Good practice:

KIKK Festival : Festival of Digital and Creative Cultures

The association organises the KIKK Festival every year during 4 days in Namur, the capital of the Wallonia region. The event has become well renowned within the international digital and creative scene.
Its interest lies in the artistic and economic implications of new technologies. The event gathers people of all backgrounds from all around the world -designers, scientists, makers, entrepreneurs, artists, architects, IT developers, musicians... The speakers come to KIKK to share their personal anecdotes, professional experiences and innovative ideas, to present an artwork, a project or a product. Participants return home full of inspiration with plenty of contacts and new passions.
During the KIKK festival, there are different activities: conferences, exhibitions in the town, workshops, a pro area and a KIKK market, where professionals can exhibit their products and realisations. The KIKK market is a showcase of innovative and creative projects using new technologies developed by Belgian and international startups, artists, makers or entrepreneurs. The KIKK Pro is the place for discussion between companies and professionals (B2B public).
KIKK is also a founding partner of TRAKK (Creative hub in Wallonia), the Creative Hub of Namur, a multi-disciplinary co-creation space, the Smart Gastronomy Lab in Gembloux, the first Belgian living lab to explore gastronomy in the light of technology, and Wallifornia MusicTech, an association aiming to promote music and technology.

9 persons are employed by the KIKK association and many volunteers are involved in the organisation of the festival.
The KIKK association receives subsidies for the organisation of the festival and holds sponsor partnerships with private companies.

Budget : ± 600 000 €

This year was the 8th edition of the KIKK festival, which is now well-established in digital and creative culture events around the world.

As proof of success, we can highlight the key figures of the 2017 edition of the festival:
- 18.000 visitors
- 290 B2B participants
- 234 B2B meetings including 150/234 international B2B meetings (20 nationalities)
- 50 speakers for the conferences, 50 nationalities (visitors)

The KIKK festival is a good practice worth transfering to other regions because it brings together different audiences (entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and citizens) in order to celebrate the digital and creative culture. Moreover, there is a clear emphasis on the B2B public, thanks to the KIKK market and KIKK Pro.
A successful implementation boosts the local and regional creative industry actors and organisations and provides opportunities for cultural exchange and for the promotion of local cultural products.
Organising the festival is however a complex process because many different activities have to be planned at once. It furthermore requires a lot of financial and human resources. Despite these challenges, it is a very interesting and useful initiative. With a well-organised work and the relevant financial support, it is feasible to transfer the best practice. The help and support of the most important local stakeholders is crucial though.