Documentation

N.I.C.E. Exchange
N.I.C.E. AT THE FORUM D‘AVIGNON RUHR 2015
The format N.I.C.E. Exchange offered the N.I.C.E. Shortlist
candidates the opportunity of a pitch on which to
meet potential partners from the region. In addition
to the N.I.C.E. projects, 20 individuals enrolled for this
format including, among others, well known multipliers
from the Ruhr region such as the Creative Class Ruhr
Professional Association, the Fraunhofer UMSICHT/Innovative
Citizen, representatives of the institutions Stadt-
BauKultur NRW, KlimaExpo.NRW and the NRW KULTURsekretariat
as well as the innovative creative company
3D Druckzentrum Ruhr (3D Printing Centre Ruhr).
The aim of N.I.C.E. Exchange is to offer the nominees
an additional value as specific as possible to promote
their projects further. Since the projects were in different
phases of realisation – from prototypes like “Fontus and
Airo“ up to European-wide tested projects like “Climate
for Culture“ – it was a question of creating a mixture of
additional values: network partners, investors, providers
of ideas, promoters were in demand in great cultural,
creative and entrepreneurial diversity. Thus the nominees
were brought together for dialogues with the Exchange
participants on the basis of small groups in a world café
format – at each time always in front of the exhibit on
the easel which served to present the project.
After an exciting and concentrated three hours stock
was taken all of the participants were able to make a
note of their impressions on a presentation board in a
concluding feedback round. They concluded that it was
intensive in a very short time, too intensive for some
since the range of interests was so diverse. The nominees
would also have liked the Exchange participants to have
introduced themselves and stated their interests reciprocally.
In addition the participating parties expressed
a strong desire to extend the format and especially to
encourage the integration of potential local partners.
The flow of information has to be further increased and
coordinated with the expectations and needs of the
participants before the actual event. This shows that
although laboratories may be for a short period and
temporary, they still need several months of preparation
to transfer know-how and align interests.
The evening of the
N.I.C.E. Vernissage —
London, Paris, Milan,
Hamburg, Berlin in
Essen!
More than 150 inquisitive persons from the Ruhr region,
from all over Germany and from other European countries
filled up the Gallery ”Alte Mitte“ on the eve of the
Forum d’Avignon Ruhr. Many of the forum d’Avignon
Ruhr’s faithful visitors came from London, Paris, Milan
and also from Hamburg and Berlin, but there were also
new faces – the N.I.C.E. Exhibition celebrated a great
success with this number of visitors.
In his opening speech Prof Dieter Gorny constituted that
the N.I.C.E. Exhibition was a credit to the central “co-designers
of international cooperations and the drivers of
innovative approaches to action […] whereby others can
only discuss what could not be discussed without your
work” It is not only an exhibition, but an open platform
for dialogues and the dynamic people of our future, who
often receive too little attention in the classic media
such as TV and print. This evening of the N.I.C. E. Vernissage
was a meeting place for dynamic people of new
interfaces of culture, politics and economics to society.“
These designers of change have indeed clearly separate
interests, yet they are connected by the common
desire for social and open recognition of their work. This
evening, an important step was made in this direction.
Karl-Uwe Bütof, Head of Department for location
policy, services, clusters, foreign trade in the Ministry for
Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia visited the
vernissage and set an example with a statement in his
opening speech: “The obvious diversity in the projects
submitted as well as the nationalities of the applicants,
finalists and participants in the N.I. C.E. Award speak for
themselves in relation to the overlapping innovative spirit
of the sector. Our whole state profits from the network
character as symbolized by this award within the framework
of the Forum d’Avignon Ruhr.”
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