The Forum d’Avignon – Culture, economy, media is a non-profit organization based in Paris, created in 2007. The think tank organizes every year since 2008 the international meetings of culture, the economy and the media which occurs in Avignon, south of France. Created after the ratification of the UNESCO’s Convention on cultural diversity, the Forum d'Avignon is the occasion of original international meetings between key players of culture and the economy, decision-makers from the public and the creation industries sectors providing an in-depth discussion of today’s stakes engendered by digital and globalization. It relies on experts' networks and universities.
The Forum d'Avignon is an ideas laboratory aiming at bringing together the cultural and economic sectors and propose new ideas and solutions at global, European and local levels. Task groups brings together international consultancy firms, professors, professionals and public decision-makers as well as the members of the Board and the Advisory board to elaborate studies on the economic aspect of culture as well as the social cohesion and the employment ones. They gather all along the year and prepare the works of the Forum d'Avignon and the studies presented in exclusivity during the event, each year in November.
The Forum d'Avignon launched in 2011 a dedicated space called "Culture is Future".[1] As an international webography of culture, the economy and the media, Culture is Future highlights innovations, articles, surveys, key figures pointing up the links between culture and the economy as well as portrayal of international personality. The articles presented are being classified under these following sections: Culture, financing, economic models ; Culture and attractiveness of the territories ; Culture and digital ; Culture and innovation.
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The Forum has been created from an intuition of Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in 2007. The questions treated during the Forum d’Avignon follow the ratification of the UNESCO’s Convention on cultural diversity. The first edition, in 2008, was held under the auspices of the French Presidency of the European Union.[2] Its overall thematic was “Culture, factor of growth”.[3][4][5][6][7] In 2009, the chosen theme “the cultural strategies for a new world”[8][9][10][11][12] », was declined in three sessions: creation and innovation,[13][14][15] attractiveness of the territories[16][17][18][19] and the tax strategies for culture.[20][21]
For the 2010 edition, the think tank published new studies on an overall theme: "More accessibility, new usage in a digital era: culture for everyone?". It has also fostered debates on the following themes: "from free to pay", "the digital book: toward a value-creating model?", "media and telecommunications: how will the digital companies of the future be created?".
In 2011, the Forum d'Avignon organizes from 17 to 19 November the fourth edition of the international meetings of culture, the economy and the media around the theme "investing in culture". The think-tank of the Forum d'Avignon will publish in November four studies: "Intellectual property, a universal value?" in partnership with Ernst&Young, "Culture, a long term investment", in partnership with Kurt Salmon, Charles Landry and Tera Consultant, "Referecing, prescription of cultural contents of the Internet", in partnership with l'Atelier BNP-Paribas and "the cultural experience reinvented: creating links thanks to connected devices and services" in partnership with Bain&Co.
Every year, in November, the association organizes a forum that gathers international public key players, academics, students, artists, philosophers and CEOs. Each year, a new theme is put forward. Then, thematic are chosen to create reflections on the links between culture and economy, and place of the media in these. To back this meeting, the association realizes, since 2009, specific studies, along with international consulting firms.[22]
The board, chaired by Nicolas Seydoux has, since the creation in 2008, 15 members: Hervé Digne,[23] Vice President of the Forum d’Avignon, President and founder of Postmedia Finances, Axel Ganz, Vice President of the Forum d’Avignon, Jean-Jacques Annaud, film director, Patricia Barbizet, Managing director of the Financière Pinault, Laurent Benzoni, professor, Emmanuel Chain, Producer and President of Elephant et Cie, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, initiator of the Forum d’Avignon, former minister of Culture and communication, Laurence Franceschini, Director for Media Development, Emmanuel Hoog, President of the AFP (Agence France Presse), Alain Kouck, President of Editis Holding, Véronique Morali, President of FIMALAC Développement, founder of the website Terra Femina, Pascal Rogard, Managing director of the Society of Authors and Composers(SACD). The general manager is Laure Kaltenbach and Alexandre Joux is manager at the Forum d’Avignon.
Created in June 2010, the Advisory Board of the Forum d’Avignon, chaired by Christian de Boissieu, is in charge of identifying themes to be discussed and considering in an original way the topics tackled, the preparation of the debates and the studies realized for the Forum. The experts of the Advisory Board reflect the diversity of approaches and ideas characterizing these international meetings of culture, economy and the Media. The members of the Advisory Board are : Christine Albanel, former Minister of Culture and Communication, Executive Vice President, Communication, Philanthropy, Content Strategy of France telecom – Orange (France) ; Arjun Appadurai, anthropologist of globalization (USA-India); Philippe Bélaval, managing director of Heritages, Minister of Culture and communication (France) ; Irène Braam, director government affairs,Bertelsmann ; Elie Cohen, Research Director at France's national scientific research center (CNRS) and member of the Conseil d’Analyse Economique (France) ; Carlo d’Asaro Biondo, VP Google, President Operations Southern Eastern Europe, Middle East Africa ; Sylvie Forbin, foreign affairs advisor, institutional and European affairs executive Director of Vivendi (France) ; Amit Khanna, PDG Reliance entertainment (India) ; Carolina Lorenzon, International Affairs Director, Mediaset : Thomas Paris, researcher at the CNRS, HEC and Ecole Polytechnique (France) ; Pierre Sellal, general secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (France) ; Celestino Spada, producer; chief editor of the review Economia della Cultura (Italy) ; Ezra Suleiman, professor of political sciences – Princeton (USA –France – Irak) ; Kjetil Tredal Thorsen, architect (Norway)..
The Forum d’Avignon is backed by public partners (Minister of Culture (France)) and private partners (media and communication groups, banks, carriers).
All of the publications are freely available online, in both English and French.
