DEN Community Meet-up: Futuring

What can you expect? 

An interactive afternoon focused on sharing experiences. In presentations and interactive groups, you will compare your own practices with those of your colleagues. When did we jump on a new trend at the right time, and how did we do it? When did we miss the boat, and what were the consequences? It's precisely these honest stories — both the successful and the failed ones — that are most valuable. 

Looking ahead means looking back énd creatively anticipating what is to come. With this principle, we will explore together what the future means for your offerings, your audience, and your business model in ten years. You'll leave with new insights, a few concrete ideas, and some new contacts from the sector. 

In summary, during this meet-up, you will explore: 

• how to systematically track digital trends and signals without letting them overtake your daily work; 
• what the rise of a new, digitally-raised generation of visitors means for your organization; 
• how peer organizations are preparing for the long term — and what you can take away from them. 

Program 

The full program for this edition will follow soon. The format is familiar from the series: an afternoon with substantive presentations, interactive formats where you share experiences in small groups, and plenty of opportunities to meet each other. Sign up, and we'll keep you updated as soon as the program and speakers are announced. 

What is futuring? 

Futuring or exploring the future is the structured tracking of trends and signals and translating them into possible futures for your organization. You don't predict the future but prepare for multiple scenarios — so you can make choices today that will make you future-proof in ten years. 

Prepare with in-depth knowledge 

Want to get the most out of this Community Meet-up? Then, two weeks in advance, on September 24, attend the workshop Futuring: Ready for the Audience of the Future (opens in new tab). In this workshop, you will delve deeper into the theory behind exploring the future and position your organization within four DEN future scenarios for cultural organizations in 2035. You will visualize what these scenarios mean for your offerings, audience, and business model: which future is most desirable, are you prepared for other outcomes, and what do you need to do today to prepare? The workshop is not mandatory for participation. 

For whom? 

For everyone in the cultural sector who wants to prepare their organization for the visitor of tomorrow: directors, managers, marketers, audience researchers, program makers, and digital professionals. You don't need to be an expert in exploring the future — curiosity and a willingness to share your own experiences are enough. 

With whom? 

The DEN Community Meet-up is an initiative of DEN, the knowledge institute for culture & digital transformation. We bring professionals from the entire cultural sector together to exchange knowledge and experiences.