Good practice:

The Governing Association of Castilla-La Mancha Crafts Fair (FARCAMA)

The crafts sector deserves special consideration in the economy of Castilla-La Mancha, because its activity not only creates wealth, generates employment and fosters social cohesion, but also provides other added values: a cultural legacy to preserve. It is a sector that depends mainly on direct sales, with difficulties in accessing online marketing and with strong competition from low-cost products. The need to participate in trade fairs, to promote and help marketing through the internet and in other international are also aims of the association.
The initial purpose of the Association was the programming, organisation and development of the Castilla-La Mancha Crafts Fair.
Initially, the basic goal of the Association was the programming, organisation and development of the Castilla-La Mancha Crafts Fair. The objectives have expanded over time in a model example of public-private sector collaboration.
The main stakeholders and beneficiaries of the functions carried out by FARCAMA's Governing Association are the craftspeople themselves, crafts companies and crafts associations and federations. The Association has the technical and financial support of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, the Toledo City Council, the 5 provincial councils of the region and the Toledo Chamber of Commerce.

The budget for 2019 was slightly over half a million euros, with the main contributor being the regional Government, with over 40%. The 5 provincial councils also contribute to the financing, while the rest comes from private resources provided by the crafts businesses themselves.

The year 2020 would have marked 40 years since the first edition of FARCAMA. fair, only interrupted by the pandemic caused by the COVID-19.
Thirty-nine editions of a fair that has established itself as one of the most important in Spain and Europe. Participation figures have increased to more than 200 exhibitors and more than 100,000 visitors.
The Association created a virtual shop free of charge: the crafts market place (www.artesaniadecastillalamancha) with more than 3,000 crafts products

Difficulties are found in managing, after 40 years, to surprise and innovate in the range of activities and products. Also challenging is to produce a more up-to-date products and to connect with younger buyers that are beginning to appreciate the value of handmade and their unique quality.

This public-private management model is transferable to any other place in Europe with similar formulas, according to the particular regulations of each Member State, given that crafts activity exists, to a greater or lesser extent, in all the countries around us and the formula is not legally complicated.
All the activities carried out by the Governing Association are quantifiable, so that each of the actions carried out can be measured, in such a way that the degree of execution of the proposed objectives can be assessed. Likewise, in the activity reports drawn up every year by the Governing Association, the increased success of this management model and the high degree of satisfaction of the crafts sector with this management model can be seen year after year.
We do believe that the learning-by-doing model we used is valid and useful in any context for other countries or regions.