age. The agility of the corporate organisation. The futures market of cultural contents. The presence of cultural creators in the spheres of research and technological innovation. From creativity to the corporate project.

3. The balance of exchanges in the distribution of culture: equilibriums and dependencies. Twofold concept of capitality, in import and export of products and in innovation. The dominant role of global distributors. Synergies in the territorial localisation of creative activity. Consumption and export capacity. The strength of the local markets as bases of production centres. The star systems and social acknowledgement. Consumer training.

4. The economy of rights, protection and unprotection in the CITs and globalisation. Competition and complementarity between creators and publishers. The difference between installed and innovative, and between innovation and repetition. The new creators and their channels. Grey areas of research and learning. The new chains of production, distribution and commercialisation, and their accessibility.

5. A new frame for the financing of culture. The role of patronage, sponsorship and corporate social responsibility. Experiences of public and private financing and of taxation support models. The transformation of the subvention model into the sustainable financing model through efficiency incentivising mechanisms and the generation of new resources.

Within the frame of the International Conference on Economy and Culture, organised by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, successful corporate experiences in the field of creativity and the cultural industries will be presented.