*Please be aware that the programme is currently under development and will be subject to changes in the near future.
Day 1 – Makers & Practice
8 May | Pakhuis de Zwijger | Amsterdam
Walk-in | 12:30 – 13:00*
Opening | 13:00 – 13:15
Designsprint 1-3 | 13:15-18:00
Drinks & bites | 18:00 – 19:00
The first day focuses on the experiences and realities of cultural workers and makers, while building on familiair fair practice initiatives and frameworks across Europe. After the joint Europe Day opening programme, participants begin the Fair Practice Design Sprint, exploring how established fair practice frameworks can be strengthened and applied across Europe. We warmly welcome everyone within the European cultural ecosystem – from artists and institutions to policymakers, funders, networks and researchers.
The Design sprint will start with our expert panel: Ned Kaar, Barbara Revelli & Joost Heinsius.
Ned Kaar is an interdisciplinary designer from Ireland, based in the Netherlands. His practice explores the processes of stacking, categorisation, and disassembly as ways to question how value is constructed and assigned. Alongside his design work, he is Alumni Coordinator and housing officer at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Ned represents the perspective of makers and design education, reflecting on the tension between artistic autonomy and market forces within creative practices.
Barbara Revelli is Head of Programs at ELIA. She develops and leads international initiatives that strengthen skills ecosystems and foster collaboration between higher education, the cultural sector, and policymakers. Her work focuses on supporting digital and green transformations and exploring how creative skills can remain relevant and adaptable. She plays a key role in the CYANOTYPES project, led by David Crombie, which examines alternative forms of value creating, collective practices and new frameworks for sustaining artistic work beyond purely financial models.
Joost Heinsius is a senior expert on working conditions in the cultural and creative sector. He was a member of the European Commission working group of the 27 Member States, which produced a comprehensive report on improving working conditions across the sector. Within the EU project CreativeFLIP, he leads the workpackage on working conditions, focusing on fair pay and sustainable careers. He brings a policy-driven perspective on turning fair practice into concrete implementation.
Value Mapping – Design sprint 1 | 13:15 – 15:15
Participants reflect on the core values that underpin known fair practice initiatives in Europe and identify where these values are not yet realised in practice, particularly in cross-border collaboration. Individually and in groups, they reflect on which principles are non-negotiable in their practice and how these are already addressed in national or European frameworks.
Small break | 15:15-15:30
Dilemmas – Design sprint 2 | 15:30-16:30
Groups examine real-world tensions in cultural labour. Cases where freedom and flexibility can lead to unfair remuneration and security can lead to restrictions on freedom within the sector. Input from participants will be analysed to reveal where values, interests and systems or policies clash.
Small break | 16:30-16:45
Interventions – Design sprint 3 | 16:45-18:00
participants design concrete improvements or adaptations to existing tools and mechanisms that could be implemented in practice immediately. This may involve adapting proven instruments such as transparency agreements, minimum conditions for cooperation, contractual clauses or sector guidelines.
The day ends with a brief presentation of the proposed interventions. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for informal networking during drinks.
*Please note that lunch is not included on the first day, as the program starts at 13:00 and includes two short breaks.
Day 2 – Advocacy & Systems
9 May | DOMO | Amsterdam
CAE member-only session | 10:00 – 12:00
Designsprint 4 -5 | 12:00-15:30
Drinks | 15:30 – 16:00
The second day shifts the focus from practice to systems and policy. Insights and interventions developed on the first day serve as the starting point for strengthening known European frameworks and initiatives.
Following a recap of day one, participants continue the design sprint in newly mixed groups. Topics during day 2:
Ecosystem & Power Design sprint 4 | 12:00 – 13:30
Participants analyse the structures of influence within the European cultural ecosystem. Through a visual mapping exercise, they identify where decision-making power lies – from EU institutions and national governments to funding bodies, cultural organisations and networks – and where leverage or blockages for fair practice exist.
Lunch break | 13:30-14:00**
Policy Prototyping – Design sprint 5 | 14:00-15:30
Translating practical experiences into concrete policy proposals for the European level. Each group develops a short proposal outlining the problem and how established European instruments could be strengthened or adapted. The aim is to transform lived experience into actionable policy input for the cultural sector and European institutions.
At the end of the sprint, participants present their proposals and collectively prioritise the most urgent ideas. These outcomes will feed into a BEYOND reference publication, contributing to ongoing discussions on fair practice and cultural labour in Europe. The sprint builds on current initiatives in the sector and aims to translate practical experience into concrete improvements to current European frameworks.
**Lunch on the second day is included in the programme, and the event concludes with an informal networking drink. The lunch is vegetarian, and vegan friendly.
Further details, such as the exact schedule for the day and the speakers, will be announced shortly.