Strategic Working Session | International Forum of Cultural Observatories

On the eve of the Bilbao International Forum of Cultural Observatories, ENCATC’s Working Group on Cultural Observatories and Measurement will join the speakers of the Forum and representatives of the Basque Observatory of Culture for a strategic working session dedicated to the future of cultural observatories.

The session will provide an informal space for peer exchange, discussion and mutual learning, bringing together diverse experiences and perspectives to explore how cultural observatories can respond to emerging challenges and evolving societal needs. Rather than revisiting the themes of the Forum, the discussion will take a forward-looking approach, considering what cultural observatories will need to understand, develop and do differently in the years ahead.

The conversation will focus on four key areas: 

• advancing the understanding and measurement of culture’s social and public value;
• developing a deeper understanding of audiences, participation, inequalities and changing cultural practices;
• exploring the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence brings to cultural observation;
• and identifying the emerging functions, capabilities and partnerships that observatories may need to develop over the next decade.

The session will be conducted in English and Spanish, ensuring that all participants can contribute comfortably in either language. It will conclude with a speakers’ dinner, offering a further opportunity to continue the exchange in an informal setting.