– Publishing in a digital era – by Bain & Co (2010)
Will e-readers and tablets change the book ecosystem forever? Bain & Company surveyed 3000 consumers in three continents to assess the impact of new digital platforms on reading behavior. The results suggest that more than 20% of book sales could be digital by 2015 in select markets, capturing up to 25% of the overall value pool. The impact is significant along the entire value chain, challenging historical pricing policies, as well as relationships between retailers, publishers and authors.
– Monetizing digital media – Creating value consumers will buy – by Ernst and Young (2010)
Technology has fundamentally changed how and where consumers access content, fragmenting audiences and revenue streams. M&E companies have to learn how to defragment consumer relationships to reconnect with audiences. While the online payment is growing, the free Internet myth is well ingrained. M&E companies are searching new ways to monetize online products and services. They are developing multiple paid content strategies that focus on value for consumer. Micropayment is reemerging as a monetization strategy amid increasing pressure to unbundle content and price it in a way to maximize incremental consumption and minimize the canabilsation of existing revenue streams.But how to make micropayment work in media and culture industries? Ernst & Young survey of the consumption habits in 12 countries (Germany, Brazil, China, South Korea, Spain, USA, France, India, Italy, Japan, UK and Russia) and interviews with economists and C-Suite executives from leading media companies.
– International benchmark of cultural tax policies by Ernst and Young (2009) and 2010 up-date
The benchmark realized by Ernst & Young for the Forum d’Avignon takes into account 14 countries and offers an international overview of the different tax systems in the field of culture, being : Heritage, press, publishing industry, cinema, media, life performing arts, plastic art ... This study is the first of its kind at an international level. Through cultural taxes or financial incentives, the use of tax policies is linked to polical strategies and choices, underlining the specificity of culture. Such strategies can focus on particular sectors or target all the firms of a given cultural activity. Tax incentives are materialized by reduced tax contributions in favor of cultural investors and decision makers (it can be understood as tax expenses for the State). Cultural taxes create a profit that is often allocated in a redistributive way.
– The impact of digital technologies on the cultural world – by the Atelier BNP Paribas (2010)
The Atelier BNP-Paribas presents an overview of the first decade of the 21st century analyzing the « main trends » and « first hints of the new trends » allowing a comprehending of the new behaviors. Perspectives for the economy of culture are drawn, notably through case studies. How is the market of cultural ‘apps’ structuring itself? What are the disruptive behaviors? Group purchasing, participation in brands 'activities, choosing a brand according to its values, getting an overview before buying online, co-opting and advising, protecting one’s personal details, make one’s own promotion, … What is a disruptive economic strategy? Distribution’s models, access to offers, ‘multichannel’ and group offers, articulation between long term and short term… How do they influence the field of Culture and its economy?
– Getting out of the recession : a new innovation model for the cultural economy? by Bain & Co (2009)
Why do we need innovation? Why is it so vital to our economies? Can innovation help us look forward, in the aftermath of today’s economic crisis? Can we innovate without making growth our sole focus for progress? Who are today’s innovators? How can our society define and measure the effects of innovation? Innovation is inherent to progress.
– Second edition of the Barometer on the cultural attractiveness of territories – Culture and economic performance: what strategies for sustainable employment and urban development planning? by Ineum Consulting (2010)
The Ineum Consulting/Kurt Salmon 2010 study for the Forum of Avignon analyzes the interrelation between culture and the economic performance of territories. The analysis of a 47 cities from all around the world panel confirms the economic importance of the cultural sector (3.4% of the panel’s employment), and suggests that territories focusing on culture have a lower and decreasing unemployment rate. The selection of the fields of activity and the cross- sectoral cooperation are two key factors in the success of cultural strategies. The availability of trainings and education in culture constitutes a competitive asset as well; it is however not sufficient to ensure local employability.
– Barometer 2009 : Culture, as an economic or symbolic stake in the perspective of an improvement of territories appeal by Ineum Consulting/Kurt Salmon (2009)
The INEUM Consulting study for the Forum d’Avignon proposes for the first time a barometer of the cultural appeal of the territories. It highlights the correlation between the cultural and academic intensity and their economic performance. 32 cities have been studied, representing the five continents. More over, case studies propose a detailed analysis of the development strategies of Abu Dhabi, Nancy, Brussel, Montreal and Bilbao.
– Acts of the Forum d’Avignon 2009: « The cultural strategies for a new world » (Gallimard Editions with drawings of Plantu)
– To be published : Acts 2010 "More accessibility, new usage in a digital era : culture for everyone?" (with drawings of Plantu)
– Forum d'Avignon 2010 – Acknowledgments, Speeches and interventions of Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication (France), Neelie Kroes, Vice Président of the European Commission and European Commissioner in charge of the Digital Strategy, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner in charge of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth,...
– The French individuals and digital culture – Poll BVA-Orange (2010)
On the occasion of the third edition of the Forum d’Avignon around the theme « More accessibility, new usage in a digital era: culture for everyone? », the polling institute BVA realized an exclusive poll for Orange and the Forum d’Avignon. Six questions related to the topics at the center of the reflections of the Forum have been posed to a panel of 1117 persons representative of the French population over 15. Available online.
Some examples:
– 74% of the French think that the new technologies of information and communication fostered the access to culture
– The youth, the less qualified and the less privileged particularly benefited from the Internet, as a tool which clearly promoted a better access to culture. Thus the part of individuals considering that the Internet positively increased the access to culture reaches 82% of the people under 25, 81% of the non qualified persons and 87% of those earning less than 1 500 €/month.
– The French seem to be ready to spend money for two types of contents: films (27%) and music (26%) – these two types of contents being the two more affected by illegal downloads.