Barcelona Knits is a Yarn Festival that has taken place in Barcelona since 2018. The 2020 edition had to be reinvented and converted into an online event.
Barcelona Knits is a Yarn Festival that has taken place in Barcelona since 2018. The festival was born with the premise of bringing together artisanal wool dyers from all over Spain and Europe in one place for a weekend. Also, during the same weekend workshops were given on different techniques related to weaving and the world of wool.
The 2020 edition had to be reinvented and converted into an online event without losing the essence of the project. Considering the current health crisis, the sector needed the support of the festival. The current situation is unleashing an economic crisis and small brands will be the most affected. For this reason, all the brands that had subscribed to the event were promoted for free. The consumers also benefited from the event since many of the exhibitors created special promotions during the event.
A website with the profile of all the exhibitors as well as a YouTube channel with videos of all the brands was created. Live shows were broadcasted on YouTube and national and international workshops were held via zoom. During the live shows, the public could interact from their homes. The event was promoted on Instagram under #barcelonaknits2020.
Resources needed
The organizational team: 4 members.
Contributions of 9 sponsors and a private contribution of 3,200 euros to cover the support and services of experts in the fields of social networks, translation, video makers, graphic designers, etc.
Evidence of success
3000 viewings on YouTube, more than 6000 website visitors (during the weekend of the fair) , more than 1000 publications under #barcelonaknits and 265 students from all over the world attended the online workshops.
Difficulties encountered
Fear of losing the experience of a physical fair and have less visitors and feedback of the participants. But the contrary happened: great interaction, broader audience. This online edition has made the organizers rethink the project and consider new possibilities.
Potential for learning or transfer
It has been the commitment of the 4 organizers, all lovers of the trade, which has allowed a rapid adaptation to the situation of the pandemic. They have followed a protocol that has helped them to adapt and not only seek the digital public, but also move the entire physical public from previous editions to the digital format, therefore the challenge was twofold. It is an example of how without being experts in the digital field or having great media with passion, flexibility and creativity, very good results can be achieved, it is no coincidence that these three traits are very present in the crafts sector.
Another strong point of the project is how they have detected and implemented in their event digital and online tools that already exist, such as social networks or streaming services that they have undoubtedly used very well.
A clear example of how important attitude is to achieve your goals.
This experience could serve other similar events.
Tags: Creative, Cultural, Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Manufacturing, Networks, Retail, Textile
